No appreciation from the church
About twenty five years ago I started going to one of the local churches. Not because I’m a deeply religious person but the true reason was that I needed some supportive people in my life.
My marriage was not a success, to put it mildly, and I was living under pressure with no one to talk to.
I met some very friendly people who made me feel welcome and the services provided the warmth and inspiration that I was looking for.
After a while I felt that I should contribute to this community, and I went to see one of the pastors. I offered to make a web site that could be not only a source of information for members but also could help spread the word and attract people who were unfamiliar with the church.
The pastor agreed that it was a great idea and he promised to help me get all the necessary information.
I went to work and got the domain name and the hosting, for which I paid out of my own pocket. Then came the time where the actual content had to be added.
Every Friday a bulletin was printed regarding the services and activities for the coming week. I asked to have the bulletin faxed to me so I could add it to the site. The first week I received it on time, the second week I had to call and remind them to send it to me. The third week I had to call a few times, etc.
I also asked for biographies and photos of the pastors. Despite repeated promises I never got them.
The church also failed to promote the site. I was hoping it would be mentioned in the services, and at least it should have been give some attention in the printed weekly bulletins. It didn’t happen, there was no co-operation whatsoever.
At some point I told the pastor that if I could not get obtain the material that I needed I would have to take the site down. His answer was disappointing, to say the least: “Just take it down.”
The site was removed that same day and apparently no one ever noticed. I was not upset about the time I had spent on it; I did feel that I hadn’t been taken seriously. And my attempt to make a worthwhile contribution had failed, and not of my own doing.