“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” – Psalm 103:2
One day, a brother who had set up an intellectual mass choir festival returned to campus to pay a visit. He was greeted at the door by an usher who, obviously, did not know that he was talking to one of the founders of what he was enjoying and managing.
He was treated as a common stranger and ushered hurriedly to the very back of the hall. Such is the lot of the founder.
Many churches do not remember their founders. The memory of the founder dims as the years go by. His name is pushed away and anything that reminds them of the past is obliterated.
The current pastor loves to be seen as the luminary who achieved the glory that is seen today. Such people have forgotten the work that the founder did for the church to come into existence.
The work of a founder is the hardest part to be done. It is buried in the ground and many do not see it.
Many founders are scarred and wounded individuals. They receive the largest amount of criticism and the least appreciation. Their families are not exempted from this treatment. They are often set aside and forgotten. Perhaps they paid an equally high price for the father to lay the foundation he did.
Upon the death of founders, many are moved with compassion for the families and declare that they will set up foundations and trust funds to take care of the family.
Sadly, with the passage of time, the zeal for setting up these foundations and mobilizing the money that is needed withers and is blown away.
The family is left to fend for themselves and fight for survival.