Pastoral Life in the Age of Coronavirus

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 1:7 

Way back in the early 1980's, I was teaching my very first class of elementary school students.  I had done a good job working through the elementary education courses in college, but I was woefully unprepared for the job.  I was stubborn enough to hang in there and work on getting better.  Yet it took about three weeks of teaching before I quit telling myself, "Boy!  They sure didn't teach me this stuff in teacher school!"

Over the 29 years that I taught, it became a regular joke that I would share with my students whenever we ran into a situation in which we didn't really know what to do - other than to just plow ahead and see if we could figure things out.

I am finding myself thinking similar thoughts as I confront how to be a faithful pastor to my church as all of us are self-quarantined at home, as our church services are all done completely on-line using my computer, some pretty clever software, and a hand-held Canon video camera.  Each time I become frustrated with our current situation, and I cannot think of anything to make it easier, smoother, or more successful, I almost cry out to God: "They didn't teach me this stuff in seminary!" 

And yet...

I am finding that my past technology training is coming in very handy:

• Who knew that the Lord had prepared me for this work way back in the 1990's when I learned video-editing software?
• Who knew that when I learned to produce closed-circuit TV shows at the schools where I taught I would one day apply that knowledge to my current ministry?
• Who knew that although I didn't learn this stuff in "minister school" God made sure I learned it somewhere?

So, I have stopped complaining and lamenting...mostly.  I am now thanking God every day for the training I have and the successes we are having.  I also ask Him to bless those other pastors who don't have the same training to hang in there and do the best they can - shaky cameras, poor lighting, and a message that was never purposely intended to be put out there this way...God is blessing those messages anyway!

Perhaps all this is God's way of forcing us to look at our work in brand new ways.

Alleluia!  Amen!

No Escape!

When I officially retired from teaching in May 2011, I truly thought I was done with that portion of my life.  I knew I would retain many wonderful memories, and that I would try to keep in touch with lots of people that I met along the way.  But I always thought that I was "done" with my former students.

I didn't WANT to be done...I just thought that I was.  I knew I would occasionally run into a few of them at restaurants, movies, and even on the street - as I had for 30 years.  My family is used to this happening, but they always laugh when it does.  I admit it gives me a kick to think those kids I taught will still come anywhere near me.

But I really did think I was done.  WRONG!

Since I began working in ministry, here is what has happened:

• I have done two funerals for the two maternal grandparents of a former student.
• I did another funeral for the grandmother of a different former student.
• When I was ordained and installed as the pastor for Heritage Presbyterian Church, two of my former students were there: one from a class I taught in 1986, and one from my last class in 2011.
• I counseled a family friend of a former student.  The former student thought I could help.  I wonder if I did...
• I invited a former student to preach to our church on "Youth Sunday" in October 2013.  (By the way, he was fantastic!)
• I wrote college letters of recommendation to several former students who then got into college.  No, I don't think I had much to do with that.
• I grieved at the senseless death of one fine young man who died in a shoot-out in a Houston night club.  He was shot in the back by a young man who was angry at him for some stupid reason.  My former student never saw it coming.
• I grieved at the senseless death of another fine young man who was riding in a car with some friends, and someone took a random shot at their car.  The bullet pierced the back windshield, the front seat, and hit my former student in the back, killing him.
• I officiated at the wedding of a former student.  LOVED doing that!

And the list will probably go on and on.

All of these things remind me of a few things:

1.  With me, teaching was always personal.  Although my students went on from my class to other classes and other teachers each and every year, I always considered them to be "mine" forever.  Selfish, foolish, but true.
2.  Their tragedies hurt me deeply.  Their triumphs brought a lump of pride to my throat.
3.  Triumph or tragedy, I am with them in spirit, if not in person.
4.  I guess this will go on for many years, possibly forever.

I think I will always be "Mr. Plunkett" to lots of people.  I am currently "Pastor Mark" to lots of other people.  I wonder how much overlap there will be between the two groups.

PS - On a weekly basis, I still get to work with two of my favorite former students: my son and my daughter.  I was their computer lab teacher for 5 years each.  To them, I'm just "Dad."

"Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family." Proverbs 27:10a