Domo Arigato…
Mr. Roboto. I mean, Pastor Roboto.
In case you didn’t know, October is dubbed as “Pastor/Clergy Appreciation” month.
It’s widely known (at least among those in or close to the field of ministry) that pastors live with an odd amalgamation of pain and joy. It is a profession with high stress, often low(ish) pay, minimal support and rare acknowledgement. Most of us are not in it for the money or recognition, and few in the field actually have much of either of those things. But that’s kind of okay because we are in it for God and his people and his glory. I should clarify that “pastor” includes those in other vocational ministry positions as well, not just the senior or lead pastor. If you Google “pastoral stats” you’ll find a number of ominous statistics about those in ministry. The first result is this post from pastorburnout.com. I appreciate that he adds a disclaimer that some of the stats we hear are unreliable… but not all of them are.
What I want to do in this moment is to express my appreciation and gratitude to several people whom I believe deserve it (by God’s grace of course). If you’re a minister/pastor whom I’ve done life with and you’re not on this list, it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you; I’m focusing on those who’ve had a big impact on me.
Billy Morgan – Billy was my youth minister when I was in high school. I am 100% convinced that if this man had not invested in me as a youth, I’d not be the Christian I am today. Billy wasn’t the only person in my teen years that impacted me. He enlisted and coordinated several men and women in Sunday School, Wednesday nights, camps, etc. and poured into other teens who also invested in my life (a lateral thanks here to VB, Tony, Melanie, Ken, Russell, Edie, Kevin, Rhetta, Cody, Marc, Beau, and countless others – BTW Melanie, the laundry bag you gave me for graduation almost 20 years ago is still used regularly). It was under Billy’s ministry that I found the call to ministry myself. He undoubtedly spent countless hours trying to figure out the best ways to encourage and enhance my spiritual growth. I recall one time when he randomly came and picked me up to go visiting with him, and another time there was some kind of conference I had decided not to attend because of the funds and he just showed up with the full van and took me anyway. Thanks, Billy! You hold a very special place in my heart and always will. You’re like a tough biker pastor now, but we all know you’re still a big softy and you’re probably crying by now 😉 I love and appreciate you.
Jimmie Don Gibson – The first pastor I ever worked with/for. I don’t think I could have asked for a better mentor. His hospitality (okay, I gotta give Joyce some credit for that, right?) has been unmatched to date. And that’s not a discredit to any subsequent pastors, but a recognition of how great they were. Jimmie Don was also a great story teller and preacher/teacher. I remember several of us wanted to get “I Love My Pastor” tshirts made for the time he came to speak at OBU Chapel. It was an incredible honor to work alongside you and to learn from you. I love and appreciate you.
Jim Tribble – What a guy! First off, I want to say a huge thanks to Jim for spiritually bringing up the incredible woman that I have the privilege of calling my wife. Good job! Also, Jim has always been a source of wisdom and consoling in our difficult times in ministry. Jim, I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you.
Matt Miles, Monte Erwin & Steve Haley – I’m lumping these three together on purpose. The thing I really appreciated about this team was that in we met together in the mornings and prayer walked our sanctuary praying for members and for God’s movement in the church. I learned a great deal from these guys about perseverance. Thanks guys! I love and appreciate you all.
Steve Passmore – I’ve worked with some music guys that are passionate about worship and about the God we worship. But I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone whose exuberance rivals Steve’s. When I think of Steve, I visualize him bending into an almost semi-squat position and building up to an explosive bound with the most genuine smile, singing out “I am a friend of God” or “Days of Elijah.” Thanks, Steve for teaching me about joy and sincere concern for church members. Just to mix things up here, I appreciate and love you, brother.
Sara (Saleh) Beck – Sara was actually one of my students. Now, all these years later, she’s all growed up and is working as a youth minister. Just yesterday she shared with me that she’s joined the ranks of the clichéd cheesy youth ministers in a puns-r-us kind of way. Sara is a student, a friend, and a colleague. I can’t speak for all the other ministers out there, but when I see so many of my former students’ updates on social media and hear about their lives, it’s not really what I’d hoped and prayed for them. To look at the handful out there (represented in this case by Sara) who’ve stayed true to their faith and even taken it to a higher level, it’s encouraging to me as a minister. So thanks, Sara, for showing me that it’s worth it. I love and appreciate you. (p.s. did you actually draw that cat yourself? it was a cat, right?)
Honorable Mentions: Jack Robbins, Cody Deevers (look at that – you made the list twice!), Scott Grein, Ryan Goodrich, Clint Carter, Sammy Smith, Corey Woods, Matt McGee (and all the other Cimarron Baptist Association guys, circa 2003-2006), Mike Tignor, Terry Ward, David Hixon, Gene Moren, Nick Ferguson, James Ehrlich, Mark Powell, Bryan Cawley, Andy Peck, Gary Siebert, Derek Cheek, Kenny Kelly, Brian Cloud, Shawn Thomas, Jordan Henderson, John Russell, Johnny Tonihka, Brandon Henry, and countless volunteer ministers. And of course my wife. She’s not technically a pastor of any sorts, but some days I feel like she does my job just as much as I do – if you’re on the personnel committee at FBCPV, don’t read too much into that statement 😉 Dear, I very much love and appreciate you.
Thanks guys. Happy October, Pastor Appreciation Month.
baileyplanet 