Dear Kansas Preacher,

[Kansas Preacher]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

I appreciate you, and wish you would stay.

I have not been around as long as you have, but I can understand the sense of vestment you have felt toward the organization, and how hurt you must be at the direction we have taken.

I wish you nothing but the richest favor of God.

PP

Pastor Poster,

Thank you for your very kind words. I just recieved a VERY touching phone call from a long-time friend who said many of the same things. I assure you this is NOT a "knee-jerk" reaction.

For the sake of those who do not read "Thad's Tab," I will give a little more insight into my personal decision by posting here what I posted there. The thread stated that I had promised to "leave as soon as it passed." Furthermore, someone stated they "hoped I DID leave." Here is my response.

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For those who "hope" I will leave, you will get your wish.

Thad, I NEVER said, "as soon as it passes." I only stated that I WILL leave. That is my intention. I have been telling that the easiest way to leave is to let your dues lapse. It requires no action on the part of the District Board. It is just automatic. My plan has been to let that process work. My dues are paid through the end of the year. That would mean I won't be dropping out until the first of the year.

I have been reconsidering, however. I have been watching the UPCI drift towards liberalism for many years. (I prayed through in a United Pentecostal Church more than 35 years ago, and have been licensed/ordained for more than 25 of those years.) It has grieved me, but I have been unable to stop it. Yesterday, with the passage of Resolution 4, something in me died. This whole process has been, for me, like watching a loved one with a terminal disease. Even though you know it's coming, you still don't cherish the fact that they finally passed away. The problem for me now is, if I wait until my dues lapse, I won't be able to "bury" this loved one for three more months. In other words, there will be no "closure" for me until I am out of the organization.

I have wept genuine tears. I have been heartbroken. I do not rejoice that I am leaving (although others evidently ARE rejoicing over that fact). Nevertheless, it is something I feel I MUST do.

For those who are interested, I posted the following on another forum. I will "cut and paste" for the benefit of those who "hope" I leave.

Leaving the United Pentecostal Church after being a part (as either a saint in a local assembly, or a licensed minister) for more than 35 years is not an easy thing for me. It is not something I have longed for, desired, hoped for, or wanted. I have watched this drift and grieved.

I was a new convert when the Hanby/Phillips issue was raging. I wrote a letter to Mark Hanby (I was only 14) telling me how it broke my heart (literally) to learn he was advertising on TV. I told him of the double standard that it created. I was DEEPLY hurt by his decision. If the United Pentecostal Church had voted to accept television advertising in the 1970's, I would never have sought license in the first place. Now that it has reversed its stand, I do not feel I can remain a member.

I will not leave with a bad spirit. I will not leave with a rotten attitude. I will not go out "bashing" the UPC. I want to retain the fond memories I have. The UPC has been GOOD to me in MANY ways. I have served in positions from the sectional level to the national level (as a member of the General Board). I want to remember it for the good it has done. I will not criticize those who remain in. (In fact, I have counseled young men NOT to jump because others are.)

I see it like this: If I leave now, I can do so with a right spirit and attitude. If I wait, I may grow bitter. That's a chance I am not willing to take.