Chapter 54 - The Fall of Two Pastors
Each summer we return from Egypt to the States, visiting with family and friends. And Larry does construction work to pay for the trip.
The summer of 2006 we especially enjoy worshipping at New Life Church, and hearing Pastor Ted Haggard preach. He is a fine teacher. The current sermon series is on how our spiritual life corresponds to the Old Testament tabernacle—the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Holy of Holies. We can linger in the Outer Court after salvation, or press into the Inner Court and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, where the gifts of the Spirit operate. As we live a life of worship and obedience and abide in the presence of God—we enter the Holy of Holies!
Being the head of the National Association of Evangelicals, Pastor Ted travels often. When he preaches on Sunday he might have just returned from an overseas trip and be jetlagged. After a while I notice the first half of his sermons are repetitive—he summarizes last Sunday’s sermon in the first half, then begins new material in the last half. After a few weeks of slowly moving through the tabernacle series, I become impatient, wanting more fresh material.
“Doesn’t Pastor Ted realize he’s repeating himself?” I ask Larry as we drive home one Sunday. “It seems like he preaches almost the same sermon. He’s speaking to thousands of people—you’d think he’d prepare better.”
“Maybe he forgets where he leaves off each week,” Larry reflects. Or maybe he’s trying to let the same truth sink deeper.”
We make an appointment to see Ted and discuss our future before we leave for Cairo. He is vigorous and direct as usual, friendly…and mentions he’s struggling with high blood pressure. “And they want to draw blood for testing, but I don’t want them to.”
“Oh—we’ll be praying for you,” I respond.
He is standing in his large office by the bookshelves and looks hard at me as if he would share more. But he doesn’t. The moment passes and we say goodbye.
Weeks later, back in Cairo I telephone Sherrill my friend and inquire about church. “What is Pastor Ted preaching on now?”
“Well, we’re still on the tabernacle series,” she answers.
“Amazing.”
As we continue our teaching and travel in and out of Cairo this fall, there seems to be more spiritual warfare. I struggle with anxiety for our safety, even though soldiers stand guard on every block in the Maadi area, and each church service is well guarded. Once, walking past a local Islamic school, young boys begin throwing rocks at us.
The beloved Pastor Petrescue from Maadi Community Church unexpectedly dies of a fall from his apartment building. He forgot his keys when climbing up to the flat roof. Closing the door, he has no way of unlocking it to descend the stairs. He is letting himself down to an outside balcony by a cord when it breaks, and he falls seven stories to his death. The church is in mourning…we are all shocked.
As I study to teach Romans, Larry begins praying with another intercessor from the church. Maadi needs much prayer in this season, as of course does all of Cairo. One day Larry looks up from his Bible reading. “You know, I enjoy praying with Mike, and I care about the students here. But I miss building projects. There’s a part of me that’s not being used. And we’re sick so often. Sometimes I feel rather ineffective.”
“I understand. It sure is a fight to stay healthy. What I miss most is not being with the kids and grandkids. One of our five-year goals is to have spiritual input into their lives. It’s harder to do that from a distance.”
“We talked to Pastor Ted last summer about moving home and travelling in and out from Colorado Springs,” Larry mused. “If I were building part time, we could support ourselves more.”
One evening we receive an email to the New Life elder group. There is to be a meeting of the elders…allegations have been made on a Denver radio station about Ted consorting with a male prostitute. It seems unreal.
Another night before I check emails, I notice on the MSN front page a picture of a man that looks like Pastor Ted. “Look, Larry. A soldier must have died—and he looks just like Ted!”
Larry comes to look, then we read the caption together. “It is Ted,” Larry breathes. He’s being investigated about those charges. The man who accuses him says he also took methamphetamines.”
We watch BBC and CNN most nights…and now Pastor Ted is on the news. We watch as he denies wrongdoing to reporters, looking so sincere. His wife Gayle sitting next to him in the car looks traumatized. Soon after, we begin to read stories about him in the English version of the Egyptian Gazette.
One day we telephone Jared who is on staff at New Life. “How are you holding up?” Larry inquires.
“Well, I’m just putting one foot in front of the other, every day. I hang out with other staff to make sense of what’s happening. It’s like a bad dream.”
“I can imagine,” Larry answers.
“The overseers have been called in. Pastor Ted has been asked to stay away from the church. Ross Parsley (the music pastor) has been asked to be interim pastor.”
“So, the allegations are really true?”
