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The Vision of the Spider Web In 1992, Guy and Judy Pfanz were candidates for the Senior Pastor position at Muncie Alliance Church, then a more traditional church of about 45 people. After preaching, Guy called a meeting with the congregation to further explain his heart for them as a church body. He knew that if what the Lord had laid upon his heart for MAC would come to pass, it would look a lot different than what the current body was accustomed to, and wanted to be honest about these changes. From the time that Guy trusted Jesus, God has used his experiences to shape him into the type of pastor God created him to be. He was saved and brought to Christ through the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. In his first pastorate, the church was made up of nine adults who were at the point of having to choose between hiring Guy—at the time, only 21 years old—or shutting their doors for good. They chose Guy. They were so desperate that when he asked if he could wear blue jeans and bring in a rock-and-roll band, they agreed because they were willing to try anything. The following Sunday when the band was tuning up, Guy looked around at the older generation who were nervously adjusting their ties and wondered, What have I done? He continued with the service, preached on John 14:6 and the five teenage girls who were visiting that Sunday to hear the rock-and-roll music came to Christ. God began to move in the church in ways no one expected. As Guy and Judy explained what was on their hearts to do in the midst of MAC if they were hired, the congregation voiced that they desired those changes as well. After they prayed over the decision they told the Pfanz's that they were committed to bring them to Muncie and that Guy was the man God had for the church at that time. Two years later, the very changes they had agreed upon were now the source of great stress and resistance in the church. And then, Judy inadvertently walked in on a secret meeting held with the intent to fire them. The congregation was disgruntled with the current state of the church. The Pfanz's were frustrated and unhappy because there was no unity within the body. Every day was uncertain, filled with difficult conversations, awkwardness, and hard feelings; there were no answers, no conclusions, no resolutions, and no idea of what the future held. Based on the circumstances, it was hard to be hopeful about the future. The District Superintendent believed that God had placed the Pfanz's at MAC for a reason and he stood by them as they watched the church membership fluctuate as some stayed and others left. One Sunday morning during this difficult time, Guy couldn't sleep and rose just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Looking out the bay window in the parsonage he began to pray, "God, maybe I'm too busy trying to be cool to be what You want me to be. Maybe I ought to just put on a tie, fire up the organ and bring on the choirs. We'll just do this thing the traditional way—at least I'll be able to preach Your Word." Contemplating his surrender, he watched a spider drop down and stop right in front of his nose, suspended from the overhang of the roof outside the window. "God, what should I do to follow You?" The spider moved up and down without pause and he watched it place each delicate strand with efficient perfection. "Have you called me specifically to MAC or have you called me to the city of Muncie?" As a beautiful web began to emerge from what had originally appeared to be a random mess, he began to understand that there was something intentional this spider was doing. This thought broke his former line of questioning and he asked a new one: "God, how does this spider know how to create that precise web?" And the still, small voice of God's Holy Spirit spoke clearly to him, "That spider is doing what I put within it to do." "That's nice," he concluded, satisfied with the answer, but not making the connection. "But God, what have you called me to do? Are you going to do something here?" God replied, "Guy, I shaped you and formed you in the '70s and I made you who you are. I put within you to do what I want done here at MAC. You're about to give it all up and throw it all away." Later that overcast morning as he walked to the church from the parsonage, the sun was burning off the fog and up in a tree he noticed another spider web. This one was covered in dew drops and as the sun shone through it, the drops sparkled like diamonds. The brilliance caught his eye and in his heart, the Lord asked, "What do you think of this one?" "It's beautiful, Lord." "I put that there for you to see this morning." About 30 seconds later, with key in hand to unlock the church, as he opened the door God continued, "And I'm going to put a church here for the world to see." That promise was the only hope Guy and Judy held on to during that time—a hope that the future could be different. During our past struggles, our present struggles, and our future struggles, we hold on to God's promise to us, the MAC community. We believe He is weaving a delicate web, preparing us for things we haven't planned and for things of which we cannot dream. |