Overjoyed
I just rediscovered your excellent magazine! I am a 71-year-old retired United Methodist minister and interim pastor at a Presbyterian (PC/USA) church. I am an experienced healthcare chaplain with 17 years’ experience and a certified law enforcement chaplain with 23 years’ experience. Your July 2018 issue on the theme of chaplaincy is excellent, not only for ministers considering chaplaincy but also for ministerial candidates considering a career in chaplaincy and laypersons who wish to understand chaplaincy better. I commend both your authors and your editorial staff. Keep up the good work!
—Rev. Pat Wadsworth, United Methodist minister, interim Presbyterian church (PC/USA) pastor, email
Overwhelmed
I experienced a profound touch by three articles in the July 2018 issue:
- “A hole in the bucket,” (Mario Ceballos) in the editorial. I felt the dire need for us to care for and nurture all church members, both new and old members. It takes a precision look to decipher Ron Edmondson’s seven reasons why people leave church.
- “My bucket is running empty: Cumulative stress in ministry,” by Claudio Consuegra and Pamela Consuegra. This heavily loaded article was very therapeutic for me. Many times has my soul gone through all the signs of stress, from the early and mild to the extended and severe. What I have not experienced, because of my conservative Adventist back-ground, is alcohol and drug use. Otherwise, all the signs in the table have visited me during my last 15 years of service. I did not fully know why; but now I know. I will never commit suicide—that is another sin I cannot offer my soul to, however severe are the conditions through which I go.
- “Sharpening saws and saving lives,” by Larry Yeagley. This was fantastic. It reminded me of the fact that age is important in service and leadership placements. Young people are, at most, IQ-based (intelligence quotient), while people of reasonably old age are EI-based (emotional intelligence). Young people apply knowledge and skill while older people apply wisdom and experience.
Thank you, Ministry.
—Wanzalabana Misaki Maate, Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Secretary, Rwenzori Field, Kasese, Uganda
Overused
We read many magazines from many denominations. Yours is the only one that keeps mentioning the denomination. It is quite offensive. It’s not necessary to have “Seventh-day Adventists” listed several times in each article. The magazine states on the cover that it is “An international journal for pastors.” That should be enough. Your denomination is noted in the con-tents page. That should be sufficient. Who is more important: the Lord or the church? It would seem that you think the church is the more important.
—Win Alme, email
Editor’s note: Point taken. It’s the uplifted Lord who draws all persons to Himself. Many thanks, Win.
