Haggard gathering likely to get repeat business
Several people who attended Ted Haggard’s first prayer meeting Thursday night said Friday they plan to return next week, a sign that the former head of New Life Church might be able to build a following after his downfall in the aftermath of a 2006 sex scandal.
Lisa Vanbebber, who was one of the 150 people to attend the Thursday gathering, noted how much more humble Haggard seemed to be than when he led New Life. She plans to go back next Thursday, and expects the weekly gatherings will attract hundreds in the coming months, and thousands over time.
“Ted is a gifted pastor,” Vanbebber said. “I think this will lead to another 14,000-member congregation.”
She also said she knows people who didn’t attend this week’s session because they didn’t want to deal with the media, and she believes they’ll be there next week.
Tom Pesavanto, who was a New Life congregant for 18 years, also plans to return for the second gathering.
“It’s good to see God’s restoring power working in people,” Pesavanto said.
At Thursday’s meeting, Haggard talked about the power of love and told stories about people showing empathy toward him and his family since 2006, when his admission of a sexual liaison with a male escort led him to resign as senior pastor of New Life. Those who attended said he apologized for embarrassing them with the scandal and was deeply contrite.
Haggard, meanwhile, said he feels comfortable with his spiritual and personal life, thanks, in part, to the psychological counseling he’s undergone, but also because of counsel from his “accountability team.” The team is made up of five evangelical pastors in the U.S. that Haggard chose several months ago to help him keep his spiritual balance.
“I can tell the accountability team my mind and heart,” Haggard said Friday. “I will never be an embarrassment to people again.”
Haggard will have at least one new person at his home gathering next Thursday. John R. Trujillo, who attends Radiant Church in Colorado Springs, plans to be there because he’s intrigued by Haggard’s message of forgiveness and redemption.
“A Christian is someone trying to be Christ-like,” Trujillo said. “What would Jesus do? He would forgive Haggard.”
Read more about Haggard’s “accountability team” at “The Pulpit” blog: www.thepulpit.freedomblogging.com
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