October is Clergy Appreciation Month: Take Time to Send a Christian Greeting Card or Gift to Say Thank You

Pastor Appreciation 1
Gratitude for Your Ministry

Those who shepherd the flock of Christ bear a heavy responsibility. Theirs is a high
calling. October is Clergy appreciation month and while these leaders deserve our prayer and words of gratitude all year long, this month represents a special opportunity to express your appreciation and support.

Although members of the Clergy are most visible at the weekly services, church leaders serve their congregations every day, throughout the day. On any given day, pastors and priests may be called upon to pray with someone over the phone, they may be offering counsel in their office, visiting the ill at the hospital or nursing home, performing weddings or funerals, attending potlucks or any number of other church events. These are the leaders who give a public face to the local church. They meet and greet visitors and newcomers. And, as the apostle Paul once said, on top of all of this, they bear responsibility for the church in prayer and oversight.

Since October has been designated Clergy Appreciation Month, don’t wait to come up with a plan for letting your pastor or priest know how much you value their work in the Lord. You may have a wonderful idea in mind for how to support your minister, but if you have a hard time coming up with your own ideas, here are a few we thought were helpful.

1. Send a Christian greeting card
You can send a card to the pastor, to his wife, even to his children – whether they live
at home or are away at college. It can be a humorous card or one that expresses a serious sentiment, but be sure to communicate to the entire family that you can see how each one is sacrificing for the benefit of the entire church. The pastor may be the person who is up front, but the family behind him shares in the commitment.

2. Schedule daily prayer
October is one month of designated appreciation, so why not gather church members and commit to daily prayer and encouragement during this month? You can assign a member to each day or several members to each week. These members pledge to pray on a given day or days for the pastor. You could even solicit specific prayer requests.

3. Give a gift
A gift can be homemade, home-baked or a gift card to a restaurant or store. You could even offer to babysit one evening.

4. Invite him over
Invite your minister and his family (if applicable) over for dinner or dessert. This is a great chance to say in person how thankful you are for his faithful labors.

5. Write a thank you
A simple thank you card is worth a lot and you’d be surprised how many people never take the time to pen just a few words.

Whether you choose to give a gift or send a Christian greeting card the important thing is to do it sooner rather than later. October will fly past just like every other month of the year. If you are looking for a place to find a Christian greeting card or gift, take a look at The Printery House where you can find anything from stationery to bibles to artwork and more.