The Greatest Commandment May 31, 2009 by Jim Epps

Text: Mark 12:28-31

While in seminary at Southeastern, the name W. W. Finlator and Pullen Church would surface from time to time when people spoke of ministers and churches where there was a genuine openness to understand the Gospel, our faith and the place of ministry in our time. Pullen was also where Annette worshiped the last two years as a student at Meredith College. So it was not difficult to select the church we would attend and eventually join when we moved to Raleigh the fall of 1968.

Annette and I lived in Richmond, Virginia, for the first four years of our marriage where I was Associate Pastor of Westhampton Baptist Church and attended one year at Virginia Commonwealth University working on a Masters of Social Work. During that time, our first son, Jim, was born.

When we came to Raleigh, I needed a church which would give me the opportunity to worship and learn, but not put pressure on me to assume positions of leadership. At that point, I had enough to do and learn as a new member of the staff of the YMCA of Raleigh and as Assistant Director of Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer. This church gave me the right to say “no, thank you” with no pressure or guilt.

We did, however, serve on the Fellowship Committee which was “strongly suggested” to new members to help us get to know our fellow Pullenites. In time, we were ready to serve and have said “yes” to many opportunities over the years. 

“What is the greatest commandment? To love God and your neighbor as yourself.”

My greatest delight and challenge in those early days was the prophetic preaching of Bill Finlator. I never left church without something to tug at my heart and mind, which created opportunities for growth in my faith experience.

Bill’s verbalizing his understanding of the Gospel and the example of his life challenged our thinking and made us question how faithful we were to God in our lifestyles and relationships.  These challenges have continued over the 40+ years Annette and I have been at Pullen. 

“What is the greatest commandment? To love God and your neighbor as yourself.”

I have not always agreed with our ministers or the decisions of our church, but I think I understand the reasons behind the directions we have taken. In some ways, my emotional self has had to catch up with my understanding self.

People make up the church, not bricks and mortar or stained glass windows. Our relationships with ministers and members have been primarily positive and fulfilling. Searching, questioning, and doubting with an understanding and predominately nonjudgmental community has helped produce honest growth and new insights into who we are and our understanding of God and ministry. Without this openness, we would have faltered and have been prevented from the process of maturing in our faith. At Pullen, that process is encouraged and ongoing. The Hope Center and other creative ministries are examples of looking for ways to be Christ in our daily living experiences. I hope it will not end during this lifetime. We still have a lot of questions to work at and in these times, needs to help meet.

This spirit and attitude also fostered discussion and discovery in our two sons, Jim and Robb. Had this atmosphere not been present, Robb would have departed the institutional church long ago and not had the challenges and benefits of the wonderful friendships he developed in this church, which are still maintained from where he lives in Florida. Jim also developed close relationships and had the opportunity to play in the church orchestra.

Pullen creates the opportunity to “fit in,” to belong even in our uniqueness-something not as easily found in our local high schools and community life. This is a great asset for our creative young people.

“What is the greatest commandment?  To love God and your neighbor as yourself.”

Pullen’s relationship to the Cross of Nails Reconciliation community at the Coventry Cathedral in England has also been important to our family. While they were in high school, Jim and Robb both spent a week at Coventry participating in discussions of reconciliation and working with service projects.

During their trip, both Jim and Robb were able to visit Scotland with their groups, and Robb spent four days at Corrymeela working with Catholic and Protestant youth at a time when life was rather tense in Ireland. Annette and I were participants with our adult group in 2007. We told our boys that since we had financed their trip, they were responsible to help us with our finances. This did not work out! I guess we will leave our “old folk’s home” expenses to them!

The experiences with the Cross of Nails Reconciliation Community have helped equip us with resources to deal with situations both personally and work-related that had potential disruptive elements involved.

Now the future…

Pullen must continue to redefine its mission. There will always be challenges, problems to tackle, people to defend, mindsets to question, and prejudices to expose.

The Sunday our adult pilgrims attended the services at the Coventry Cathedral in October of 2007, Pastor Richmond spoke about the lepers Jesus befriended and healed. She did not identify who the lepers of today are, but said the church must seek out the lepers, the disenfranchised, those who are set apart from society, the unaccepted and provide a place of worship and ministry to and for them. I am pleased that Pullen attempts to be that kind of community: open, accepting, caring for all as God did through Jesus and does now through the Holy Spirit.

In doing so, we Pullenites must always be concerned about pride and seek humility. It is very easy to become proud of our uniqueness and willingness to be out front protecting those who have been left behind because of small-thinking, fear, scape-goating, or just honest disagreement.  We must realize that we are seeking to understand who we are and how we need to be transformed. When we are successful, it is because of the leading of God’s spirit.

Our best insights often come, in spite of who we are, because, even in our weakness, God chooses to use us in special ways. This is not something to be proud of but rather to be grateful for!

“What is the greatest commandment?  To love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself.”

And the lingering question always is…..

And who is our neighbor??