When goodbye doesn't happen

A friend of mine recently left the job of church administrator. Not at my church, but another.

I'd spoken to him that morning in the hope of catching him before the farewell morning tea. He later assured me that there was not one. No farewell at all in formal terms from any of the ministers, let alone the senior minister, no offer of a time of prayer together, no card, no gold watch, no nuthin.

He said one of the committee members thanked him for his work and one of the ministers at the last moment asked him to turn up on Sunday for a formal farewell; but this should have been organised when he gave his notice a while back.

Sometimes churches just don't act like churches. I think in every organisation I've left I've enjoyed some sort of farewell unless I've avoided them, and even then colleagues have dropped into my office to chat and wish me well. But not at church!

If there are any updates to this, I'll write about them as I might learn more.