There are so many “appreciation” days on the calendar that I have lost count. A quick internet search reveals an enormous number of “appreciation days”. Enormous is relative considering there are only 365 assignable days in any given year. Next year holds the 29th of February. Is that Leap Year Appreciation Day? I don’t know, I haven’t checked.
There is Mole Appreciation Day; the animal, not the saboteur. Weed Appreciation day; the garden nuisance, not the marijuana plant. I’m sure there is a day for the other as well. As long as I’m referencing mind-benders, there is Beer Can Appreciation Day - just the can, not the contents, on that day. Believe it or not, there is Root Canal Appreciation Day, but the last date of that on record was in 2014. Somebody wised up that that was a stupid day, I guess. On a related note, there is also Virus Appreciation Day, and it’s still around.
What about people appreciations? We all know about Administrative Assistant’s Day... and Boss's Day. There’s Mother’s, Father’s, and Grandparent’s days. I discovered over the last few years there is a Sibling Appreciation Day. There is also Waiter’s Appreciation Day - isn't that what my gratuity does? There is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Couples Appreciation has a whole month, which I find strange. I always thought their day was in February. Speaking of… there is Wife Appreciation Day. One would think that would be one’s anniversary. Not so, it has it’s own day. Here are a few more:
- Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
- Ancestor Appreciation Day [How do they even know? What’s the point?]
- Operating Room Nurse Day AND Emergency Room Nurse Day [Apparently neither are to be confused with regular Nurses Day.]
- Love Your Lawyer Day
- Hug Your Boss Day [Okay, so… um… couldn’t this mean lawsuits and such for people? Never mind, my boss is God, right?]
My “under-boss” is my Pastor, and October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Because I'm also a "pastor", all month long I personally have experienced the thoughtful expressions from folks demonstrating their love and appreciation. It is a sweet thing. This has also made me reflect upon how much I appreciate the leadership staff with whom I work. Dude, they are awesome!
My Senior Pastor is one of the smartest and spiritually sensitive Pastors I’ve known. His variety of ministry experience has equipped him for everything we do as a staff and church. I appreciate that every staff meeting holds not only fantastic pastoral leadership, but also great, workshop style exercises, instruction, and application. I see in his face his love for us as a team. I experience first hand his desire to shepherd us himself with intentionality, and teach us to shepherd the flock at large. His sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is ever present and his resolve to do the work God inspires me to be a better servant and leader myself.
My Discipleship & Missions Pastor has a heart for missions and outreach that is second to none. I love the passion that flows from his voice as he talks of people being better versions of themselves and a better version of the church. He communicates well the vision of seeing the church as God sees it. There is no question that he wants to see the church “be the church”. He’s also a strategist. I love that I can walk into his office with an idea, vision, plan, or dream and the first thing he naturally does is see all the ins and outs of it’s realization. He quickly sees all around a plan and has immediate advice and suggestions.
My Students and Young Adults Pastor is a guy who makes me smile every time I think about his ministry. I smile because I am a direct recipient of his work. I watch and experience the way he runs his ministry and am thankful every day for the impact he has on my oldest son. I watch as students shine with spiritual maturity that clearly comes from a learned submission to the Holy Spirit. I attribute much of that growth to the impact of his ministry - he sets a good example. I also love to hear him preach. Never have I come away confused about his message or unclear about his points. I also never come away without having had a great laugh. He’s a natural at wrapping perfectly timed humor in all he does publicly which makes him endeared by all.
Our other team member isn’t technically one of my pastors, but the value she brings to our team is immeasurable. I see her serve others daily through her ministry. She is great at mentoring young, fresh minds toward the ministry of what she does in tech, media, and music. I love that it’s not just a job for her but truly embraced as a ministry that reaches more people for the the Kingdom of God. She also knows how to pull out all the stops to make everything we do look greater than any of us could do on our own. I always need a notebook when I talk with her because at any moment a simple discussion about the mundane can turn into a huge creative, brainstorming session. I speculate she probably brings out the best in ALL of us, but I know she does of me.
Ultimately, we make up a team that functions well together and only gets better doing so. We laugh together. We pray together. We dine together. We group text together. We happily work together. As we continue discovering all the ways our individual cogs turn and interact, we become a squeak-less, well oiled machine. The synergy we have has long begun to blaze, and is becoming glaringly evident to others. I am appreciative of every single person on our ministry team and count myself undeservingly blessed to learn from each of them.
On this Pastor Appreciation Month, I could not be more appreciative of a single group of people than I am of these I serve with each week. They are amazing. If you haven't got a reason to tell them so, you simply haven’t spent enough time getting to know them, and that is most certainly your loss.
These people are my pastors, my colleagues, and my friends.
