IT was a moving moment for 75 pastors and full-time workers when their congre-gations turned up at an appreciation dinner in September, specially organised to honour them.
The hall in Ipoh was packed with over 650 members from 27 churches representing 40 English, Chinese and Bahasa congregations from various denominations in Ipoh, Air Tawar, Sitiawan and the Manjung district.
The occasion marked the launch of the NECF Malaysia Minister’s Appreciation Month (MAM), which aims to foster a climate of appreciation for ministers to encourage them in their work for the Lord. NECF is urging churches to officially appreciate their ministers on one Sunday in October.
Rev. Wong gave a pointed message, reminding the guests that nobody was perfect and urging them to accommodate each other’s faults. “Ministers are humans, and some of them carry baggages from their past, but we need to appreciate them for their strength and complement their weaknesses,” he said.
At the end of the dinner, Rev. Wong presented each minister with a memento and a certificate of appreciation.
But the event did more than honouring ministers; it forged a bond within the organising committee comprising lay-leaders from various Ipoh churches, such that when the dinner was over, one committee member sadly sighed, “You mean this is the end...”
Pr David Tan of FGA, Ipoh, who was the coordinator of the organising committee, said, “Initially, we were almost a committee of strangers, but we began to gel. We began to enjoy the meetings and tasks and worked hard to ensure the success of this groundbreaking event.
“I thank God for sparking this initiative through NECF to bring about awareness of this important aspect of our Christian and church life – to cover God’s workers with prayer and practical care as they look after God’s flock.”
GRACE Church Bukit Mertajam wanted a memorable pastors’ appreciation service to thank its six pastors.
So, one month before the service, the church prepared six empty boxes – one for each pastor – and rallied church members to write thank-you notes to their pastors and drop them into the respective boxes.
On October 16, the church gathered its members from the four language services – English, BM, Hokkien and Mandarin – for a combined Sunday service and presented the boxes of thank-you notes to the pastors.
Members were also given the opportunity to go up and share testimonies on how the pastors have blessed their lives.
During the service, which was organised in response to NECF Malaysia’s Ministers’ Appreciation Month initiative, NECF Secretary-General Rev. Wong Kim Kong gave the message where he stressed the importance of praying for their pastors as they are in the forefront of ministry.
Rev. Wong (left) praying for the full-time workers at the Ipoh appreciation dinner.
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