So I’ve been a member of my church all my life. I have run around the building and was a well loved child of the village. And while I’m not as active anymore, because church politics is my least favorite sport, I will always have love for my church. They weren’t perfect, but they always were helpful to the members and the surrounding community.
My first pastor moved on and was replaced by another one when I was about 10. I love both of our pastors. They were hardworking men who, for the most part, were true men of God. I’m talking, from getting up in the pulpit and shaming people for talking bad about the youth and gay people, to paying for under privileged kids to get free summer camp and winter clothing. Unfortunately, the larger church organization recognized that our new pastor was really good at molding new ministers into great leaders. And this is when the problem started.
The wicked witch of the west blew in and we were stuck with her. She was loud, rude, mean, and judgmental. I clocked that she was unhinged as a child and just avoided her like the plague. Minister A is running the youth ministry? Mom I’m staying home. Minister A is leading the field trip? Mom I’m staying home. And this worked for years. I worked for the church camp starting at 14 and worked every position as the years went on. And then one year, Minister A lead the camp and I didn’t apply. People complained about the camp changes and the next year, pastor asked me to apply and I was PISSED to find out that she was my boss. I worked through it and just kept my head down. The summer ended and I just accepted that I would never work at the camp again. But then pastor offered me the assistant director position and I couldn’t resist. I paid for that.
It’s hard to describe everything she did but I’ll do my best. For context, I was in my early 20’s at the time. She gave half instructions and then yelled at me when things didn’t work out. She was always late and didn’t do shit. She spoke down to me at every turn and talked shit about me behind my back. The problem was, she didn’t realize that I was a beloved kid of the church. My mom kept me and my brother in a lot of programs and there were plenty of sundays where I was the only soprano in the youth choir. I helped whoever whenever and so as she was trying to turn the church against me, she was actively turning everyone against her. She was so rude to me that the ladies in the kitchen refused to eat with her. Pastor’s wife cussed her AND Pastor out for how she spoke to me. People were even calling my mom and telling her how rude she was to me.
One moment sticks out fondly. She kept talking about how she was meeting with one of the high elders and kept using the elder’s official title. The title kept ringing a bell but I couldn’t place my finger on it. She kept alluding that she would speak to this elder about problems she was having at the camp but was looking me dead in the eye when she did so. The time comes for the meeting, and who walks in but my own godmother. My “auntie” ran right to me, hugged me, and kept telling me that she missed me. Then she turned around, looked at Minister A and said, “all right let’s get this over with.” My godmother is one of the kindest women ever and I had NEVER seen that side of her until that day. It took everything in me not to scream with laughter!
Through it all I just kept praying to hold my temper and not pop tf off.
So one day she brings me into the ministerial office to threaten and intimidate me. Now she didn’t know this, but that office was our former pastor’s office. Baby, the youth LIVED in that office when I was a kid. Want free candy? Just open the door and go get some. Pastor’s in a meeting? So what! He’d smile at us and ask if we wanted anything extra! We ran that office, so she was already on the wrong foot.
She started the meeting with, “You know I was advised to fire you”.
YOU CAN NOT THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME!
I didn’t ask any questions. I just grabbed my stuff and got up. The look on her face when I said, “Oh! I guess we’re done here.” is one of the memories that helps me sleep at night. She started immediately back pedaling and trying to get me to sit back down. I just looked at her and said, “I don’t know who advised you, but I’m sure they haven’t talked to pastor. I’m going home. See you tomorrow?”
And walked out. The next day she didn’t say anything and neither did I. We finished the summer and she deleted me from social media. The next year, she ran the camp again and I didn’t apply. Without me there to filter her decisions, she cost the church a lot of money and pastor finally had a reason to get rid of her.
And the icing in the cake? I was camp director the next year and had the best staff, parent, and student reviews of the camp since the 90’s.
God don’t like ugly. ️
TLDR: Minister tries to be mean to me at church job. Fails and is replaced by me.