Published Sep 12, 2023
October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Over the next five weeks, we will be sharing some thoughtful ideas to help inspire unique and special ways to show love for the pastors in our lives! These ideas come by way of CSBC pastors and leaders (past and present) whom we have interviewed as they share times when they felt most appreciated by their congregations! Get your pencil and paper ready for some inspiration!
Kids specifically bring a whole different level of love and appreciation to a pastor’s heart, especially when they are being recognized for their efforts. After all, this is a generation that will continue on the legacy of the leadership the pastor sets for the church. Leaders we interviewed shared that their most memorable gifts received came from the children of the church during Pastor Appreciation Month.
Missions Initiative Leader Francis Chung shared that his most memorable gift had been a scrapbook made by the children of his church that included notes and pictures written and drawn by the kids themselves.
Jason Blankenship, Evangelism Initiative Leader, shared a similar idea that while he served as a pastor, one of his most memorable gifts had been a photo of the whole congregation with a matte surrounding the photo that included special messages from the kids.
“I once received a frame with a picture of a heart -colored in by the kids of the church- with their names in each section that they colored,” reflected Director of Disaster Relief Kendrick Neal.
Reverend Gregory Perkins from The View Church in Menifee, and recently elected speaker for the 2023 California Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, shared that his most memorable gift had been when “The kids pooled their money together and got me a $100 Coco’s Bakery gift certificate. The parents made sure that I knew 100% of it came from the kids, that they hadn’t helped at all.”
Executive Director Pete Ramirez remarked that his most memorable gift had been when the kids of the church filled a canvas with little notes, “Those little inscriptions really meant a lot to me.”
As you can see, it doesn’t take A LOT to make something significant. Our pastors feel the difference they make in the hearts and minds of even the youngest of the congregation. A simple note or picture stays in the mind of the pastor, even years later.
