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Well, hey, it's Mike Traim with Prophetic Media Group. Today we're joined by Pastor J. Ewing. J is the Community Life Pastor for Calvary Bible Church and Ery. J, thanks for taking some time with us. Yeah, Mike, it's really good to sit down and chat with you. It's pretty cool to be in this arena with you and this this medium. And we're talking about pastors appreciation month. And J, it just seems like it's become a perfunctory treatment for pastors appreciation month. Everybody says, yeah, we appreciate our pastors and maybe there's some no cards and people remember and other people just flies right by them. And I want to talk about what a pastor really feels like and what you appreciate. Some of the assumptions that we make in the church, that kind of thing. Yeah, Mike, that's great. Yeah, it is a month. I mean, I've been in ministry for 20 years now and when I was in nowhere, Kansas preaching that for a year, pastor appreciation month with double plate of cookies each week. Which at the time, my roommates, my roommates enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon watching football, but it's definitely changed in the years. Yeah, and what does it feel like now? What do you see? And does it feel like a different month or is it just, you know, it's okay, but whatever. No, I think actually most pastors would like the recognition during that month and most of them assume that no one knows that it's actually in October. In fact, I was just talking to my wife the other night about it and she was like, I didn't know there was a month for you. Right. I'm sure she said that really snidely too, right? Yeah, I don't know that there should be a month for you, but I guess there is, right? Well, my sixth grade daughter was like, so are they going to make you a gift basket or something? Because she wanted some of the candy that came, that would come in the basket, right? She knows what it comes with appreciation and that church, I think. Yeah. Food. Food. No, but actually I, I think it's a really great month, especially for someone who's in a congregation to realize that, you know, they have pastors in their midst who they love, they appreciate that it's a place where we can pause and write a card, especially handwritten card in these days. Yes. And make sure our pastor understands that we really do see them and appreciate the work that they do. I think the handwritten card is, that's so important, such a good suggestion or recommendation on your part because it's an email these days. If you're lucky or somebody in the hallway got, appreciate you, bro. Yeah, that's fine. Okay. But to have a note where somebody thoughtfully wrote down, and you know Pastor Jay, I really appreciate this about you. That matters a lot. Well, yeah. And those notes as a pastor, I was taught long ago is to keep them in a file, keep them handy for those reasons where it is dry and it is hard. And you forget sort of why you do this at times. It's good to go back to those notes and make sure you remind yourself that you are making a difference and that the kingdom of God is deeper and broader than you think it is. You know, one of the things that we talked about just for a minute before we started is, for pastors, it is, it isn't all easy. And you know, coming on Sunday mornings and in our other interactions, whether it's 55 plus night or, you know, whatever's going on, a men's retreat, we can get as people congregants coming to the church. We can get that impression that, you know, this guy is positive, he is upbeat, it's always good. You know, being a pastor at church, maybe that's a pretty not easy gig, but you know, everything is rosy and that's not the case a lot of times. That's right. That's right. That's right. I think that most people don't realize that we have normal lives just as those in the congregation. We have to make grocery lists and we have to do and schedules beyond even our work commitments. In fact, you know, we even have to dust them back in our house at times and, you know, do those simple chores and they forget that we're just normal people who outside of that normalcy are just stewards of God's grace and messengers in the kingdom. And so, you know, we have issues, we have medical needs, we have personal stories of disappointment with our own family members, just like probably you do and many of us do. And so, yeah, you can see them in the polished light on Sunday or at an event and think, gosh, they have it easy, but reality is they're really normal people just like you and I. He's the speaker with Pastor J. Ewing. He's the community life pastor, Calvary Bible Church Erie. It's CalvaryBible.com. That's the website CalvaryBible.com. And Pastor J, it's, I remember sitting out with the pastor a couple of years ago and he said, let me tell you what's gone on my family and I thought he was really, really transparent. And he just shared some things and I got the sense that maybe he doesn't have that many people to share this with because he's always got to be on. And is that something you see and how do you deal with that? Yeah, that's a really, really good observation, Mike. I think the reality is that pastors are guilty on some of this of not being known and not having themselves in a community where they can be real and authentic and have a place where those individuals can really lift them up and encourage them to listen without judgment or disappointment in their own perceived leadership or whatever that would be for pastors. It can be a very lonely and isolating thing if the pastor chooses not to have that community. And then also a church, a congregation, an elder board that makes sure they ask the question, are you in communities somewhere and where are you and does someone know who you are and what's going on in your world? And Mike, you've seen the headlines, I've seen the headlines. I feel really awful for some of these churches that have these major revelations of pastors. And I just think man, they must have just been isolated for way too long for