THE IMPORTANCE OF AFFIRMATION

A while back my Elders at the Church of God of Landisville proposed a special Staff Appreciation Day.  It was during the planning of our annual Pastor Appreciation Sunday (a well-established tradition for us, thankfully). It was also after staff reviews and annual budget talks intersected and it became obvious that despite an A-Prime Staff, no raises were going to be given in 2011.  The elders felt that the church should focus on those staff members (all part-timers with us) who are integral to our work and critical to our success as a church.  (I say as Lead Pastor, "They make me look better than I am.")  Someone, however, felt that was inappropriate, especially when the suggestion was made that encourage congregation members to feel free to give gifts of appreciation if they felt prompted by God.  The worriers worried that not everyone would get the same gift(s) (Barry and I never even know what the other received during Pastor Appreciation.) The zealots declared, "We should all just do our work without any appreciation or expectation of it. After all, we are just doing this to the glory of God."  The Lead Pastor, mindful how hard they work and how often they do not even received a word of thanks or are included in someone's prayer, was exasperated.  The elders were firm.  In January we held a Staff Appreciation Sunday.

The staff appreciated it.

The members appreciated the reminder that we are a culture of affirmation.

I think some gifts were given.

God was glorified.