By Margaret Hopper

First Baptist Church Pastor Murray Pura

How much red tape has hampered the activities of local citizens hoping to meet their new pastor? Congregation members of Silver City's First Baptist Church admit they couldn't imagine the complications they encountered in the effort.

It takes a long time to go through the €œcall process € most churches enter to bring a new pastor to the home parish, but that went into overdrive with Murray Pura, newly arrived from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It took so long that both sides wondered if the roadblocks could be navigated. It also seems to have led to jokes saying he should have come as an illegal alien; that would have saved a lot of time and money.

From Pura's perspective, the clearing work began about last October. It was expected to end about Easter, but that didn't happen. In spite of the fact that he is a known and published author as well as having two Masters of Divinity degrees, and he has relatives in the U.S., who could vouch for his character and identity, none of that helped. He had to hire an immigration attorney and jump through every hoop any other legally entering person faces.

His first in-person visit to Silver's First Baptist congregation happened over a year ago in late-June/ early July. He and his wife, Linda, were both here. He said he met with a number of groups and committees and preached a sermon at that time. The congregation later voted to employ him and the actual efforts began in October.

It looked like a major breakthrough when he was notified on Memorial Day here, May 24, that his application had been cleared, but that news was followed by a list of requirements the Immigration Department had assigned to his case. He can name them for you; there were several. But the congregation was not standing by idly. They worked for his clearance from this end, too.

Those on the inside say that Hoss McDonald and Marshall Steele were instrumental in keeping the work going and information flowing to open the “log-jam” that was keeping First Baptist from receiving the new clergyman. When it looked as if all reasonable efforts would fail, they resorted to calling on Steve Pearce, this district's Congressman in Washington D.C. One by one, the “requirements” began evaporating. As various hearings and deadlines neared, they were simply approved or waived.

Because the Pura family is versatile and active in many ways, Murray had kept busy in Calgary and was committed to a short-term assignment when the way finally cleared. He finished that and arrived in Silver City about two weeks ago. He has preached a sermon here and is meeting the community in a variety of interesting ways.

Would his wife and family be coming soon? Not necessarily. He is here on an R-1 Visa for religious workers, and his wife, a registered nurse and home-care specialist, would probably have to enter on some kind of medical classification, he thought. The two children, both in college, at the University of Lethbridge, close to the Montana border, would have to have papers, too. Micaela and Micah are doing some serious work at college there.

Pura admits not all his time is behind the pulpit. He has authored a number of books and was in a writing mode again when he decided to take the Silver City assignment. He loves the wilderness and says this desert environment reminds him of places in the Middle East, such as the Jericho wilderness that yielded the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Cliff Dwellings reminded him of that and made a nice visit for him.

Other interests include pottery; he has enjoyed the Clay Festival and says he may put some pots on those shelves in his office that need filling. Books, yes; other things, too. Las Cruces impresses him as a clean-looking desert city with palm trees. The Organ Mountains behind it are very scenic. He has a brother, an artist, in Albuquerque, whom he wants to see before long. Time is hard to find presently, but he said he expects to find time for many things shortly.

As to his message for the congregation here in Silver, he says he wants to focus on the truth that ours is a God of love and grace, and that our dealings with each other should reflect that. Mercy goes a long way to develop relationships. Becoming demanding and forcing ideas on others won't unite us.

At the same time, the deep truths are to be respected and standards kept. Pastors like Detrich Bonhoffer and others in recent times kept that distinction clear, he said. But there are better ways to communicate than fighting and creating splits. Murray Pura says his R-1 Visa is good into the fall of 2017. He hopes to do a lot in that time. And after that? We will have to wait and see.