“Now the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” 1 Timothy 4:1

It is 9:30 on a Thursday morning in Salem and Alcoholics Anonymous is beginning its morning meeting. Ken H. arrives early so that he can claim his favorite seat. This will be Ken’s second week of meetings, but today may be his last in his hometown. “I need to be with my own people,” Ken shares with me. “I need to communicate my present difficulties with someone of my religion.” Ken tells me he is a Muslim. He is planning to travel to Portland to seek help at the Masjed As-Saber center on SW 43rd in Portland. His thoughts are about his conversion from Catholicism to the Muslim faith 15 years ago. “If I did in Indonesia what I’m doing here in Salem, it would not be pretty.” Ken is talking about the Sharia Law of the Muslim faith. Kevin is seeking help, not punishment. “Maybe I’ll bow out of religion all together until I’m clean and can make some serious decisions.” Not too long ago I caught up with him downtown Salem. Gone was the Muslim conversion and there was no mention of religion at all. “I’m living with my daughter and her husband now. It’s not the best arrangement, but the environment is clean and peaceful.” He then smiled and said “I have not completely forgotten the Bible you gave me; but now is not the time.”

Anyone who has needed assistance while traveling in a foreign country will tell you it can be an onerous affair. Language, culture and finances can all collide at once; help becomes a rumor. Eventually, help does arrive and provides the victim comfort and clarity to repair the situation. What if however, the unthinkable grasp of gambling, alcoholism or drug addiction enters someone you know and they ‘no longer’ are rooted in any religious affiliation and distant from family. Where does one go living in Salem? Over the years I have met young and old alike who were in need of recovery from their addictive lifestyle and had a desire to return to the grace of God. Yet, there is a population departing from their faith in growing numbers and taking their problems with them.

The ‘Nones’

Within the growing population in Salem and the Willamette Valley, a new segment of the population can no longer be classified as “religious fringe.” A classification called the ‘Nones’ has now become part of the population. You probably have taken a survey that asks your religious belief. More and more people are checking off ‘None.’ The definition of a ‘None’ for this discussion is one who has no stated religious preference, atheist, or agnostic.

With Ken, there was a ‘thought’ of returning to God via the “Big Book” at AA meetings and atone himself with God. What about the ‘Nones’; who are they “atoning” themselves to? This past March, I did some research concerning the ‘Nones’ and met with clergy of different faiths who meet with people who are crippled by addictions and other ‘life’ issues and are not of strong faith in God or, no faith at all.

Some interesting facts concerning the ‘Nones’ was published in a report titled The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) published in 2008 written by Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College, located in Hartford, CT. According to this report, “the American population self-identifies as predominantly Christian but Americans are slowly becoming less Christian.” Here are some results of their investigation:

• 86% of American adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 76% in 2008.
• The historic Mainline churches and denominations have experienced the steepest declines while the non-denominational Christian identity has been trending upward particularly since 2001.
• The challenge to Christianity in the U.S. does not come from other religions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion.
• 34% of American adults considered themselves “Born Again or Evangelical Christians” in 2008.
• The “Nones” continue to grow, though at a much slower rate than in the 1990s; from 8.2% in 1990 to 15.0% in 2008.

In this report the most striking change among the racial and ethnic groups is among Hispanics. In 1990 they comprised 6% of U.S. adults and 4% of adult ‘Nones.’ In 2008 Hispanics doubled their percentage of the U.S. adult population to 13% and tripled their proportion among adult America in general, but are the fastest-growing minority group among ‘Nones.’ This too is a noteworthy finding considering the stereotype of Latinos as a deeply religious population.

According to this same report, 27% of the population of Oregon does not affiliate themselves with any religion or belief system.

It’s A Pain That Will Not Go Away

I recently had coffee with a ‘None’ in downtown Salem. Rubbing his hands as if he was washing them, Peter F. told me, “I needed to stop drinking: period. I tried everything to rid myself of this constant emptiness inside of me; it would not go away.” He shared that when he drank alcohol, he usually ended up in jail, court, or just recently, in prison serving 2 years for assault. He hit his “relative” so hard that hospitalization was required. Peter only remembers waking up in ‘county’ and a court appointed lawyer telling him prison probably was the next event in his life. While in prison, it was the first time he had “really read” the Bible; but nothing grew out of it. In Peter’s words; “talking about things with people and not being talked at resulted me doing better at AA meetings than church meetings. I’m better off not being a church member.”