things like that to surface. Yeah, I've heard that question a few times from really in tune people, hey, how are you really done? I mean, is there anybody speaking? And do your life, is there anybody encouraging you? And if we have pastors and I think what we're identifying is there are pastors across Denver, across Colorado that would have to answer that if they're being honest. No, not really. Because all the reasons we just talked about. Yeah, definitely. And some congregations just don't have a lot of people for you to be in the community with. You know, a lot of these great pastors who are, dear saints, are obscure and they live in places, maybe in small towns in Colorado, small town towns here. And maybe they're in smaller communities with churches. And that's got to be really hard to be the only individual there who's called to that place, which is a beautiful thing. But also the reality of like that can be very isolating. And so to those guys and gals and those in ministry, I would say find it outside of that town. And find it within maybe those individuals you went to school with, seminary with, those individuals that you meet at conferences and have a community no matter what size of the congregation or fact the size of the town. We're speaking with Pastor Jay about showing appreciation. And Jay, how does a pastor want someone in the church? And like you said, it's not just pastors. We really need to talk about and include the lay people, the volunteers, the people that are working with the senior and teaching pastor that are involved. And they have a lot of these needs too. How do we show that sincere appreciation? What are some of the ways that we might not think of? Yeah. I think there's several ways. One is appreciate their family. So that person in ministry, make sure that your congregation, your church is treating their spouse, their kids, their extended family with a lot of honor and respect. Knowing that that individual has to give up, part of their relationship, or their spouse to serve in ministry. And so making sure you're honoring them, making sure that they know that they're valued, their family's valued, that you appreciate the time that they sacrifice away and vice versa. And so that's one thing. And in Pastor Appreciation Month, I would say pray for the pastor's extended family, spouse's kids. And then there's some creative ways. I think if you're a healthy congregation, you're moving towards grading a rhythm where pastors and ministry leaders can get rest. So either that's a one month or two month or even if you can find a way to make it three months of like a sabbatical, that's a regular rhythm at your church as totally natural for your congregation. That has been one of the greatest gifts I have received in ministry. And each congregation has its challenges, has a budget, has needs of making sure there's someone filling the pulpit every week. However, your pastor's longevity will be due to some regular rhythms of rest. And then finally, I think creatively, especially in this month and even in this year, find ways to really encourage them. Okay, what are their favorite hobbies? What are their interests? You know, if they are a book lover, get them a gift card to Amazon so they can buy books that they like. If they love to be active and outdoors, get them a state, Colorado State Park Pass or a national park pass. There's also ways to make sure you're teaching your pastor and ministry leader to stay healthy. The congregation takes the tab on a gym membership. Those are little subtle ways to really say we see you, we acknowledge you, we want you to be healthy, we want you to be here, especially in past appreciation month. Those are also good. You know, I love the family, the kids just knowing that person's wife or spouse, if it's one of the female staff members and just having that partnership, that relationship, then the rest. And I know with Calvary, Calvary makes that a priority. So you guys go on sabbatical every seven years? It is. It is. Six years. Six years, okay. Yeah. Yeah, right in the seven. You know, actually, that's a big thing for me. If my family loves the church, so if my kids are excited, if my spouse is excited to be at church as a pastor, that makes my job so much more easy and leading and being present at church. And so the congregation has a lot to do with if a kid, you know, can they run around on the weekday and be a little churchmife and no one actually gets on to them? You know, can my wife enjoy coming to Sunday because she's not being criticized for the pastor? You know, those are little things that really lead up. That's really good. Yeah, if your wife's happy, it sure helps, right? It's like, yeah, honey, I love you working here. Totally. Totally. And you know, kids, if they think they walk through the door and see that their parent is honored among these people, they're going to be excited to be there as well. Yeah, that's really good. It's Pastor J. Ewing. He's the community life pastor for Calvary Bible Church. Erie. It's CalvaryBible.com, CalvaryBible.com. J, if somebody wants to reach out to Calvary, if they're in our neck of the woods and don't have a church home, what contact information should they know? Yeah, you can always get ahold of us by our website as well as know that we have a weekly podcast called The Weekly, where we sort of talk about the rhythms of the message that we preached on Sunday with the preacher. The things that they leave behind, it's a really fun conversation. You can tune in at calvarybible.com by going to The Weekly, as well as if you're in the area, if you're in Northern Colorado, we would love to see you there. Calvary is, like it said, it's named as the Bible as the Word of God is centered to our faith community and we would love to see you there. Yeah, Bible church, wonderful families and ages, all age groups represented. It's pretty amazing. So Pastor Jay, thanks for taking the time with us. Yeah, Mike, I really appreciate this opportunity. Thanks so much, Jay.
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