Neither Lady Lydia, her husband or her two sons practise or practised multi-generational faithfulness. Yet to fit into the Vision Forum-LAF crowd Lady Lydia also mouths of peity about the Multi-Generation Church.
Facts:
- Lady Lydia did not stay with her parents or other relatives when they moved to Australia. She chose to stay in America, attend Bible college and marry Stanley Bumpfries at the age of 18. She has been attending a different church from that of her parents for more than 40 years
- Stanley Bumpfries also never practised multi-generational faithfulness. Going against his father's wishes, who wanted him to pastor at the local church, Stanley Bumpfries preached in different countries for more than 25 years. Finally, when they came back to Junction City, Lancastor, Oregon, he still chose to go to a different church and pastor a different church from that of his father.
- Stanley Bumpfries eldest son is married and a pastor. He also lives very far from his parents and is not given into regular visits. Some family members say there is a breach - whatever the reasons, he has not visited them in the last two years.
- Stanley Bumpfries's youngest son Stevie Bumpfries, is a Christian, unmarries and lives in the same city. Even though he lives within a one-hour's drive to his parent's home, he has chosen to get a bachelor accomdation elsewhere and work. He goes to a different church and is quite sucessful in his work, unlike the other Bumpfries.
- Stanley Bumpfries's only daughter Lollybeth Rosie Bumpfries does stay with them. But that is because her husband, doesn't have a job. Since he is a student, he deemed it unaffordable for them to live independantly. So now they stay in Mr Stanley Bumpfries's garage. His personal expenses, education, educational loans, expenses in raising a family of four children - Joseph Bumpfries, Issac Bumpfries, John Paul Bumpfries and Lillian Bumpfries. They attend the same church as Stanley Bumpfries because they have no other choice not as a shining example to multi-generational faithfulness.
But Lady Lydia never practises what she preaches.
The Multi-Generational Church
Parents and grown, married children and grandchildren, can benefit greatly by attending the same church. They need each other. The multi-generational lifestyle that includes the grandparents, children and grandchildren, is a great testimony of Christ's word, to the church and the world.
My husband recently preached a sermon to encourage the young people to put the church first, and to stay in the congregation where they had worshipped with their parents, to help the work of the Lord, rather than going somewhere else when they became adults. It is sad to see parents work so hard raising their children to become faithful, productive citizens in the Kingdom, only to see them leave the little congregation where they grew up, and go somewhere else, when in three-fourths of cases, with some effort, they could stay and contribute a lot to the church they grew up in.