No Better Calling

If, as mentioned before, organized religion is being rejected altogether by the ‘Nones’; what roads are available for those who are in need of help and counsel? Years ago I spoke with a pastor and we were discussing “lost souls.” He told me that “there are no lost souls in God’s eyes. They are in the waiting room waiting to be seen. And, there are many specialists God has placed to help all of His people; and there is no better calling than to help others.” Considering the fact that the ‘Nones’ are more populous, there is more of an opportunity for each of us to attach ourselves to those who are in the waiting room.

One sign of the lack of attachment of Americans to religion is that 27% do not expect a religious funeral at their death.

When I lived in New York, the pastor of the church I was attending, challenged the congregation by instructing us to bring someone to church who: (a) had never been to church or (b) had not been to church in 5 years. He gave us 3 weeks to bring a “guest.” When that Sunday service arrived, the church was full; overfull to be exact. Interestingly enough, over 65% of the “guests” who came that Sunday had not attended a church service in over 10 years. The good news is that over 50% returned the next Sunday. The eye opener to the pastoral staff was clear; outreach, outreach and outreach were to be the focus of the ministry.

Outreach from Outside the Christian Community: A Door Wide Open

Rabbi Jameson (Rabbi James) Greene, a Nebraska transplant, works in tandem with agencies here in Salem. He supports and encourages his counselees to attend AL-ANON and AA. He has seen the “small miracles of each day” by those of his congregation who knew they needed help and sought to return to “spiritual advisement.” Not all who come to Rabbi James are Jewish. His desire as other shepherds of Salem is help the person to sobriety or whatever their needs may be. “I want to instill to create a sense of mindfulness” to each person that trusts his counsel. Although the Jewish population of Oregon is a minority (1%) (2), Rabbi James does see himself as being involved with people from other faith’s and of ‘none’ religious beliefs suffering from addictions and needing counsel for other social problems.

“And if you greet your friends only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Mathew 5:47

When the Lord brought me to His saving grace, I was always amazed that the people he placed me with always had time for me. A Time to listen, a time to teach the Gospel, and most importantly, time to pray with me. I never had time for them, but they always had all the time in the world for me. Now I have the same blessing bestowed on me as was given to those who God placed in my life. I have time for the ‘None’ that our Lord may send my way, though they may not have time for me.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole, awful lot, things aren’t going to get better. They’re NOT!” Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

From a young age, Dr. Seuss taught many of us that it takes an extraordinary effort to affect change for the better. In the book, children are encouraged to deeply care because if they will not, things will not get better. This is a profound lesson that Dr. Seuss teaches us.

What does it mean to care a whole, awful lot about something? If I care this much, is my effort going to affect change for good? Can I really make a difference?

In Fall of 2009, the Youth Pastors at Salem Alliance Church in Salem, Oregon challenged the high school and middle school students to come up with a way to help solve an issue in the Salem-Keizer area. The idea was to find a way to be Jesus with skin to the area – that this would both teach students how to be loved and how to love others through the love of Jesus. After all of the ideas came in, the youth groups would then vote on the best idea- the idea that they would actually help out with.

West Salem High School senior Whitney Ferrin, an attendee of the high school group at Salem Alliance decided to take this challenge to heart. Whitney researched the Salem-Keizer area to find a problem that was waiting desperately for a solution.

Her findings? Disheartening. Whitney learned that there were 900 homeless students in the Salem-Keizer School District during the 2008-2009 school year. The magnitude of this statistic is astonishing.

Whitney teamed up with Paula Hoffart, one of the Youth Pastors at Salem Alliance, to figure out how to help these students. The idea that they came up with is to sell t-shirts.

“We wanted to sell a t-shirt that we would actually want to wear,” says Ferrin, “When the Give A Shirt idea came up, we both said, ‘I’d wear that!’”

An edgy name gets people talking. Try wearing one of their shirts around town. People interact with you in ways you would never expect.

After the youth groups voted for Whitney’s idea, the production of shirts began. The rest is history. In the past 3 months, Give A Shirt has sold over 1,000 shirts at schools, festival booths, and on www.igiveashirt.org.

From the start, Whitney wanted to help the students get clothing. She found that students were harassed and made fun of at school for clothing and hygiene issues.

Homeless students have so many factors distracting from their education. Getting to school can sometimes be last priority for these students because of life’s other issues.

“If I was made fun of at school for reasons that were beyond my control, I wouldn’t want to go either,” says Whitney, “We want to help these students be able to rise out of the situation they are in.”

