"Your idea of Appreciation Day came too late. I have just left pastoral ministry and I WILL NEVER be a pastor again! If pastors are indeed an endangered species then I think it is not correctly phrased. Pastors are a very persecuted species. Thanks and no thanks to NECF."
The e-mail was sent to the NECF Malaysia office by an embittered former pastors who did not disclose his/her identity, in response to its Appreciation Day campaign, a follow-up initiative to the NECF Pastors’ Prayer Shield campaign launched in 2001.
While there are instances of "persecuted" pastors, thankfully there are also cases of fulfilled ministers who have found satisfaction in their ministry. A significant contributing factor to this fulfilment is the visible affirmation given by the congregations to their ministers’ contributions.
Which is why the Appreciation Day initiative is catching on with more and more churches contacting NECF to ask for assistance in planning this event.
Recently, the Worldwide Church of God Malaysia, Klang, used one of its Sunday worship service to honour and acknowledge its pastors for their labour of love.
One member commented that the appreciation service was long overdue. Pr Yong Chin Gee and Pr Wong Mein Kong, who have served the church for 26 years and eight years respectively, were each given a monetary gift – enough for them to have a hearty meal or a local holiday. Another church – His Sanctuary of Glory, Kuala Lumpur – also used a Sunday worship service to honour its pastor, Rev Daniel Cheah and wife Deborah. They have served the church for 15 years, and this was the first time they were honoured by the church.
Perhaps the most encouraging response to the Appreciation Day initiative comes from Sarawak where some 500 SIB congregations will hold Appreciation Day celebrations statewide come Aug 31.
Initiated by SIB Sarawak, the celebrations to honour their pastors and church workers are not just one-off events for the SIB churches in the state, but will remain a permanent event on the calendar. SIB has set aside the last Sunday of August for this yearly celebration.
