When does descretion become censorship? - Part one of ???

It's a question that's been rolling around in my mind for the last twenty hours or so.

Yesterday I went to church.

I grew up in this church, and up until very recently I've been for the most part, content.

Although I'm not what you might consider a 'regular' church goer, I've found a great deal of sociablility and family love here; the people are great. One of my closest friends whose belief is in science (if he can prove it, he'll believe it) said something to the effect, "...what I like about your church is that it's not really... 'churchy'. There's a great sense of community here."

What makes it less 'churchy', I suppose, is a relatively easy-going sense about the people. Typically they haven't been hung up on church dogma and a rigid sense of right and wrong. There has always been a humanness about each and every person I've known.

I have to laugh when I think about the fact that some folks from other churches do something of a double take when they hear that we host pub nights twice a year. Of course, it's more about the singing of old English pub tunes and less about the consumption of pub beverages... depending on who you talk to, of course. Their sound guy has been known to be bribed with a bottle of home made wine in exchange for some stage lighting and a handful of microphones. ;)

What happened on Sunday, with respect to the events of the last six weeks or so, has me seriously questioning the actions of a few that may have a vital impact on the many.

At the end of the service, the congrigation was presented with an announcement from the Wardens informing the parish of the Rector's resignation. There was a bit of a hush and a sigh in the half-filled church. No problem, people resign all the time, right?

The next announcement to come was that the parish secretary had also submitted her resignation.