Since education is distracted for the homeless students, Whitney decided she wanted to try to eliminate as many of those elements as possible.

Give A Shirt partners with a contact at the Salem-Keizer School District in order to fill needs that other social programs cannot fill adequately, allowing the students to get back in the classroom and continue their education.

Once each quarter, the homeless students are invited to a party where they can get free medical attention, hang out, play Wii, eat lunch, and sign up for field trips to go shopping for new clothes that they will enjoy wearing.

When a middle-school homeless student was told that she would get to go shopping for new clothes, her face lit up. She was amazed that somebody would want to help her. Later in the day, at lunchtime, another girl mentioned that she hadn’t eaten in two days.

In Matthew 25: 34-36, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, Christ says:

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’”

Whitney says that the proceeds of t-shirt sales help Give A Shirt accomplish their mission statement: “Give Hope, Restore Dignity.”

“Succeeding is getting the students clothes,” says Whitney, “We have already succeeded, but we must continue to succeed. It’s a big deal. Kids need to be able to see people who care about them.”

Some people have dreamt of Give A Shirt expanding and franchising to other areas with similar needs. When asked about this, Whitney smiled.

“That would be awesome and completely affirming of what we are doing here in Salem,” acknowledged Whitney, “But we need to fill areas of great need in each community. That might not be homelessness somewhere else.”

Caring a “whole, awful lot” is hard to do in a culture that constantly blurs the lines between needs and wants. The homeless students in Salem are struggling to even satisfy their basic needs.

Give A Shirt has a wise founder. She understands what Christ was talking about in Matthew 25 about serving those who have needs. She heard the message that Dr. Seuss teaches in The Lorax. She is leading a large group of people to affect change for a group of homeless students in great need.

Give A Shirt is helping students in the Salem-Keizer School District, and the organization’s influence is growing rapidly in Salem, Oregon.

There remains a question that needs to be answered. What are the great needs that need to be filled in your area? Will you Give A Shirt?

The Salem community recently lost a very humble man: Ron Elliott. His name is neither a household name nor what he did nor will how he died become a water cooler topic. He was homeless for many years, living in several shelters and most recently, a deplorable rental unit on 14th Street in Salem. A man who had nothing, asked for nothing, but gave all he had. He was remembered on September 24, approximately two weeks after his death at the Blue Pepper, downtown Salem. Many homeless people gathered upstairs at the Blue Pepper to share with Ron Elliott’s children their life and experiences with this special man. The people who gathered at this “wake” were mostly homeless. I had not seen some of them in a few months, and in some cases, a few years. Some had worn a shirt and tie, others the best they had to wear. But they wore what I had always remembered them by; they all wore a smile. It was good to see them again. We embraced, shared a tear and a story or two. Some, not many, have moved out of staying in shelters, others are still stay in shelters. Some are camping, and others are somewhere between nowhere and goodbye.

“He that loves his brother abides in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.”
1 John 2:10

Ron was homeless and was residing at the Salem Union Gospel Mission when I first met him many years ago. While he was staying at the mission, he worked doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, and most importantly, helping people one on one. He was not in need of a recovery program or a support group. Ron never asked for a handout or special favors. All he asked from this world was shelter and a meal during his cancer treatment; he was willing and ready to work for that. And work he did. He loved helping people. It was ironic he was remembered a block away from a place he made the most impact with people. “If You Help, You Care” was one of Ron Elliott’s creeds. He was stricken with terminal cancer a few years ago. When you saw him, you could see he was not well, but when he spoke, his appearance no longer became a concern. You would never know that this man was dying. He was alive with the hope of life ever after with Christ and shared that hope with all he met. On occasion Ron and I would walk around downtown Salem. He told me of the mistakes he made during his life. Yet he was amazed of the love that God had for him during his life. Although suffering, he was enthusiastic with the opportunity to help and assist others during their time in “the pit” as he called it. He really believed we were to help one another every day, not just on Holidays.

I found out recently that his final days were very painful. He was bandaging his own open sores. His diet was anything he could find to eat. He told another homeless friend a few days before his passing that “it will be ok, the Lord is in charge.” He was cleaning the community bathroom where he ended up living his last days. It was so very sad he ended up in such a dreadful place after giving so much of himself to other people and organizations.

Most people I know who are homeless are surviving with what cards are dealt to them by the courts and the extremely bad choices they made during this journey of life. They are not lepers; they need a hand or two along the way. Take a lesson from Ron, whatever your heart directs you to do when you see someone hurting, please follow your heart. CS Lewis wrote in his book The Four Loves that “friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of each of all the others.” Ron never feared being alone. He feared he may have to leave someone alone and not able to help them. For people, homeless or not, a life of loneliness without Christ can be endless.

