Dear Beloved Colleagues in Ministry,
October invites us to pause and give thanks for those who have answered Christ’s call to shepherd God's people.
Across Ohio – in bustling cities and quiet suburbs, rural villages and farming communities, Appalachian hills and industrial towns, along rivers and in neighborhoods often forgotten – you are living out the Gospel. In churches, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and ministries among the poor and vulnerable, you preach, teach, pray, comfort and serve in the name of Jesus Christ.
Ministry is never fully learned in a classroom or mastered through theological theories. It is formed and deepened through the daily practice of love.
You stand beside the suffering, sit with the lonely, encourage the weary and accompany God's people through the mysteries of life and death. Often your most faithful ministry is unseen. It is found in your quiet presence, your patient listening and your humble willingness to remain beside another person.
Humbly, humbly, humbly – you walk with God's people.
When I think of episcopal leadership, I imagine a shepherd walking through the pasture alongside the sheep, not standing above them or directing them from a distance. For this is the very heart of pastoral ministry: walking together, sharing burdens, seeking the lost and trusting the Good Shepherd who leads us all.
I have sometimes wondered why we need a special month to appreciate pastors. Are we not all called to serve? Indeed, we are. Yet perhaps this month offers us a sacred opportunity to recognize those who continually empty themselves in love, carry the burdens of others and faithfully lead Christ's church, often at great personal cost.
I want you to know that your ministry matters. Your faithfulness matters. Your leadership matters.
And I want to encourage you:
Be creative. Be courageous. Live the way of self-emptying love. Lift high the cross of Christ. Lead with a vision larger than your fears.
The pastoral calling in this generation is extraordinarily demanding – and extraordinarily sacred. Our world needs more than religious institutions. It needs communities of grace, reconciliation, healing, justice and hope. And it needs shepherds whose lives embody the love they proclaim.
As we celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month, I give thanks to God for each of you, for your sacrifices and your joy, your tears and your laughter, your perseverance and your dreams.
May Christ renew your spirit, strengthen your courage and fill your ministry with abundant grace.
Let us continue to Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, and Lead Courageously.
With deep gratitude, affection and prayers,
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung
Ohio Episcopal Area
The United Methodist Church