True Confessions of an Interim

Jul 18, 2024

By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

Once upon a time, Fountain City Presbyterian Church Vacation Bible School had triple-digit attendance. Many of you remember when every square inch of the facility was used, and dozens of ladies and teenagers helped create some order out of chaos. Earlier this week, our VBS had kids I can name: Bowen, Cruze, Dakota, Stella, Marla, Kaylee, Maggie. Adults outnumbered kids by nearly 7 to 1 (I can name them too). We met for three evenings rather than five days, with dinner and dessert instead of snacks and kool aid. 

Those kids (and Lucy!) were loved on by everyone. They must have felt like they won the grandparents lottery. The songs they learned were cool and very danceable. All of us left with swag to remind us of our time together at VBS. Paula kept us well fed, and so many brought sides and desserts. Susan and Darlene valiantly team-taught us wild adults. We met some new people and learned we didn’t know some familiar folks as well as we thought. April, Ben, Dawn, Dana, Martha, Casey, Charlie and a few others worked with the kids doing crafts, music, stories, and games. All of us together worked on making special gifts you’ll see if you come to church this Sunday. 

I was talking about church business with a friend when all of a sudden it clicked. What I saw at VBS was Fountain City Presbyterian Church living the dream of being a loving, caring family for all who want the kind of world Jesus made possible. You know something? It made me cry. Yep, I got misty-eyed realizing how freely the love of God was flowing those three evenings. A guest at VBS even remarked that she hadn’t been to church in a long time, and wasn’t sure about coming, but the kindness and warm welcome she and her daughter got from us were more than she had ever experienced at Joel Osteen’s church in Houston. 

There are bigger churches than Fountain City Presbyterian. So many people are down on church at all. You don’t know what your future will look like, and I know that is a burden for many of you. But NEVER underestimate the power of being that loving, caring family for each other and anyone who comes under your roof. Through your love and care I’ve seen God work magic in people’s hearts, it’s touched Denise and me, and I suspect it’s the main reason you all keep at it. “Now these three abide: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.”