Letter
No. 7, Part II
If
you are one of those who like me, did
not attend the "Business Meeting", let me recommend that you read
Carol Pemberton's Report entitled "CRISIS at BELLEVUE" in which she details what transpired in this
"Meeting".
“Bellevue’s Annual Business Meeting” began with a touch of a past
honorable character of a Bellevue we once knew and trusted.
It
was conducted, in the first 45 minutes, within the perimeters of what appeared
to be mutual courtesy and respect, a virtue that the Bellevue family was
nurtured on.
The
seemingly positive and Christ-like attitude that prevailed in the first 45
minutes of the meeting was what
seemed to be the first ray of hope and the beginning of an overdue healing
process, or so we were led to believe, which our hurting church family so
desperately needs.
Regardless
of our different views, the test of our love for our Lord and His church is
whether we are willing to pursue a road towards healing. Thus, the first 45
minutes seemed to be so promising.
From
a human perspective, it could have been easily imagined our own Bellevue's
"Cloud of Witnesses", there in their celestial glory, clapping
and clapping and clapping ... dancing
with the angels.... leaping for joy... making merry ...and
giving each other high fives...and thumbs up...It could been easily imagined how
they must have embraced one another in real celebration during those 45 minutes
because, they surely saw what we saw! Their ailing and sojourning church down
here has come back to her senses and has set her face and her heart toward the
healing process.
But
then, that "Motion to Adjourn", like a "roaring lion, lying in
wait", leaps from behind the thicket and viciously destroys the last
bastion of every thing that is decent, or seemed to be so in this church.
That
"Motion to Adjourn" made me realize how easily one can be so fooled. I
was made to realize that heaven's host, unlike us, are never fooled by the
leadership’s devices and hypocrisies.
No! There was no celebration among the saints in heaven. Indeed there was mourning.
That
“Motion to Adjourn” was like a demonic upheaval that threw Bellevue’s
saints into such a state of emotional confusion that many left the meeting
terminally disillusioned with our leadership. Betrayed! Betrayed! Betrayed! was
their heart cry.
That
sinister "Motion to Adjourn", designed to bring its champions great
triumph; might well have been the guillotine that decapitated Bellevue's haughty
head.
Thus:
We, BBC, the Patient, for 45 minutes, have despised the tender touch of our
Great
We, BBC, the Patient, have mocked the tears of the heavenly host and
rejected the Balm of Gilead, our sure and only Antidote!
We, BBC, the Patient, Like king Hezekiah, sick unto death, must “turn
our face to
We, BBC, the Patient, must find our way back to God; or else this Patient
will die!
Sincerely,
Your
brother in Christ,
Riad,
“Ray” Saba