Mark, Meet Rasputin

The time of transition was uncomfortable. I was no longer welcome to attend annual conference in Nebraska, and I would not move to Nevada in time to attend the Desert Southwest session. At least the Desert Southwest arranged to have our furniture and belongings shipped, and so preparing for the movers became an acceptable diversion. It was a long drive from Oakland to Las Vegas, but we were cheered to see the Strip skyline as we approached on southbound Interstate 15. Successfully maneuvering westward on Charleston Blvd. we arrived at Trinity, where we were greeted with the news that the repair and renovation of the parsonage was taking longer than expected. This is when I also learned that Rick Altman had been hired as Youth Director in the few weeks that had transpired since I met with the S-PRC. This was rather unsettling because it quickly became apparent that Rick had been in Don Smith’s mind all along as John Cox’s replacement, although it did explain why Don was so reserved during my initial visit. Rick was Youth Director in title only, because his broad-ranging authority actually allowed him to function as the church administrator. Thus it was that Rick had been placed in charge of the parsonage project which was growing more grandiose by the day. Rick arranged for us to move into a short-term apartment that was near the Strip and far from Trinity, and all of our belongings had to be put into storage until we could move into house. Don provided me with a new understanding of passive/aggressive behavior as he quietly absolved himself of any responsibility for what was going on. This was my introduction to Rick as Don’s alter-ego, and the queasy feeling in my stomach never went away for the next three years.