Regardless, I really believe the new pastor's having a good effect on the whole congregation. The next to last before him was such a jerk that he essentially called me a mooch when I simply called asking for references to any possible retired construction workers in the congregation who might be willing to do small paid jobs that big contractors don't have time to fool with. This was before I could afford to put on a new roof, and the old one had a single bad leak that only needed a good tar patch to last another year and a half. But the jerk also tried to bully me into selling my house and moving into public housing 'where you really belong' yada yada; later he asked the local Catholic priest why I yelled and slammed the phone down.
The one after that was too far the opposite, a total wuss. When I stepped over to the church one evening to discreetly listen to bell choir practice in an adjoining room, he rushed right over from the parsonage to warn me it would be 'inappropriate' for me to join that group since they'd been together for ages. I said that's the main trouble with this town, its cold shoulder.
The new one, however, is just about right. And you know I don't take to everybody. But he shows liberal leanings and has even dropped a timely compliment for me at Sunday School, so naturally I have to like him. He can do far, far more than I ever could to melt hearts. You know I'm way more of a shin kicker half the time.
Didn't mean to ramble too far off topic.