L.B. Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 So, long story short... I got run out of the church job I had as a youth pastor. Got railraoded. Anyway, fuck them. If you want to know the whole story, message me and I'll fill you in. What my family and I are looking for is a group that roughly fits these guidelines: open-minded (not judgmental of people's preferences or race or anything) spiritual, yet able to draw from diverse writings and traditions to bridge gaps of understanding between people and cultures (doesn't have to be necessarily theistic or even theistic at all) Actively involved in social work like justice issues, caring for the poor and speaking out in public ways about said issues willing to welcome a younger (mid 30s) growing family (3 kids all under 6) Anyway, I am sure many might suggest a Unitarian Universalist group; there are two congregations meeting near us. Haven't had the chance to make it to any of their meetings yet, but I am very intersted. Anything within a half-hour ride of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area of Pennsylvania would be ok. **BONUS** Anyone who can recommend social or spiritual groups that might welcome an issues-aware, activist singer/songwriter for performances, etc. will get both my undying love and some kind of prize. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Oh boy...good to see you again but this doesn't sound good. Been wondering how things are going. Did this just happen today? Have you got a place to live? If I remember correctly you were living on church property... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.B. Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Happened at the beginning of March. I was brought into the boss' office, given a 10-minute speech about how unhappy everyone working with me was (which is bullshit) and then was told of some complaints that the complainers didn't even have the guts to bring to me personally (in violation of their holy babble... this has happened at least 6 times over the last 2 years). AFTER the speech and the accusations, he asks me what I think I should do about the situation. WTF else was I going to say except that this bullshit had gone on for too long and it was time to cut my losses and get the fuck out of Dodge. 1) My wife was devastated, not only at the prospect of having to leave (they agreed to give me a month to leave) but also at the shitty way it was handled. 2) my kids are, thankfully, too young to really understand. We found a decent place to live in northeast PA (we were in NJ) and they have made a couple of new friends. BTW, Xtian or no, we are still homeschooling, so no worries there. 3) Financially, it's tough. I was making roughly 20K a year with no mortgage or rent, no heat or electric bills and no insurance bills; all that was paid for. I am now working a temp job at less per hour than I made there with all my utilities, car insurance and whatever health coverage we can manage all back in my court. Thankfully, I am paying a seriously low rent for the kind of place and neighborhood we are in. The quality of home and environs I could afford on this rent and pay in NJ is frighteningly poor. The absolutely BEST thing about this all is that we went to church ONCE together since we moved up here the 28th, and we skipped this week with NO disappointment, feeling of loss, feeling of imminent divine displeasure or any of the other fundy shit we had to deal with for so long. So anyway, my wife and 3 girls and I are well, out of a seriously fucked-up situation, and no matter what, we are FREE and on our way to what MUST be better things ahead. I will tell the story step by step soon. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Thanks for filling us in on this much. I'm glad you have a place to live for now. I wish you and your family all the best. Sounds really tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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