In a world of “me first,” it was refreshing and such a blessing to know a person like Ron who cared for others first; not by the directions of man, but by the Spirit of God. I am aware that there are many ‘Ron’s’ out there; I wish it were not so. I hope someday to start a fund in memory of and honoring Ron Elliot. This fund would insure that a homeless person‘s last days would be comfortable and dignified. Sadly, this may be a very active fund. Ron died on September 10, 2009. He was proud of his faith in the Lord and he wanted to share it with anyone who resided at UGM and other areas of town.

Michael Olsen was the Director of Ministries for the Salem Union Gospel Mission for 10 years. Prior to his work at UGM, he retired from the U.S. Army after 21 years and worked for Trans World Airlines in New York after his military retirement. He and his wife Wendy live in Salem. Michael can be reached at mjeccl4@gmail.com.

It’s hard to believe in miracles isn’t it? Do you think perhaps it’s because we have become jaded by charlatans, or because we have become desensitized by all the special effects we se on TV and movies. But make no mistake; miracles still happen. They happen at the edge of a mean and sinful world where light pushes back the darkness.

Many miracles happen in distant remote places where God is able to show His awesome power. I’ve talked to missionaries who have witnessed awe inspiring miracles. But, I’ve seen them too, and I saw them when I went to the edge.

It all started that first day when I walked into the Edgewater District as a volunteer of the Salem Dream Center (a ministry that reaches people through volunteer service and works projects). I stepped on to the edge that day; looked over and jumped. My life has not been the same.

On my first day in Edgewater, my team and I knocked on the door of a woman who wouldn’t tell us her name. Week after week she would talk to us, but never tell us her name. Our conversations were always centered on everything that she did, kind of her way of telling us, look I’m OK; I don’t need your help.

I was resolute to learn her name. Every Saturday we would knock on her door and try some new clever way to learn her name, only to be thwarted by her determination to remain anonymous, and I guess impersonal.

This battle went on for some time, then on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when we knocked on the door, it swung open and a hand thrust out. In a stern and harsh voice she proclaimed, “I’ve had enough of your friendliness, leave me alone,” and the door slammed in our faces.

That was a first. We weren’t sure what to do. After walking away in disbelieve we talked about what just happened, and what we should do. We came up with a plan to write her a note that said we were sorry for bothering her, that bothering her wasn’t our intent. We only wanted to be friends. We acknowledged all that she did: working full time, going to school, and helping to raise her grand kids.

We closed our note saying; “We won’t bother you, but we will always be out here on the street on Saturday mornings if you need us.” We placed that note on her door on a Saturday, the week after Thanksgiving. We snuck up, quietly put the note on her door and ran.

That same day our anonymous woman called West Salem Foursquare Church, and asked if we were part of the church?

You know the feeling you get when you are driving and you see those blue lights flashing in your rear view mirror? Well that’s what I felt when on Sunday I was asked if I had left a note on a door in Edgewater, because a woman had called about it. But relief flooded over me just like when the police car passes and pulls over the car in front of you.

The woman called to tell us she was sorry, and to tell us that we could come back. Melanie, the pastor who answered the call, could have taken the message as it was given, but instead she asked, “Are you OK?” The woman broke down crying and told Melanie that two days before she slammed the door on us, her 7 year old grandson died a tragic death.

Melanie went on to talk with her about God, about death, and about a world that is cruel: one that doesn’t make sense. At the end of that conversation Melanie could have said goodbye, but instead she asked if she could pray for her. The woman broke down crying again, and said yes please pray for me.

The next Saturday, we went back to that same door that had been slammed in our faces, and as we knocked. It swung opened, only this time two arms were thrust out of the door and the woman grabbed me in a tight hug. Then all of the sudden she pushed me back and said, “My name is Linda. My name is Linda.” I replied, “That was my mom’s name, she passed away a few months ago.”

Linda slammed the door, but God opened a heart.

As time passed Linda and I became very good friends and we are great friends to this day. On Saturdays Linda and I always talk about what I read in my devotionals, about what she has read in the Bible, and about her family and mine.

A little more than a year later after Linda opened her door and welcomed me with a hug, she received Christ. A short time later her daughter and son-in-law received Christ. I was amazed at how God worked in her life, and then through her life to reach her children. I never took a Bible, or even tried to get her to accept Christ, I just listened, talked and told stories, and God did the rest.

