Grace to you and Peace from God our Creator and God’s Son Jesus Christ.
I had one of those milestone experiences on Father's Day weekend. I celebrated a special anniversary. I marked the 30th anniversary of my full-time preaching ministry. Anniversaries are a time for reflection and celebration. They are also a time for looking forward.
I was appointed by the late Bishop Leroy Hodapp to serve the saints of God as pastor of the Glendale, Eddyville, and Bay Valley United Methodist Churches in Pope County, Illinois, in mid-June of 1980. I packed my newly minted Master of Divinity degree and my meager belongings into a rented U-Haul and ventured into deep southern Illinois, filled with enthusiasm and determination to change the world.
Those early days of circuit riding were different for me. My only experience of church had been station charges, one church served by one pastor. I participated in the fine tradition of my Methodist forefathers and rode from place to place on Sunday mornings, holding services at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m. Once I got used to the rhythm of it, it wasn't that bad. The first service at Eddyville was the debut of the sermon. Editing occurred during the ten-minute drive to Glendale and they usually got the best of my preaching. By the time I got to Bay Valley I was just looking forward to the morning being over.
The people were very kind to me and very encouraging. My life has truly been blessed by many encouragers, people who wanted to see their pastor be the best. They patiently taught me the ropes of being a pastor, helping me learn the fine art of developing meaningful relationships with all kinds of people.
I have also experienced the pain of rejection in ministry. I have served congregations that were not a good fit for me. Relationships were difficult and it seemed that no matter what I tried, things turned out wrong. At that time, I felt that I failed God and failed the people I was called to serve. Upon further reflection, I realize now that those experiences were valuable in pastoral character building and would serve as a source of strength for the future.
In a perfect world, I would have related to each parishioner in a way that was most meaningful and helpful to them. But it is not a perfect world, and I am not a perfect pastor. I failed some people. I was not able to connect with some people. Conversely, none of the churches I served were perfect. They failed me sometimes and they did not connect with me.
But, church people are generally some of the kindest folk you will ever meet. As I think back on thirty years, I am grateful for people who forgave my mistakes, didn't hold a grudge when I was not able to answer the pastoral bell, endured some periods of depression and inability to perform at my best level. I have been blessed to be invited to some of the most intimate times of people's lives to be a representative of God's love and the love of the believing community. The positives have far outweighed the negatives. By far.
Retirement is a blip on my radar screen. It is still a good ways off, but now is the time to begin thinking about my last years of active ministry. I pray that my experiences can be used to provide seasoned leadership to my congregation and to my younger colleagues and, that I will have the wisdom to discern when it is time to hand the reigns over to other eager hearts and hands.
Grace and Peace Always
Pastor John
"Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God." John Wesley
Created on 03/25/2009 10:02 AM by RobertM
Updated on 07/06/2010 02:32 AM by RobertM
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