I spent my first six years as a pastor (from 2007-2013) serving the church/community in/around Mason WV. The first year or so I did nursing home visits with and funerals for people I did not really know. Then after a couple of years, I grew to know most of the people in the church and in the community pretty well. Since I’ve moved to Short Gap, the pastor who replaced me has done nursing home visits and a half dozen funerals for people in Mason County that I knew very well, but he more than likely barely knew. And likewise, I have been visiting people in nursing homes and doing funerals here for people the previous pastor knows/knew very well and I don’t know much at all.
It’s one of the difficulties of being a pastor moving to a new place. This is on my mind today as I visited someone in the hospital yesterday that I don’t really know.
Most of the time, I make you think or challenge you to do something in my posts. I didn’t really know what direction to take today’s blog. However, I think I’m supposed to remind you that while a pastor going to see someone home-bound or in a nursing home or hospital is always welcome, whether the pastor knows the person well or not, a visit from an old friend means even more. What old friend do you know that you need to go visit or call?
*
*
*
Scott Knowlton's Blog 