Linda and I talked a lot and I honestly thought I knew everything about Linda. She had told me about her daughter who led a life of regret, about her son-in-law who was drug addict. We talked about some very deep and painful stuff. Then one day she asked me, “Did you know I have a son?” I said, “nope.” She replied, “That’s because I’m embarrassed of him.”

She continued, “My son is in prison for murder. He’s in there for life without parole.”

She went on to tell me about his life and how terrible he was to her. She said all he ever did was take, and never cared about anyone, never said he was sorry for the pain he caused.

Then she told me that her son had received Christ. My first thought was jail house conversion. She must have read my mind because she said, “Yes that is what I thought, but then he told me something that made me know it was true. He told me, ‘Mom, I did it. I killed that man, I deserve to be here. I know God didn’t have me kill that man, but I think God wants me here so I can help people come to know Him.’”

Linda looked me in the eye and said, “He always said he didn’t do it, he said he was framed. Now he said he did it, that’s how I know he really has turned his life over to Christ.”

Then she told me, “You know my boy always took from everyone, now he wants to give back. He wants to be a pastor.”

She went on to tell me that he called her every Sunday and for the past year and a half she shared our talks, shared our devotionals and what she heard in church or on TBN. She said God just took those words and made them grow in him. He told her that over the phone he could hear the difference in her, and his sister. He wanted what they had, they were happy, they had moved beyond their past and were alive. He wanted that.

One Saturday a few months ago Linda told me she knows she will never see her boy on the streets of this world, but she knows she will see him walking down streets of gold, and he will be holding the hand of Mike’ her grandson.

More than a year has passed since that day her son accepted Christ and her son is still studying to be a pastor. He is also helping in the chapel. He has moved beyond his past and he is alive. He said the change in his life is so dramatic, that other inmates will come up to him and ask him, “What happened to you?” It’s then that he tells his story and offers them what his mom offered to him: life with a Father who loves them exactly as they are and forgives all their sins.

Miracles still happen. Some are simple, some are amazing, but they happen in far off distant and remote places, and yes they happen right down the hill from the church I call home.

I walked into Edgewater in 2003 knowing that I had nothing to give, you know what? I was right I didn’t and I don’t, but God does. All I have to do is step to the edge every Saturday and push back at the darkness of a cold and harsh world with His love. Then He shines with a light that goes beyond the blocks I walk, and shines into a prison thousands of miles away.

You know I was terrified that first day I stepped into Edgewater, It wasn’t easy but all I had to do was step out of the boat just like Peter did. All I had to do was exactly what the Bible says I should, go out into the world and use the gifts God has given me, and use the passion that He put in my heart. That’s when I get to see miracles right there at the edge.

Craig Oviatt is the Director of the Salem Dream Center and is on the pastoral staff at West Salem Foursquare Church. Craig is married to Renee`, the love of his life, and has four wonderful children, a son-in-law, and one beautiful granddaughter. He loves to write, read, cook, and be at the Salem Dream Center.

GOD IS PROVING, THROUGH THE LIFE OF PASTOR JOHN STUMBO, THAT HE IS STILL IN CONTROL

Imagine a group of church leaders sitting down to pray and dream about the future, drawing up their long range plan. Included are two new Saturday services, hiring additional personnel, partnering with another church in reaching out to the community, strategically joining with a ministry in another country, starting a building project. Sidelining the lead pastor. WHAT?

Imagine being the lead pastor at a large church. You are a visionary who foresees, with God’s blessing and grace, amazing things ahead. You are greatly loved by your congregation, respected in the community. You are in excellent physical condition, running marathons. You are working on your doctorate. You are steering the largest building program the church has ever undertaken. In the blink of an eye, it seems, you can barely talk and can’t get around without a walker. WHAT?

The week of October 19th, 2008, John Stumbo, the lead pastor at Salem Alliance Church, thought he was coming down with the flu. When he didn’t improve he was checked into the hospital. He stayed there for 77 days. Five times his wife, Joanna, was advised that she needed to come quickly because he wasn’t responding. It was bad and it was frightening.

Fast forward, months later…

John is suffering from a disease that the doctors call dermatomyocitis, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the muscles and has left him in a very weakened state. He has lost 45 pounds from his original weight and because the muscles that aid in swallowing were affected, he has to receive his nourishment through a feeding tube. The average person swallows 1,000 times each day, but John can’t even swallow his own saliva. His voice is an agonizing whisper. His heart and his vital organs are fine. His memory and mind are as sharp as they’ve ever been. But since he was allowed to go home last February he has been in constant discomfort, dependent on Joanna and other caregivers to help him with almost everything he does. Doctors cannot tell him what the future holds. John is 48 years old.

