On a
dangerous seacoast, where shipwrecks often
occur, there was once a crude little
lifesaving station.
The building
was just a hut and there was only one boat,
but the few devoted members kept a constant
watch over the sea. Many lives were saved by
this wonderful little station.
Some of those
who were saved -- and others in the
surrounding area -- wanted to associate with
the station, so they gave their time and
money. New boats were purchased and new crews
trained. The little lifesaving station
grew.
Eventually,
some of the members of the station grew
unhappy that their building was so crude and
poorly equipped. So they replaced the
emergency cots with beds, and put better
furniture in an enlarged building.
Now the lifesaving station became a popular
gathering place for its members. They
redecorated it beautifully and furnished it
exquisitely.
Fewer
members, however, were now interested in
going on lifesaving missions, so they hired
professional lifeboat crews.
About this
time, a large ship was wrecked off the coast,
and the hired crews brought in boatloads of
cold, wet, and half-drowned people. They were
dirty and some were sick. The beautiful new
clubhouse was considerably messed
up.
So the
property committee had a shower house built
where victims could be cleaned up before
coming inside.
At the next
meeting, there was a split in the club
membership. Most of the members wanted to
stop the club's lifesaving activities as
being unpleasant and a hindrance to the
normal social life of the club.
A few
members, however, insisted upon lifesaving as
their primary purpose and pointed out that
they were still called "a lifesaving
station."
These members
finally were voted down, and told that if
they wanted to save lives they could begin
their own lifesaving station down the coast.
They did.
As the years
went by, the new station experienced the same
changes as the old. It evolved into a club,
and yet another lifesaving station was
founded.
History
continued to repeat itself, and today you
will find many exclusive clubs along that
shore.
Shipwrecks
still are frequent in those waters. Sadly,
most of the people drown.
The
mission of the Church