October is clergy appreciation month

According to Hallmark, Clergy Appreciation Month was established in 1992 “with a mission to uplift and encourage pastors, missionaries and religious workers.” Since Hallmark first offered cards and merchandise specific to the occasion ten years later, it’s possible that the origin of this “holiday” wasn’t commercially motivated like so many others. At any rate, there’s no doubt that your pastor could use some extra encouragement this month. Here are some ways to do so:

• Pray for your pastor every day this month. Ask him if there’s anything specific that you can pray for.
• Go the traditional route and send him a card. But make sure to add a handwritten message telling him how you appreciate his ministry. Mention something specific that he did for you or your family.
• Stay awake during his sermon! Value the time he spends preparing to serve you with God’s word.
• Give him a gift card for a restaurant so he can take his wife out for dinner, or for his favorite Christian bookstore, or for iTunes so he can buy apps for his iPad.
• Bring in a guest preacher to give him a Sunday off and let him sit and worship with his family for a change.
• Shake his hand, give him a hug, look him in the eye and express your thankfulness for what God does through him.
• Buy him an iPad (or a Kindle, I suppose). Then point him to this blog so he knows how to use it in his ministry!
• Try this list of 52 ways you can minister to your pastor.

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