He must have gathered up his courage and then walked into the room. Being pastors, all of us around the table seemed to instinctively know what was occurring. Several of us started to get up to meet him, but we paused just long enough for the host pastor, Buzz Stevens, to take the initiative. Dr. Stevens left his place at the table and went to speak to the young man. It was a scene I have witnessed many times.
Someone comes to the church seeking assistance and the pastor moves to be helpful.
But this time would be different. The predictability disappeared. The young man refused to leave the room. The pastor gently tried to move the young man out of the room but he became more agitated. And so, with thirty-five other United Methodist pastors as his audience, Dr. Stevens, sat beside the man and softly read the letter aloud.