Moses, Ge. 10:8-12Moses, Ge. 10:8-12

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Procopius, AD 565Procopius, AD 565

“The twin sons of Nimrod, Hunor and Magor, each with one hundred warriors, followed the White Stag through the Meotis Marsh and disappeared from sight. Hunor and Magor found the daughters of King Dul of Alans, whom they kidnapped, and their descendants became the Huns and the Magyars.”

“The twin sons of Nimrod, Hunor and Magor, each with one hundred warriors, followed the White Stag through the Meotis Marsh and disappeared from sight. Hunor and Magor found the daughters of King Dul of Alans, whom they kidnapped, and their descendants became the Huns and the Magyars.”

1. Since our arrival here in November 2007, I have been trying to work with brethren who had already settled in this area. It was their desire to have a man come and work with them. But the experience has proven otherwise, as I am considered here to be “our preacher” and “working for us”. (I have never received any support from the church here.) Any trips to preach or teach in other congregations <edit> have been frowned upon, and so, in order not to upset any, I made very few trips.

We have also had to cancel a hotel booking for a short vacation this summer which we had planned well in advance, because others here decided to go off on a day or two’s notice, “and who will be here?” In the end everyone disappeared, and <my wife> and I were left to worship together.

2. The church here meets on Sunday evenings, but the person who insists upon this for everyone else in the congregation – describing others who absent themselves as “weak” and “immature” – decided to find a job which requires working occasionally on Sunday evenings.

3. On occasion, one brother has felt the need to express his objections in Bible classes in the strongest way possible, with no regard for everyone else in the class or that things being done “decently and in order.” He loudly insisted that 1 Cor.7:39 applies only to ‘virgins’, despite the verse itself using the word ‘wife’ and refused to see otherwise.

During the previous week’s class, when discussing 1 Cor.7:15 and “not under bondage” he persisted in saying “the Christian woman is free”, but would not say free to do what, confusing everyone else in the class. Previously in a study of Mt.24 (‘The Olivet Discourse’), the class was told that to believe anything other than what he thought on the passage was wrong.

4. Sometimes, despite turning down opportunities to prepare and teach classes, the class is seen as an opportunity to personally teach a visitor; the chair is turned in that person’s direction and statements and questions are then directed at the visitor, instead of at the teacher of the class.

5. I have constantly offered home Bible studies to help brethren to grow. These offers have been both on a personal level with each individual in the congregation, and at the congregation’s bi-monthly business meetings. The replies have varied from, “I’ll get back to you” to “I am mature and do not need extra Bible classes.” When a home Bible study was organized, and I went (three weeks in a row), folks were not at home!

During the summer, I asked at one of these bi-monthly business meetings, if the men wanted to organize a teacher/preacher training class to help us worship better. The response was very favorable at the meeting, but no one turned up for the classes; no phone-calls or text messages were received either and no excuses were ever offered.

6. I have taught lessons over the past few months on Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain (June 15th 2008), The Christian’s Speech (December 27th 2008) and Profanity (June 20th 2009). I felt the lessons were necessary, as I have talked with Christians about bad language and using the Lord’s name in a disrespectful way. But the outcome remains the same; “mature” Christians who feel it is alright to curse and swear and profane the name of the savior.

7. Last year, we frequently invited the brethren to our home for meals, for barbeques, for song-nights. Sometimes the occasions were simply social get-togethers, sometimes opportunities to meet on a more spiritual level. But <my wife> remarked that after several months of our invitations and gatherings in our home, we were not seeing others reciprocate and we were the only ones showing hospitality. So, we stopped.

But in April of this year we were informed that when one brother would return from his vacation, he wished to call a meeting of all the men to discuss the lack of hospitality, because “brethren were not showing hospitality.” We still wait for our invitation to his home.

8. After the church agreed to meet in the garage of one of the member’s, it was agreed by all that a certain amount of renovation work needed to be done in order to facilitate this. But essentially, apart from a little painting, all the renovating work fell to me to do. I had no objections. But within a month of all the expense and work, the very brother who invited the church to meet in his garage, was strongly recommending that the church look for somewhere else to meet.

9. At a bi-monthly business meeting, it was proposed that the church collectively made an effort at once-weekly evangelism of some sort. So, Thursday afternoons at 3pm was agreed upon. However, the same brother who strongly put forward the need also works shifts, and this time was completely unsuitable for him. When asked subsequently why he didn’t make it known that it was unsuitable for him, he claimed to do so ‘would not be done decently and in order.’

It was agreed to change the time for this weekly church evangelism to Wednesday mornings at 10am, but I go out alone every time. But I have been told, that at another bi-monthly business meeting it was decided that every second week the church will knock at doors and talk to people, while continuing the letter-boxing on each first week. Since that meeting there has been still no one else to join me, but I have been asked why I am not door-knocking as the church agreed upon.

10. I was told that there was a need for a written schedule for the men who will serve at worship each week. I prepared it, leaving the places blank so that men could volunteer. I also left one Sunday each month blank for preaching, as I had been instructed, so that the other men could take the opportunity to preach. But when no name was filled in on this schedule, I took it upon myself to preach that week. I was then told that I needed to be more serious about the schedule.

So I left a space blank in August last for preaching and informed the brother that I will not be preaching, even if no one volunteers. For this, I was told I was not being serious about the schedule!

11. I have had occasion to need to bring a Dictaphone to some of these frequent business meetings to record what was said. Before, things were said but later denied. But after the recording device was introduced, it has kept everyone honest.

12. Our brother in question does not listen. One example: Sunday 16th of August I let everyone know that we would not be there on Sunday evening 30th August at the Bible study. I again reminded everyone on Wednesday 19th. Again Sunday 23rd, morning and evening, I reminded everyone we will not be there the following Sunday evening for the Bible study. But the brother announced on Wed.26th that I would not be there at all on Sunday. The point I’m making is that despite what I say, despite how often I say it, I am still not listened to, hence the need for the Dictaphone.

13. At a recent business meeting (I was absent <edit>), it was agreed that a podium and a locker were to be bought. After a couple of weeks, our brother came to me demanding why the church’s instructions had not been followed (?!)

14. The church here is supporting a man in Nigeria (50 EUR/mo). This was decided after the brother came back from a vacation in May with news of this man. This man in Nigeria knows no one here except the brother in question. But the brother decided that it was my responsibility to find bank accounts, and arrange money transfers.

So, after sending the money transfer to the brother in Nigeria, phoning him 8 times to let him know, sending him 3 text messages to confirm the details and hearing nothing back, I innocently presumed that he had received the support and all was well. Then, 2 weeks later, our brother here phoned me demanding to know why I hadn’t told him there was a problem! The money transfer was subsequently sorted.

Some may presume, without these facts, that there is just a “clash of personalities.” But when all the compromises and concessions have been on only one side, then maybe there might seem to be more that just personality involved. This was confirmed by the brother involved when he felt the need to let me know he was very offended by me, “because I am older than you.” And when I told him that we are moving, his response was eye-opening; “it’s a good reply.”

So, after two years in <edit>, in which I have seen very little or no growth from brethren and where our own faith is being undermined by constant hypocrisy and manipulation on the one hand and apathy toward spiritual growth on the other, we have decided to leave. After two years of abuse, I have had enough. And unfortunately, it is [my wife] and the girls who have to pay the highest price. The girls have settled in school and are extremely happy there. [My wife] has made friends here, that once again she will have to leave behind. And we begin again, …again.