The World's Okayest Pastor

 Today started with attempting a visit of a member with Covid 19 in the hospital. The daughter wants everyone to go visit her because she's lonely. Ma'am she's in isolation because she has a contagious virus. We will call, send cards and flowers, but I will not be encouraging everyone to go visit and spread anymore germs around. So I went and masked up. Poor member was sleeping very soundly so I left my card with a small note, said a silent prayer and left. I refuse to wake someone in the hospital. It's just bad practice. Then I printed bulletins. Copiers are weird but vital. I appreciate that this one will fold the bulletin for me. However I can't get it to fold the large print bulletins. Go figure. It's been weird not doing a bulletin every week myself. It's amazing what a good secretary and an updated piece of equipment can do for you. Then there was the funeral. A former lay licensed minister was contacted by a former member to do a son's funeral. Ne...

 Another funeral story- I was asked to officiate a funeral for a person who didn't have a church. When the funeral director called to ask me to officiate, I was told that the family had been interesting to work with. The deceased had been taken to a different funeral home and then the living members had some issues with that funeral home. So the funeral director who called me had to go and claim the body off the other funeral homes table. This is not something that funeral directors want to do. Then I was told that the family is having issues with each other and was being fairly demanding. Not unusual.  When I met with the family, at the funeral home, I was told that they didn't really need "all that religious stuff," that a family member had written a song and someone else was reading a poem. Immediately after the service I was told that my services would no longer be needed, and I could leave and not stick around while the casket was prepared to be lowered into the ...

Funerals can bring out the best or the worst in people/families. Here's a story from a funeral that I can't make up. Note that this story is not from my current ministry setting and names and identifying information has been changed. I was asked to officiate a funeral for a family that wasn't connected to a church but wanted a minister. I met with the family before the funeral and learned I was only meeting part of the family and that there was some sort of rift between the adult children. I made a mental note but the family seemed to be okay. Fast forward to the day of the funeral. I arrive half way through the visitation before the service and check in with the funeral home and family and things seem to be okay. It's clear that there's a divide between the children but folks seem to be staying on their respected sides and behaving. The service goes off well and the casket gets loaded into the hearse. Family members get in their vehicles and I get in the hearse wit...

  As a minister I have the honor of performing rites and ceremonies for people at a variety of stages of life: baptisms, blessings, marriages, funerals, etc. I usually enjoy planning and leading these events. But lately I've had a rash of folks shocked that as a minister, I would have a fee to do some of these services. So lets talk about why I have fees.   To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life.   However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our wee...