We have passed the two-month mark of our epic journey.  We have been to 27 different churches in those nine weeks.  Tomorrow will be 28.  Thursday will be 29.  Sunday will be 30 and 31.  And things are not really going to slow down.

One of the benefits of being on the mission field is not to have to deal with the politics of American churches.  The battle is equal, at the least, in ferocity on the mission field as it is in the States.  All of the attack and backbiting and bitterness and anger and meanness and badmouthing comes from secular sources on the mission field.  I can deal with that.  But bitterness, anger and separation amongst the brethren?  That’s a different story…

We have to walk more gingerly in the States.  We have to remember which churches fellowship with which churches, which subjects to avoid when talking to whom, and where to draw the line in current events.

Honestly, it is something we sort of dread having to navigate while stateside.  And then there were the churches of Buffalo.

Our highest concentration of supporting churches is in the Buffalo area.  I think we have ten.  We spent two weeks just in Buffalo.  From John Britt way up north down to Mike Herdzik down in Kennedy, every church had an excellent spirit.  When sitting down to talk to the pastors, there gleamed an obvious common thread in our conversations – their love for one another.

One of the pastors said that 35 years ago there were 3 good churches in the Buffalo area.  Today there are scores.  Here are some things I noticed that were common in the time I spent with these pastors.

I     NONE OF THEM WERE TOO BUSY TO SIT AND TALK WITH US

We never felt in the way like we were being swept to the side because pastor was so busy and important.  None of them dumped us off on an assistant pastor because he had “other business to attend to.”  Not one time did a pastor say he had to go or needed to get to work.  On the contrary.  Bro. Guadagno, Bro. Costantino, Bro. Burke, Bro. Kohl – all spent ample time just talking with us for large chunks of time after services and into the night.

II     NONE OF THEM TALKED ABOUT THEIR ASPIRATIONS IN BUILDING THEIR KINGDOM

None of them referred to the churches they pastored as if they were something they owned.  None had aspirations of reaching milestones in attendance or growth.  None bragged on big days.  All had an obvious attitude building His (God’s) kingdom and not his own.  None perpetuated a false humility in their desire to see “revival”.

III     EACH OPENLY SHARED CONCERN AND PITY FOR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR CONGREGATION

They did not sit as lords with the congregation as fiefs.  They did not condescend nor cast aside the problems of their brothers and sisters in Christ in the church.

IV      NONE OF THEM TRIED TO IMPRESS US

Nobody walked on to the platform to applause.  No one exerted his will over the “commoners”.  No one walked around expecting respect.  They all spoke highly of other pastors in the area.  They criticized no other pastors anywhere. 

V     NONE OF THEM MADE US IMPRESS THEM

None of the them attempted to size us up or fix us or lure us into a misstep. 

VI    ALL OF THEM SHOWED GENUINE INTEREST IN OUR CHILDREN

They would sit on the platform steps (gasp!) and talk to the kids, pick them up, ask them questions.  (By the way, if a pastor is too good to sit on the church steps or altar steps every once in a while to talk to the little ones of the church, then he is too good.) Pat Burke got games for them to play at his house, Dave Costantino bought them ice cream, meticulously checking whether each kid had what he or she wanted, Louie Guadagno sang with our kids, and on and on.

VII     ALL OF THEM PLAYED THE PART OF SERVANT AS OPPOSED TO LEADER

Dave Costantino ran to get the ketchup or napkins when needed, Mike Herdzik grilled chicken and humbly had his church pray around us, Art Kohl – well, Art Kohl and servant are synonymous.

VIII     ALL OF THEM LET DOWN HIS GUARD WITH US

None of them tried to keep up a persona.  Mark Emke wore a tuxedo t-shirt to dinner on the grounds, Mike Herdzik wore an apron, Louie Guadagno and his wife walked at least two hours with us around Hamburg, Art Kohl wept as he introduced us, Dave Costantino pumped our gas.

IX     NONE OF THEM HAD A TROPHY WIFE WHO HOBNOBBED WHILE THE PASTOR DEALT WITH US

X     NONE OF THEM LORDED OVER THE MEMBERS IN THEIR CHURCHES

Nobody walked around like a king or prince.   None talked condescendingly.  None spoke with an agenda or vendetta.  They were real.  They were men.  They were the pastors of Buffalo.

And they made the Savior look good.