We were just finishing up the delicious Crabtree Café chicken and dumplings that Beth Jenkins had prepared on October 27, when we were totally surprised by Jean Glosson’s announcement that this occasion was the beginning of a Pastor Appreciation month. She followed the announcement with her creative poem in honor of Gloria and me. We both looked at each other amazed and speechless.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughtfulness, kind words and delicious cake. The beautiful arrangement of orange and yellow mums quickly found a special place in the front flower garden of our home. Their bright colors immediately attracted the attention of our neighbors giving us an opportunity to tell them what a special church family we serve.
On November 30, 1985 my dear friend, Gene Puckett, editor of the Biblical Recorder published an article that I had written in the First Baptist Church Morehead City Newsletter in September of that year marking my 26th anniversary as an ordained minister. Thirty-four years later and celebrating my 60th ordination anniversary (September 6, 1959) I want to share a portion of that article. What I wrote then is just as true today. What I wrote then applies to you in the same degree that it was written to members of my former church.
“Being a pastor is the privilege of sharing good times and the bad times with God’s people. It’s being praised for virtues you do not always possess and criticized for things for which you are not always to blame. It’s being remembered with gifts, greetings and kindnesses which you can never repay. And, it is often being alone with no one in which to confide except the Lord. It is the reward of seeing God accomplish his work through human frailties and being a part of all that God is doing to make himself known to a lost world. It is something new and different every day. It would take pages to say all that it means to be a pastor, but I thank God for calling me into His ministry and permitting me to share it with you.”
Thank you for honoring Gloria and Me with this special “Pastor & Wife Appreciation”.
In His Love,
Charles