In the meantime, what has happened to the church whose dynamic, brilliant leader was struck down in his prime? Everyone, to a person, would agree that, even though we are a better people for John’s ordeal, our hearts have been broken by the things he and his family have had to experience, and never-in-a-million-years would we have wished for this to happen. As we walk with him through this journey we have all shed many tears, asked many questions of God, and have had to come to grips with the knowledge that, simply put, God’s brain is not like ours, operating on a different dimension. We do believe that God weeps with us and that what John, his family, and Salem Alliance are going through deeply matters to him. We also know that God is in the business of redemption. He will use this for his purpose, and the good will be magnified to a much greater degree than the pain. We continue to hope. One night last November, over 1,000 people gathered – with four hours notice – to pray for John.

Others prayed in their homes. That was one of the times God brought him back from the brink of death. John later told the congregation, “I had my hand on death’s door, but I had about three thousand of you pulling me back. I didn’t have a chance to get into heaven with all of you people praying for me.”

There have been other corporate prayer times – at Salem Alliance and at churches all over the world – and millions of individual prayers offered on John’s behalf because we believe that John is “one touch away” from being completely healed, that God is able to remove this curse from John in an instant – if that is his will. As we anticipate that day we are sensing the Holy Spirit’s closeness in a new way as we lay John’s needs, as well as those of the church, before our all-powerful God. Many people, young and old, are making decisions to become followers of Jesus Christ. Life isn’t going on as normal. We’ve changed. We go deeper. Things we took for granted are now reasons for thankfulness. God, through John, has touched the hearts and lives of his people in unique ways.

And John perseveres. He can slowly walk a mile on his treadmill. He continues to minister to literally thousands of people throughout the world on his blog (johnstumbo.org or salemalliance.org) where he shares insights into his mysterious journey. John writes very well, and his story is an honest, gripping, encouraging, heart-breaking, challenging, and sometimes humorous tale. The comments that are left on the blog demonstrate that he speaks to many people where they are, helping them with their own trials, their own pain.

On recent blogs John discussed fifteen elements of persevering that he clings to, that have helped him personally. Included in those are suggestions to keep praising God, to rely on what you know to be true and not what you feel at the moment, to intentionally look for humor in the circumstances, and to take on day at a time, knowing that some are going to be more difficult than others.

This past June, John, of his own initiative, stepped down as lead pastor of Salem Alliance Church and has been reassigned to a part-time associate pastor role. As we wrestle with exactly what that will look like, we know that God has a plan and it is perfect.

We are thankful that, in God’s providence, Salem Alliance has a preaching TEAM. Ours has not been a “one man show” so even though John is terribly missed, his absence has not been devastating and the church has moved forward in health. One of the associate pastors, Steve Fowler, has been appointed as interim lead pastor. Others – staff and volunteers alike – have stepped up to the plate, filled the gaps, worked many extra hours, poured their hearts into their calling – to honor God and to honor John.

We are all in this together, for the long haul. John is not leaving us and we are not leaving him. We are committed to the Stumbo family, in whatever form that may take in the future. (John and Joanna have three children – one married and two in college.)

When asked about how the family is handling this crisis, Joanna said, “After being married for 26 years, we thought we knew our script pretty well. We thought we had a good idea of what our future looked like. But working through this illness has forced us to learn improv. We’re making it up as we go.”
On John’s office wall is this prayer: “O Lord, may the power of my example far exceed the authority of my position. Amen.” It is evident that John’s awe-inspiring example is touching lives in ways he never imagined and in ways that are more far reaching than a “position” could have taken him. And we don’t know the end of the story yet.

God does.

On June 24th, when John spoke briefly to the congregation (at all five services!), he said, “God is in this and God is good.” At another time he commented, “I never would have chosen to lose my health and be in the situation I am in, but I am trusting that God’s ultimate purposes will be fulfilled.”

That is the embodiment of faith.

Before retiring, Natalie Warren served on the pastoral staff at Salem Alliance church for eleven years. She graduated from Westmont College and took several short-term mission trips to Guinea, West Africa, and Jordan. Currently Natalie serves on the Governing Board of Salem Alliance, enjoys spending time with her eight grandchildren and, along with her husband Jim, lives in rural Monmouth, Ore.