“The prostitute guy has a recording of Pastor Ted’s voice on the telephone, and the voiceprint matches. The newspapers in Denver and Colorado are following this closely, and the news on TV.”
“Unbelievable. Well, we’re praying for you all.”
“Thanks—we need it.”
We complete our teaching assignments that fall and pack to move home. “This seems strange, Larry,” I say as I take down wall hangings and pack books. “We’ve been here a year and a half…I never thought we’d move home so quickly.”
“Well, maybe it’s like a wartime evacuation,” Larry replies. “Our home church is in crisis. Perhaps the arm of the church can’t support what the hand is doing in missions. Not just financially, but spiritually. I have a peace that we’re moving home at the right time.”
“Well, Moses and Joanne are moving back to Korea for a time, so their teenagers adapt to the culture there. The whole team is changing.”
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with the grandkids. God will use all of this for our good.”
Our plane leaves in the middle of the night. We’ve already said sad farewells to our barista friends at Grecos and given dishes and blankets to young couple at church who are getting married. As we lug our large suitcases down three flights of marble stairs late that night, the elderly landlady opens her door to wave goodbye.
We fly into Denver with snow and warm hugs from Jared and Everett, who is now energetic and toddling. Chubby Beckett is home with Megan in their cozy home near downtown Colorado Springs. “He’s playing Baby Jesus in New Life’s nativity program,” Megan tells us, laughing. “He’s been pretty busy.” Our Christmas with them is sweet.
Later we celebrate with Nick and Linda in Birmingham, Alabama. Madeline is now eight, articulate, and artistic. Hudson, a blond six-year-old is quiet, thoughtful. And Macy their two-year-old chortles with glee over her small camel from Cairo.
My parents are now retired in Lexington, Kentucky, attending an Alliance church they had helped launch years ago. They love hearing our stories, seeing our pictures of camel riding up Mt. Sinai.
Larry begins construction work again, and we pick up with the Sunday evening elder prayer meetings at New Life. Occasionally there are larger elder meetings where overseers or Ross Parsley exhort us to be steady in the church, as others will follow our example. A letter of apology from Pastor Ted is read one Sunday at the services. Later, a pastoral search committee is formed. Ross Parsley has been an excellent worship pastor…now he is becoming a good preacher.
We are encouraged. We have the praying elder group over for a potluck meal. “It’s kind of like Dad died, and big brother has taken over the family,” I comment, as we eat. “If we get another pastor from outside, it will be like stepdad comes in. New Life may change into a whole different church!”
“Yes, Ross is doing a good job,” Molly affirms. “We’re still like a big family.”
“The search committee will only put up one candidate at a time for the church to vote on,” another adds. “This may be a long process, finding the right pastor.”
Brady Boyd from Dallas comes to candidate and preaches three times. He is younger than Ted, a solid clear teacher, but without Ted’s charisma.
The church votes…and only Brady Boyd is on the ballot. If he is not voted in, I hear, the search committee will take more months--maybe a year--to offer another candidate.
“Why don’t they allow us to choose between Ross and Brady?” I wonder to Larry. “Many people would like Ross to stay.”
“I don’t know,” Larry responds. “It would make more sense to give us a choice.”
Brady Boyd becomes our new pastor. The elder group is dissolved…we can stay a part of the prayer team who ministers up front at the end of every service, but our close association is ended. Many do not understand. “Why were we all asked to stay steady, pray, and counsel encouragingly, but now are disbanded?” one of the elders asks.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “It’s amazing how much freedom God gives to a pastor in how to lead his church.”
As the months pass church bylaws are changed by a committee, and new staff hired. Jared stays on at New Life--continuing on the worship team. We are told there will be no more opportunity for the gifts of the Spirit to operate freely. Pastor Brady wants only staff or visiting ministers to prophesy in a specified service, after some teaching on prophecy.
After being used in that gift for years—along with other members—I am mystified. “How can Pastor Brady change our church in the area of spiritual gifts?” I wonder to Larry. “New Life is a charismatic, full gospel church!”
“Well, he evidently wants the gifts to operate in smaller settings. He only wants staff or ministers to be used in the gifts in a large service. He tried to explain that when he and Pam came for dinner weeks ago.”
“Well, we’re ordained. Ted trusted us for years. You were used in giving words also.”
“That’s all changed now,” Larry answers sadly.
The church’s support for our ministry travels continues through spring until a newly hired missions pastor discontinues it. We teach in Kyrgyzstan and India, then begin to travel once a year to India, teaching in Lonavala and Bangalore, trusting the Lord for expenses.
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