I have just returned from our board planning meeting in preparation for our annual conference in San Francisco on October 25 – 28. In both our reading of some recent research on clergy health and some information from the seminaries and our Vocation Agency, we were once again struck with the challenge of ministry in our time. With slight emendations, we offer Philippians 1:3-11 as our letter to the clergy in the Presbyterian Church and all clergy around the world.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank our God every time we remember the work of the clergy, constantly praying with joy in every one of our prayers for all of Christ’s faithful clergy, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. We are confident of this, that the one who began a good work among us as clergy will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for the Presbytery Pastoral Care Network to think this way about all clergy, because we have felt your prayers, sometimes as “sighs too deep for words,” for all of you share in God’s grace with us, both in our efforts and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is our witness, how we long for all clergy with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is our prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced a harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
We hope many of you can join us in San Francisco, but whether you can or not, know that we are praying for you and your work.
The Presbytery Pastoral Care Network
