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Column: Exploring the theory of coincidence

By DR. MARK ROSS/Columnist

I have to call it just a coincidence. It is simply too much to think that God had anything to do with the events at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in the last week.
On July 27, the church will celebrate its 150-year anniversary. Members of a Sunday school class of slaves taught by Charles Cocke founded Mount Moriah in 1842. As the oldest black church in the Roanoke Valley, Mount Moriah is a historic landmark.
While the church’s past is secure, its future is in question. Membership has dwindled to 13, with only eight members active in the bi-monthly services. Local church leaders do not give much hope for Mount Moriah’s survival. The church has been hesitant to embrace a changing world, which involved becoming a changing church.
Yet, Mount Moriah and its minister remain positive. In an interview with The Roanoke Times, the Rev. Thomas Pleasant revealed that during a recent sermon, he told the small congregation he believes God will bless them with more members. I am sure it is a coincidence, but in a strange way, Pleasant’s prophesy became a reality a few days later.
On Thursday, July 17, news reports described Mount Moriah’s coming anniversary. On Friday, July 18, Roanoke police arrived at the church to investigate a break-in. Apparently, the church did have a guest, but not a welcomed one.
Mary Bolling of Las Vegas stopped at the church sometime during the night. Parking her car in the church’s lot, Bolling found an open window and, according to news reports, made herself at home. When church members discovered Bolling, she had fashioned a bed from clothing, made a pot of coffee and breakfast, and started ironing her clothes. It seems she was there to stay. However, Mount Moriah was looking for church members, not church residents. After a two-hour standoff, according to published accounts, the police arrested the knife-wielding woman and took her to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
The uninvited guest did not damage Mount Moriah’s historic building. Rev. Pleasant’s anxiety was relieved, “No blood was shed on the church grounds.” Most importantly, “Its tapestry of a shepherd Jesus tending his sheep, its rack of hand fans, and its stand of antique Bibles — was undisturbed.” Churches can be hysterical about the historical.
I am sure it was just a coincidence, the need for new members and the uninvited guest. The church had been broken into several times in the past. The only thing that bothers me about the coincidence theory is God’s history in personnel matters.
When the Hebrews needed a patriarch, God picked Jacob. He was a shyster and a conman, cheating his brother, and fooling his father. When Israel needed a king, God passed over the cream of the crop and picked a runt named David. David proved to have his own set of problems, committing adultery and then covering up the whole mess with murder. When the world needed a messiah, God passed over Jerusalem and all of its priests. Instead, he called a carpenter out of Nazareth. God said, “My ways are not your ways.”
Church clerk Juanita Berger said, “God don’t want us to close the door.” I am sure she is correct, but the church needs people. Still, it is preposterous to think of God sending someone like Mary Bolling to a church looking for prospects. Mount Moriah is a church, not a rescue mission. It is a sanctuary, not a homeless shelter. However, maybe that is what God is up to with Mount Moriah. A shelter is one way for Jesus to tend his sheep and keep the doors open, not just for anyone but everyone.

Dr. Mark Ross is the pastor of Marion Baptist Church. To learn more about MBC, visit http://www.marionbaptistchurchva.com/