Beth Cantrell

Background

About Beth Cantrell

I met Kenny the old-fashioned way. He pitched a tent in our back property. I saw him a few days later. He wasn't especially welcomed at worship because he mumbled to himself. He stood up and sat down at all the wrong times. It was winter and he didn't smell so good. So began ten months of a young man who was homeless and schizophrenic living on our church property. Bless Fred W, our octogenarian. He handled it best. He wandered into my office every so often to complain. Vehemently complain."Get him off the property or I'll stop coming to church!" Problem was, half my people threatened to leave if Kenny stayed. The other half of my people threatened to leave if we threw Kenny out. Kenny stayed with us for ten months. Things were always tense. Nobody was happy. Kenny and I visited every social service place we could find. Always an excuse there. The local shelter threw him out but they lacked the paperwork, but they were very sure he couldn't come back for two years."Starting when?" They never answered. Congregations face problems where compassion fights territory, where common sense rubs against idealism, where principle and pragmatism square off. I did the best I could. Is this a world where humility can buy a job? Is this the place to be as indecisive as I was ten years ago? How can such actions be understood and adjudicated? Good pastors face tough decisions. Good pastors must represent all their constituents, from the yeas to the nays to the guy living in the backyard. Like Jacob wrestling the angel, good pastors are known by their perseverance. by hanging on. My best quality is my decision to love my people, to be present and attentive during times of conflict, and to make the tough decisions when they must be faced. Whether I work as a pastor or work in other fields, I bring a measure of compassion, fairness, and toughness to the role. We never had to kick Kenny off the property. He never did anything wrong or destroyed property. People acclimated to his presence after a while. But we couldn't meet his needs, so he left. He is not forgotten.