Yesterday

 Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.....

Nope, stormy weather again!

Sometimes I am just such a clueless dope! I knew for months and years they were all starting to mutter madly about our pastor, but I largely ignored it. I should have known because the volume of chatter had risen. But the biggest red flag was going to church yesterday and seeing folks that had not attended for like two years smiling in your face, the backstabbers. I should have known.

Earlier in the week we'd talked to the pastor and there was nary a word about decamping to take care of his mother with dementia, nothing, business as usual, some very normal discussion of his State side sabbatical. He was ready and raring to go.

I knew on Friday there was a board meeting. One of the board members who'd been talking smack about the pastor and the church for ages was heading it. Later I heard that most of the other board members flew in from the States on Thursday just for the meeting. Of the 8 board members only 4 actually live in the area, two in the States, two in San Jose. I don't have solid confirmation that the board did this, voted him out, but when you look at the facts combined with the fact that he was ready to resume the reigns of leading the church through the remainder of the pandemic what conclusion can one draw?

After he made his announcement he's leaving, in tears, weeping from the pulpit, I could see the offenders and board members all grinning, right down to the Mississippi Millionaire, my singing nemesis who cannot carry a tune unless someone is standing next to her singing in key. 

By the time they moved on to praying for our pastor, laying hands on him and praying I was the only one that didn't go up. Because I was sobbing by that point. Once I witnessed the grins of those backstabbers as they prayed for him I was so sick to my stomach, almost heaving, wanting to stand up and tell those freaking hypocrites off. But I didn't. I played nice. For now. Sort of.

After the service one of the completely unmasked board members tried to walk up and shake my hand. I sniffed, and told her to get away from me you unmasked plague rat and that I shake NO hands while on high doses of Methotrexate. I am sure I pissed her off. I was not nice or apologetic about it, and I was still crying. Some nerve. I have no intention of playing nice now. We stopped out monthly giving immediately yesterday after this happened, we're talking about options, including leaving this particular church.

There's no real plan in place, no possible pastors on the horizon. The board fired him without having a backup plan in place. Short sided, stupid. But they're all Trump supporters who have been stating how much they loved what happened Wednesday.

Don't know how his leaving will effect the church considering all the bank accounts, contacts and everything else is just through the pastor. It's going to be a complete clusterfuck of confusion. 

He founded this church 8 years ago!

Now a bunch of loach millionaires have changed things for the worse. Once it was announced I had a large group of local folks who know I go there but are not church goers who know the pastor and his wife reached out to me about it. One of them is a close friend who is bemoaning the rise of the dumb Republican millionaire class here. He says they are ruining the town. They may well be. I have to agree with him, turning it from the laid back beach community that has people from all walks of life, to a foreign version of Panama City Beach with the same hideous commercialization here.

I've only been here something like 39 months now but I see it happening. The rise of the stupids pushing out anyone without money, not preaching a shitty version of the prosperity gospel mixed with conspiracy theories. It's tragic. Fuck them.