I'm gonna tell ya'll about a Pastor I love, though he is no longer a Pastor, though he was one for over 50 years.
He prepared 2 sermons per Sunday, plus a Sunday School lesson for the Adult Class.
He prepared a Bible study for every Weds. night.
He held office hours Tuesday through Friday at the church study. (Mondays and Saturdays were supposed to be his days off.)
He was present for every meeting or event that happened at the church, even if he was not directly involved.
He directed VBS every summer.
He was on-call 24/7. Meaning if someone was sick or dying or needed counseling, they would call, any hour of the day or night.
He was the Pastor, so that meant, he had to attend every graduation or special event for any member, and provide a gift, too.
He was the Pastor, so that meant when a member of a church member's family died, he had to go comfort the bereaved, on-call 24/7.
He was the Pastor, so he performed the weddings and funerals of members and loved ones of members.
There was a monthly Board meeting for the Deacons.
There was a monthly Board meeting for the Trustees.
There was choir practice, too.
Since he had a beautiful voice, he was on-call to provide special music for the services if there was no other special music lined up.
Every Winter, it was this Pastor who shoveled the walkways so people would not slip and fall when they came to church - on Sundays, on Weds., and for all events at the church.
Oh, and many, many times, this pastor would be the one cutting the grass at the church on Saturday so it would look nice for Sunday.
In his younger years, he was head of the Youth Group, too, driving the bus to roller skating parties, etc.
He also chauffered the youngsters to summer camp.
When something broke at the church, he fixed it. In fact, he even built a church from breaking the ground on up many years ago. He wired, plumbed, and carpentered. He even put carpet and tile, mended, fixed, whatever needed done.
He filled the baptistry for baptismal services.
And turned up the heat so the church would be warm when people arrived for services.
He was always the first to arrive at church before anyone else did.
Repairs? He did them. Setting up chairs & tables when needed, he did it. Keeping the church bus going, he did it. Changing a tire in the parking lot for someone? He did it.
Did I forget anything?
Oh, yes, he kept everything fixed up around the old parsonage, too.
If a stranger came through town and needed some money or a meal, this Pastor took care of it - out of his own pocket.
Widows needing some handyman work done, leaky faucet, etc., this Pastor did it & never took any pay.
Did I mention all the hours spent doing hospital visits?
And visits to the old folks' homes?
And the jail ministry?
Or the Battered Women's Shelters?
Or the weekly Thursday night visitation?
Did I mention the church picnics he coordinated and played softball with the young people, or horseshoes?
Did I mention, he was the one everyone turned to for everything through several pastorates and for over 50 years?
Did I mention that sometimes things got so tight, he had to take a second job to make ends meet to feed his family of 4 children? And that his wife was the church pianist and/or organist and sometimes choir director, too, and even a Sunday School teacher, and never received one thin dime through all those years & through several pastorates?
Did I mention that pastors & their families are subject to very much criticism and are supposed to be perfect, too?
And that everyone is supposed to be pleased every time and all the time?
Did I mention that even the smallest of gifts are appreciated by a Pastor & his family?
Did I mention that I miss that old Pastor who loved the Lord with all his heart and served Him for over 50 years and that the best Pastor in the whole wide world ended up being my Dad?
He's with the Lord now. And I know he's heard, "well done, thou good and faithful servant."
I've listed the above from a first hand experience of being a PK.
If you love your pastor, you will give those extras out of gratitude for all he is and all he does. Because unless you have lived with a Pastor 24/7, you have no idea the sacrifices your Pastor makes.
So TIP. And be generous about it, too. And throw in something extra for his wife. Because his wife usually shares everything in the ministry with him, in one way or another, even if it's behind the scenes.
