Late September/early October the conversation begins every year—October is Pastor Appreciation Month. What are we going to do this year? After much discussion and thought Stan, the chair of our Administrative Board, came up with the wonderful idea of a “verbal bouquet” to offer to Pastor Peter and Marja. On November 4 (because we are never in a hurry!) we presented the bouquet to Pastor Peter and Marja together, as they are very much a two-for-one deal.
Why would we do this every year when we pay Pastor Peter to be our pastor? According to the website Thriving Pastor: “Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.”
Pastor Appreciation is one way to encourage and strengthen pastors. So on Nov. 4 Zach showed up with his video camera (he was so willing to help out he showed up a Sunday early all ready to go!) and we let Pastor and Peter and Marja know how much we love and appreciate them. The verbal flowers presented were as varied as the speakers—from orchids to tulips to daisies– as we expressed our thanksgiving for the pastors that God has gifted to us at Hope Fellowship. Zach took videos of everything said in both services and then took his courage in hand and approached people after both services to ask them to contribute their thoughts. And many people took their courage in hand, looked into the camera and spoke their thoughts.
This week Zach dropped a DVD off to the office with all your expressions of love. It’s a gift that Pastor Peter and Marja can use and treasure when the days are hard and they need some encouragement. Thank you all for being part of this important event and for continuing to pray regularly for Pastor Peter and Marja and those called to leadership at Hope Fellowship.
- Evelyn
Why would we do this every year when we pay Pastor Peter to be our pastor? According to the website Thriving Pastor: “Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.”
Pastor Appreciation is one way to encourage and strengthen pastors. So on Nov. 4 Zach showed up with his video camera (he was so willing to help out he showed up a Sunday early all ready to go!) and we let Pastor and Peter and Marja know how much we love and appreciate them. The verbal flowers presented were as varied as the speakers—from orchids to tulips to daisies– as we expressed our thanksgiving for the pastors that God has gifted to us at Hope Fellowship. Zach took videos of everything said in both services and then took his courage in hand and approached people after both services to ask them to contribute their thoughts. And many people took their courage in hand, looked into the camera and spoke their thoughts.
This week Zach dropped a DVD off to the office with all your expressions of love. It’s a gift that Pastor Peter and Marja can use and treasure when the days are hard and they need some encouragement. Thank you all for being part of this important event and for continuing to pray regularly for Pastor Peter and Marja and those called to leadership at Hope Fellowship.
- Evelyn
Comments
Post a Comment