Appreciated

Christian fellowship is so sweet!

I recently had a very wonderful experience with some of the ladies from my church. Here’s how it unfolded……

I was told a few weeks ago that some of the ladies wanted to do something special for me to show appreciation, but they wanted to keep it a surprise as much as possible. I was only asked for a date and a time when I could be available. So I waited in anticipation, not having a clue what it would be.

A few days before the event, I was told what to wear (our church T-shirt) and what time I would be picked up….WOW! I was going to be chauffeured….at this point I was extremely curious!

The morning of the event (it was a Saturday) I was picked up as planned, still no clue where I was being taken. When we arrived at the destination, it was a total surprise to me!

The ladies had a planned an art party!

You may be wondering….what is an art party? Some of you may know about these types of events, but it was very new to me.

When I walked into the establishment, I saw the smiling faces of my church members, and laid out on different tables were several art stations, complete with a blank canvas, brushes, paint, and even aprons were provided. I was not familiar with this type of party, but at this facility you could book art parties for groups, sessions for couples (what a good idea for a date night!), and individual painting experiences.

The ladies and I were all given the same painting to replicate, with the help of our very talented instructor who was very patient with our many questions. We all had so much fun attempting to recreate the art work, and at the end of the session, each of us had our own individual “masterpiece” to take home as a keepsake of this special time we had together.

I really had a lot of fun! I was never much of an artist, but that didn’t matter. I found the painting experience to be very relaxing and I enjoyed the fellowship of my sisters in Christ! I was truly moved by all that they did to plan this for me, and I totally felt their love and appreciation! Also, they all took me out to lunch after the art party!

In the years that my husband has been a pastor, I had never had anything like this planned for me, and I thank God for those sweet ladies in our church who wanted to honor me with a fun day. It was most definitely unexpected, yet I was very grateful for the experience.

We serve alongside our husbands because that is what God has called us to do, never demanding gifts, or recognition, or accolades. Also, I’m sure that some of you other pastor/minister wives have felt the love of your congregations as well in many encouraging ways.

God’s Word says that every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). I thank the Lord for these ladies and the gift of good Christian fun and fellowship on that day. He alone is to be praised for any good thing that we experience in our lives!

Yes, I really felt appreciated!!