Today I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a while: showing appreciation to our pastors. I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and today I sat down to craft some messages.
First off, I started brainstorming what I really appreciate about my pastor. It’s easy to just say “thanks,” but I wanted to be specific. So I thought about all the sermons that have really hit home for me and the times he’s been there for our community. And I made a list of all of the specific things I wanted to thank him for in the message.
I found some really nice examples online of how others express their gratitude. Some were simple “thank you” notes, others included Bible verses, which I thought was a nice touch. I took some inspiration from those, but I mostly tried to write from my heart. Like, I remember one sermon where he talked about living a life of faith, and it really struck a chord with me. I made sure to mention that.
Then, I started writing. I used some of the phrases I found online as a starting point, but I tweaked them to make them my own. For instance, I wrote something like, “You’re a blessing to our church,” and “Thanks for all the ways you make a difference in our church and community.” It felt good to put those words down on paper, or, well, on my computer screen.
- “Thank you for being such a great example of living a life of faith. Your sermons always give me something to think about.”
- “You’re a blessing to our church. I appreciate all the hard work you do behind the scenes.”
- “Thanks for all the ways you make a difference in our church and community. You really bring people together.”
- “Thanks for all you do to make our church the encouraging and faith-building place it is! We are so lucky to have you.”
- “Pastor, I am thankful for your faithful teaching of God’s word. Each week, you help me grow in my faith.”
Here are some of the messages I came up with:
It took me a few hours to get everything just right. I read through each message a few times, making sure it sounded genuine and heartfelt. I even read them out loud to see how they sounded. After some editing, I finally felt like they were ready.
After writing the messages, I decided to share them with a few friends from church to get their feedback. I thought maybe they could give me some pointers or help me make them even better. They really liked the messages and even shared some of their own ideas, which I added in.
I also spent some time picking out a nice card. I didn’t want to just send a text message. A handwritten note feels so much more personal and meaningful. I found a really nice card at the store that I thought was perfect.
I’m planning to give the card to my pastor after service this Sunday. I’m a little nervous, but also excited. I think it’s important to show appreciation, especially to those who do so much for us. And if you haven’t told your pastor how much you appreciate them lately, maybe this is a good reminder to do so. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something from the heart.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Let me know what you think, and if you have any other ideas for showing appreciation to pastors, I’d love to hear them!
