my good-bye thoughts today for my pastor.
This morning, we said Good-Bye and Thank you to our lead teaching pastor, Ray Tilstra. He retired.....today.....after he preached his last sermon as a full-time pastor of a church. 42 years, he has pastored churches, done weddings and funerals and counselling and educating hundreds and hundreds of people. I'm sure there were many times when he had to put his job before the needs of his family....but today they were all there in the front rows, smiling and holding him up as he gave his last words to our congregation.
Pastoring a church has to be one of the hardest assignment God gives. Constant criticism, constant spiritual battle, constant life and death choices.....never getting to just punch the clock and go home and forget about the job....I would not choose that career for any of my children. God would have to call and call hard to cause me to send them down that hard road.......and if He calls any of them, I will support it. Both Pastor Ray's mom and mom-in-law were there this morning. They know.
Pastor Ray came 4 1/2 years ago after a year long search to replace the one pastor our church had had for about 20 years. We were a church that had lost focus and identity and strength. Pastor Ray came as a seasoned, veteran and he began the hard work of healing us, empowering us, challenging us to love and giving us hope. I remember one of the first times he lead communion for us. As he preached and taught and prayed and guided I thought to myself (or maybe God said to me.....) "He is shepharding this flock." And that is what it felt like. We had a shephard who knew where we needed to go. He knew how to use his tools, his staff, his voice, his mind to gather us. We are the sheep and we were scattered mentally, emotionally, spiritually. We were disconnected, hurting.
Today we were not disconnected or scattered or wounded or lost. Today we stood together as one body and celebrated the life and ministry of Pastor Ray Tilstra. He finished well with us. I, for one, am not afraid of the future of this church. Our earthly shephard guided us to the safest pasture there is....that of The Good Shephard. Jesus. He's got this. It doesn't matter who shows up to preach for the weeks and months until we hire our next pastor. God is moving and working at New Life. He is working through ministries and worship music and prayer and the depth of spiritual people who attend my church.
There was a photo on the projector this morning of a Peanuts cartoon and it had Charlie Brown and Snoopy I think and said something like this. Good-byes make my throat hurt. That about sums it up for me. I'm not sad he is going. I am excited for what God has planned moving forward. Good-byes do make my throat hurt.
I left church before the final program was done because Josiah is sick and his tylenol was wearing off and he was hot at feverish and I didn't want him to expose other people. I left without giving Pastor Ray a final hug and say good-bye.
Pastor Ray and Ginnie........this is my final hug and good-bye. Thanks. For Everything.
Pastoring a church has to be one of the hardest assignment God gives. Constant criticism, constant spiritual battle, constant life and death choices.....never getting to just punch the clock and go home and forget about the job....I would not choose that career for any of my children. God would have to call and call hard to cause me to send them down that hard road.......and if He calls any of them, I will support it. Both Pastor Ray's mom and mom-in-law were there this morning. They know.
Pastor Ray came 4 1/2 years ago after a year long search to replace the one pastor our church had had for about 20 years. We were a church that had lost focus and identity and strength. Pastor Ray came as a seasoned, veteran and he began the hard work of healing us, empowering us, challenging us to love and giving us hope. I remember one of the first times he lead communion for us. As he preached and taught and prayed and guided I thought to myself (or maybe God said to me.....) "He is shepharding this flock." And that is what it felt like. We had a shephard who knew where we needed to go. He knew how to use his tools, his staff, his voice, his mind to gather us. We are the sheep and we were scattered mentally, emotionally, spiritually. We were disconnected, hurting.
Today we were not disconnected or scattered or wounded or lost. Today we stood together as one body and celebrated the life and ministry of Pastor Ray Tilstra. He finished well with us. I, for one, am not afraid of the future of this church. Our earthly shephard guided us to the safest pasture there is....that of The Good Shephard. Jesus. He's got this. It doesn't matter who shows up to preach for the weeks and months until we hire our next pastor. God is moving and working at New Life. He is working through ministries and worship music and prayer and the depth of spiritual people who attend my church.
There was a photo on the projector this morning of a Peanuts cartoon and it had Charlie Brown and Snoopy I think and said something like this. Good-byes make my throat hurt. That about sums it up for me. I'm not sad he is going. I am excited for what God has planned moving forward. Good-byes do make my throat hurt.
I left church before the final program was done because Josiah is sick and his tylenol was wearing off and he was hot at feverish and I didn't want him to expose other people. I left without giving Pastor Ray a final hug and say good-bye.
Pastor Ray and Ginnie........this is my final hug and good-bye. Thanks. For Everything.
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