Our children were always involved in school shows. One of the most memorable for me was The Little Shop of Horrors

I remember it well, not only because our children were brilliant (of course!), but the original American show was made into a film which I also really enjoyed. The story is about a gawky and shy flower shop assistant called Seymour who is secretly in love with Audrey, a fellow worker in the shop. During a total eclipse he discovers an unusual plant which he names Audrey 2. Unfortunately he also discovers that the plant only feeds on human flesh and blood. Seymour grows weaker and weaker as he drips his own blood into Audrey 2 in order to keep her alive. Audrey’s boyfriend Orin then accidentally dies. In order to dispose of his body, Seymour feeds him to Audrey 2 who then becomes more and more demanding for food as she grows bigger and bigger in size. Orin is not her only meal! All great fun – the kids loved it.

You might be wondering why I’m telling you this. For the past few months, since the retirement of our Executive Officer, I have been manning the desk at the UCANZ Office. This has involved answering the emails, mostly from our member congregations, about any queries they have about procedures and things like that. Sadly, many of the emails have been about levies and the increasing demands of the church which the smaller congregations, particularly, are really struggling to meet. On hearing these groans, the gravelly voice of Audrey 2 and her words, “Feed me Seymour”, constantly spring to my mind.

Over the years the church machine seems to have grown bigger and bigger, while the congregations have grown smaller. I have nothing against the wonderful financial and property managers, the accountants and auditors, who help make up this machine. They have my greatest admiration for the job they do, balancing the books and making sure we are all “compliant”. However, just as for Seymour, the plant is now sucking us dry. Much of our energy, is being poured into keeping it alive. It all seems a far cry from Jesus’ simple command to “follow me”.

There are two endings to the film The Little Shop of Horrors. The original ending, which a trial audience rejected, had the now gigantic Audrey 2 swallowing up both Seymour and Audrey. In the second, the plant was destroyed and Seymour and Audrey walked off happily hand-in-hand, free of the monster that was consuming them. I wonder how our Church story will end? Happy ever after I hope.