Beauty Tips for Ministers
Because you're in the public eye, and God knows you need to look good.
Best Of 2009
December 29, 2009 on 10:07 am | In Theological Reflection On Your Fabulousness | 4 CommentsGood morning, kitty cats!
PeaceBang has a lot of work to do today and she is praying to the great God on high that she will NOT be tempted to waste time reading the plethora of “Best Of/Worst Of” year-end lists that come out this time of year.
However, she would LOVE to give you an opportunity to share some of your favorite moments in ministry from 2009. Transcendent experiences, community joys, favorite sermons, hilarious botches, pastoral tenderness, personal triumphs?
Tell it, kids.
Some of PeaceBang’s Favorite Moments In Ministry 2009 Edition:
My three weeks with the UU Fellowship of Amarillo, Texas, and especially our success in keeping the religious right from crushing a local production of “Bent” by hosting it in our building.
Preaching in English at our Partner Church in Kadacs, Transylvania and being simultaneously translated into Hungarian by my sister minister. Going on pastoral visits in the village and holding baskets of chicks on my lap.
Sitting in a hammock in the middle of the jungle in Nicaragua, helping translate a document on how American missionaries can more ethically partner with local providers when working on Isla Ometepe.
The intense struggle with my D.Min. thesis that has yielded some good chapters… and the work continues. Please God, let me finish in 2010!
Returning to church after sabbatical and seeing with fresh eyes how amazing the leadership is, and how wonderful the community.
Couples counseling. Being able to help just a bit.
Presiding over the funeral of the former Fire Chief of our town and standing at attention as dozens of firefighters — many of them chiefs from surrounding towns — processed into the church. Solemn and deeply moving.
Noticing the sad and very tender expression of a neighbor from the pulpit during another big funeral and realizing that I wanted to know him better. Taking that risk and finding someone very special as a result.
Doing a covenant consultation with a local congregation and watching them go from slightly bored to genuinely enthused about the meaning of congregational covenants as we talked.
Giving the eulogy for my dear friend Tim and getting through it without crying or wanting to.
Advent. Rehearsing the pageant with the kids. Singing “Do You Hear What I Hear?” during a sermon and feeling that deep silence and reflection moving between myself and the gathered church.
Christmas Eve, watching the choir process in singing “Adeste Fidelis” and hearing the organ again for the first time in a year.
Your turn!!
4 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
Powered by WordPress with design based on Pool theme by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^
Off the top of my head:
– Serving as a pastoral presence to a couple as the husband faces a felony charge for making a stupid mistake at work. Delivering a word of grace to them…and the message of the birth narratives — “fear not!” Watching in amazement as our congregation lives the message of grace to them.
– In looking for support for myself in the midst of the above, finding a wonderful friend in a local hospice chaplain.
– Being asked to perform the funeral of a former member of our congregation with whom I had a very difficult relationship — and finding in conversations with her family that she had a soft heart for children, and provided for many in need in a very behind the scenes way.
– Serving on staff for a long weekend of church “mini camp” for kids going into grades 1-3.
Having my husband take a vacation from his church – a different denomination – in order to serve also, and having 5 kids from our congregation attend for the first time.
– Performing 3 weddings in September of young women of our congregation who were ages 6-14 when I first came here 18 years ago. Remembering them as children and adolescents and now seeing them as strong, capable, loving adults with families of their own.
– Working in collaboration with other churches/social service agencies in our small town to provide much needed help for so many families hurting in the economic crisis.
– Visiting a parishioner new to a nursing home and being summoned into her neighbor’s room to learn a game of cards.
– Welcoming a number of women colleagues new to our area.
Comment by Lindylou — December 29, 2009 #
Sitting in the chapel at my seminary and feeling the presence of my very traditional, very conservative grandfather there as we sang his favorite hymn. It was as if he were letting me know that he will be proud to have a grand-DAUGHTER in the pulpit. I still cry at the memory of that moment.
Telling a group of kids what the “I Love You” sign was (pointer, pinky and thumb extended), and having Alex point out that it is how Spiderman shoots webs. Which of course led me to respond that perhaps Spiderman was shooting webs of love… Blank stares and cricket chirps… But Alex still shoots me I Love You! sign when we meet
Comment by ellbee — December 29, 2009 #
My ordination in May: Because my mother, father, sister and brother sang “Be Thou My Vision” as the special music; Because my Church of Christ grandfather was too choked up with joy to read scripture; Because my preaching professor presented me with a towel and reminded me to wash the feet of my congregation; Because I cried every 5 minutes and that was okay; Because a robe hangs in my office that reminds me of the 12 years that it took to get it
Comment by Elizabeth — December 29, 2009 #
Teaching my ministers-in-training about the origins of English-speaking Christianity in the oldest continuing English-speaking church in the world. Awesome.
Comment by Wendy in England — December 31, 2009 #