Well, almost! DH has to bring his saw in today to cut one final piece of paneling to finish the job...
This mural has been in the church office since 1972. No one has dared paint over it, for fear of "offending" those 2-3 people who might throw a fit. The lady who painted it doesn't even attend the church anymore, nor does anyone in her family (The one relative left was a teenager who loudly proclaimed to anyone who would listen that it had to go , and she is gone now, too.). Of course, CA was against it. Oh, wait. I believe the sky is still blue, isn't it? But enough was enough. I even left work early yesterday because there was no way that the rest of the staff was going to get to be there for it and let me miss out on all the fun!
They decided to cover it up with paneling as a happy compromise...it is covered up, but if anyone ever wants to take it down AFTER we all leave, it will still be there. PW joked that the Holy Spirit inspired it, because she came up with the idea during worship one Sunday .
SP believes that covering up the mural is a huge step in getting rid of the old religious spirit that plagued the church. It was a symbol of the old regime of control and defiance of the senior pastor's authority.
Our PW even took pictures of it with her digital camera, and will offer copies to anyone in the church to whom the mural still meant something (along with a picture of me, DH and YP posing in front of it with evil, sadistic grins , but that was for her own personal scrapbook!).
SP and PW both said that they feel these little nitpicky attacks from CA are almost like death throes - like the devil making some final, pathetic attempts to shut down what God is going to do. None of us feel released from that church yet, and even though we're struggling, we have all seemed to acquire this plucky determination to keep on keeping on!!
However, I would appreciate continued prayer against attacks on our staff. The latest attack is financial - our YP and her husband have really been hurting as far as their bills go, and nothing seems to be working out for them. So if you could keep them (and us!) in your prayers - that we would experience a financial breakthrough, enough to get caught up on our bills and more!!
When we changed church name and took down the "founding members picture and plaque" - you would have thought we shaved our heads and sold flowers at the airport. anyway- our Ca (my MIL) threw a holy fit because the former SP was her youngest son tragically killed. Didn't matter that the current SP, her oldest son and my dh said we needed to move on and restart. He said it was too depressing to see it all the time and explaining to visitors our "history". A few other members got a little miffed too - but they eventually got over it - I think. But sometimes you have to stand your ground for the better of the church.
, and she is gone now, too.). Of course, CA was against it. Oh, wait. I believe the sky is still blue, isn't it? But enough was enough. I even left work early yesterday because there was no way that the rest of the staff was going to get to be there for it and let me miss out on all the fun!
, but that was for her own personal scrapbook!). 
