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March 29, 2022
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Greetings from your friends at Pastoral Care
Inc.
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It's Spring!
Which Kind of Spring Are
You?
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Spring is Here
Last Sunday was the first day of spring. Temperatures are rising. Flowers are blooming. Grass is greening. Days are growing longer. Spring is such a
wonderful time of year. Everything coming alive.
Spring is usually an
upbeat time for churches. Most churches have busy schedules during the holidays of November and December, and then slow down a bit for the remaining months of
winter.
When spring arrives,
we are ready to start making new plans. To launch new programs. For churches, the joy of spring reaches its high point each year on Easter Sunday, which is just a few days
away.
A Painful, Frustrating, Exhausting Time
But the spring of
2022 is different than other springs of recent memory. Most of us would love to never heard the words “Covid” or “pandemic” again. However, although the virus has retreated, churches still have a
long road ahead to recover from its many ill effects. |
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During the pandemic, most churches experienced declines in attendance and income; illness and even death among church members;
the race to learn and master new technologies; and the struggle to find a delicate balance between faith and caution.
Yes, the last two
years have been painful, frustrating, and exhausting for churches and for their pastors and leaders.
No Better
Time Than Spring
But there is no
better time than springtime to stir up new energy and enthusiasm about leading our churches and serving the Lord.
Spring is the season
of Easter and Pentecost. Spring is the time to rise up. Spring is the time to be filled with the Spirit. Spring is the time for something new!
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Spring is
the season of Easter and Pentecost.
Spring is
the time to rise up.
Spring is
the time to be filled with the Spirit.
Spring is
the time for something new!
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“Behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The
blossoms have already appeared in the land. The time has arrived for pruning the vines ... The fig tree has ripened its fruit, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise ... and
come along!” (Song of Solomon 2:11-13)
Two Kinds of Springs
Did you know that in the world of mechanics, there are two kinds of
springs?
My dad was a great do-it-yourselfer. When he was building or repairing something, he loved to
use available materials in novel ways to avoid going out to buy something new. His garage was packed with all kinds of parts and pieces that might one day be put to use.
Among the many things dad collected was all kinds of springs in
a variety of sizes. I learned from my dad that there are two main kinds of springs:
• Compression coil springs, like the kind in a shock absorber or a ballpoint
pen. When pressure is applied to a compression coil spring, the spring absorbs the pressure and pushes back, offering resistance.
• Expansion coil springs, like the kind used on trampolines and screen
doors. Expansion coil springs pull two objects or surfaces together.
You Are a Hero!
For the past two years, pastors and church leaders have done the hard work of
compression coil springs. You have absorbed the shock your churches have experienced and have pushed back and offered resistance against the
discouragement and defeat threatened by the pandemic.
Pastor, you have been a true hero! You have been a hero to stand
firm and remain strong, to keep the ministry going and to encourage your people to remain faithful to the Lord.
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians
16:13)
Now what our churches need is for you to serve as an expansion coil spring.
Pastors and church leaders must focus now on pulling your people together into the full fellowship and faithful service God has called them to.
The world today appears to be in more chaos than ever. But God remains faithful. God remains
true. And His Church remains strong. This spring is a wonderful time to tell our own people and the community that God is the only thing that is constant and important in our
lives.
As always, people today are looking for answers. This spring is a perfect time to proclaim
that God is still alive, and the Church is still a place to turn to reconnect with God and to learn His fruitful ways.
So thank you, pastor, for being a hero. Thank you, pastors and
church leaders, for being faithful and hanging in there these past two years. What a wonderful testimony you have shown your community, to let them see that nothing can persuade you to give up and
nothing will close or detour your church.
Rest and Renewal?
After all you have been through, if you are a pastor who needs rest and renewal right now,
consider our Pastoral Care Inc. retreats. Our retreats are exclusively for pastors and their spouses from all denominations. They are a wonderful time to relax, laugh, and spend time with your spouse
and with other pastors and their spouses. Contact us for more information: Pastoral Care Inc., 918-758-4147, jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org.
Remember, pastors, you are very important to us and to the Kingdom of God! God bless
you for all you do!
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Want the Pastoral Care Mobile App? Here's
How!
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Want the Pastoral Care Inc. mobile app? Get the latest Pastoral Care news and announcements, videos, upcoming events, donate to
our ministry, or contact us. Here's how:
1. The Pastoral Care mobile app is provided by "Church by Ministry One." Scan the QR code above or click on this link: Pastoral Care Mobile App .
2. When the "Church at Ministry One" page opens, click on "Open Website." (If you see ads for other sites, just ignore them).
3. Click on the
Apple App Store button or Google Play button. Install the app and open it up.
4. An icon will be
placed on your device: a purple button with a white cross in the middle with the word "Church" below. When you click on that icon, it will take you directly to the Pastoral Care Mobile
App.
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Pastoral Care Inc.
supporting and strengthening pastors
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| Executive Director |
| Jim Fuller |
| jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org |
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| Communications Director |
| Terry Hull |
| terry.hull@pastoralcareinc.com |
Our mission: Pastoral Care
Inc. supports and strengthens Christian ministers nationwide from all denominations through counseling, immediate caregiving assistance and education, as well as researching the underlying
stressors associated with ministry.
Call us. Email us. Pastor, if you need someone to talk to, Pastoral Care Inc. is always
just a phone call or email away. That’s why we are here!
Pastor, you are
very important in the Kingdom of God -- and you are important to us!
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The PCI App
Get it for your Android smartphone or
iPhone
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* Full list of Pastoral Care services for pastors and churches
* Request form for pastors to seek immediate help
* More info about Pastoral Care Inc.
* Videos for pastors, churches and denominations
For more info on how to get the Pastoral Care mobile app, see the detailed instructions above.
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Help Us Help
Pastors
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Every month Pastoral Care provides encouragement, assistance, vacation get-a-ways, and many other forms of help to pastors across the country. It is our continuing prayer to
expand our outreach to pastors and their families.
The need is so great! Will you become our partner in encouraging pastors? Will you send a financial gift to make our present and future ministry to ministers
possible?
Please say “Yes” by responding in one of these ways:
* Use our Online Donation
Form.
* Send your gift to: Pastoral Care Inc., 13455 Celia Berryhill Road, Okmulgee, OK74447.
Thank you for partnering with us in
ministering to our nation’s pastors, their families and the congregations they serve!
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