Pastor's Duties

blackbird,

my preacher loves those new baby visits, too! He goes out of his way to try to visit at the hospital. He missed the last one I had, because I went home earlier than he thought I would, but that was ok!

Thats the kind of visit that the pastor can look forward to!

 

So true Blackbird, so true... :thumbs:

 

Your post reminds me of what happened during the visit I mentioned above, where I discovered almost by accident that one of our members was in the hospital with a new baby while I was visiting someone else. When I went to see that new mother, something got caught in my throat ... not phlegm or anything related to illness, just some foreign matter ... and I could not get my words out! Just croaking and attempting to clear my throat. But guess what made it doubly embarrassing? The new mother was/is a physician, and so instead of my ministering to her and her baby, she ended up suggesting what I could do for my throat! We've laughed about all that many times since.

 

But did she charge you for an office visit???!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

No, but then I didn't bill the pastoral call to Medicare either.

Apropos the original posting ... some pastors dread hospital calling, for no particular reason other than their own personalities are retiring, or they have trouble seeing people in pain. When I began pastoral work I almost hoped there would be no parking space at the hospital, or felt relief when I was told that the patient I had come to see was undergoing a procedure and was not available for visiting. I am very introverted, and find it hard to take the initiative in making personal contacts. But I do it, not only for hospital and bereavement cases, but also for evangelistic and enlistment ones, because I know that is what the Lord expects and because I know that is what the job entails. One can overcome one's own predilections ... but it is always easy to fall back into them.

My wife tells me that her father, once a British Baptist pastor but later in life a professor here in the US, just hated to go to hospitals and nursing homes because it hurt him to see people in pain that he could not relieve. Maybe so ... but does that say something about our own deep-down theology concerning the grace of God as sufficient to carry each of us through our trials? Do we sometimes feel vaguely guilty because we may not have suffered what the person we are called to serve is suffering?

 

You've got me "stumped" on this word---ha---what does it mean??? am I missin' somethin'????

I've been pastoring for 19 years now ---- the only time I have ever been hospitlized was when I was about 10 yrs old ---- was bit by a Copperhead snake and spent a few days in hospital

But other than that --- I've never been hospitalized --- I feel awkward sometimes because I can't relate to their pain or to their upcoming surgery

I don't mind hospital visits --- and as of the moment we have no one member in the nursing home --- I don't like nursing home visits and you walk down the hall and have to pass by the room where the volunteers do "perms" ---- it stinks worse than the soiled linen carts!!! Mercy!!! Barring a big bad mean mamma jamma heart attack that will "take me out of here fast" ---- and barring some catatrophic dreaded disease that snuffs me out --- I remind myself that I could end up in a nursing home later in life ---- just hope my kids are "man" and "lady" enough to take care of me!!!