October is celebrated as Pastors Appreciation month in many churches, and at Reunion Hawaii the church did an amazing job of showing love and appreciation to me, as lead pastor, and to the entire incredible team of pastors at Reunion. (Thank you, Michelle Kila, for taking the lead.)
Now let me celebrate Pastor’s Appreciation:
• Your Pastor appreciates those who show up week after week, without fanfare or public acclaim, voting with your presence to keep the church going. Your presence may seem to go unnoticed, but it is not. You have come to understand that your consistent, faithful attendance speaks volumes about your commitment to the faith community at Reunion. People see you there and come to believe that the church matters, and it is a priority in your life. Your smiles, hugs, prayers, kind words, and listening ear at those weekly assemblies is a precious gift to people who drag themselves to church wounded, defeated, discouraged and desperate. Thank you for being there.
• Your pastor appreciates those who put service to the Lord through his church ahead of their own comfort and convenience. This includes the people who wake up early to drive the truck, show up early to unload and set up, move tables, sweep floors, prepare restrooms, fold bulletins, make coffee, serve snacks, and do the behind-the-scenes, invisible-but-necessary grunt work. They are the first-impression people. They are the people who are not just spectators or consumers, but are personally invested in the life and mission of the church. You will never hear them say “they” — these people say “we.“
• Your pastor appreciates those who are only noticed when something goes wrong; the tech team. They set up, operate, and break down a complete audio, video, projection, and live-streaming system weekly, and do it with excellence even when things break, they are short-staffed, and they lack the necessary tools. They make it possible for our little church to have an impact far larger than our congregation, reaching people around the world. They control the audio mix, direct video shots, project the song lyrics, stream video, and shoot hundreds of still photos weekly. After the service is over, the truck is packed, and the people have left their job is not over; video must be edited, song lyrics prepared, and equipment maintained. What they do matters. It matters a lot.
• Your Pastor appreciates the Children’s Ministry volunteers, many of whom have no children of their own, but tirelessly wrangle, wrestle and referee toddlers and kids week after week… outdoors, under less-than-ideal conditions. When your child comes home singing songs about Jesus or telling you an Old Testament Bible story, it’s because someone cared enough to patiently repeat the lessons again and again, because they love your children and want your children to love Jesus as much as they do.
• Your Pastor appreciates the members of the Reunion Worship band, who do so much more than sing a few songs on Sunday. They constantly seek out new songs to help lead the church in worship, listening to music, watching videos, and then dedicate every Friday evening to rehearsal that is more prayer and worship than musical arranging. They do this week after week, year after year, faithfully. Their only reward is seeing the congregation moved — hands raised, voices singing out, tears flowing. It’s not just about the music to this group.
• Your Pastor appreciates those who actually believe God is their source, and trust him enough to faithfully tithe and give with generosity and joy. They know that, in God’s economy, the 90% they retain after tithing provides much more than they would ever have if they used God’s portion for themselves. Reunion doesn’t have any wealthy people, but we do have generous people… people who tithe, give offerings above the tithe, sponsor Compassion Children, pack Operation Christmas Child boxes, help individuals in need, and generally hold everything with an open hand. Some of them are long-distance members and supporters, no longer in Hawaii, but still connected in a bond of love.
• Your Pastor appreciates the office volunteers who handle the financial accounting, make bank deposits, pay the bills, and handle the hundreds of details monthly that are necessary for the church to function. They are the people sitting at the resource table, working throughout the service. They spend hours in the office each week making sure donations are properly recorded, invoices, insurance, loans, and compensation are paid on time. They do it with excellence, they do it with consistency, and they do it without any recognition or reward.
• Your Pastor appreciates the team of pastors with whom he serves. Being a solo pastor is a lonely walk, so we believe in plurality of leadership… shared leadership… team leadership… whatever term you prefer, it means we are in this together. We sometimes express it this way: All together. Different. Altogether different. It’s an eclectic mix of ages, genders, races, and personality melded together for the sake of the gospel. Your pastor loves them all.
• Your Pastor appreciates the opportunity to serve you!