I finally got to meet our new pastor today. I am probably about the last person in the church to meet him. Every other opportunity to be introduced I've somehow missed.The first time he was at our church DH was in India and I'd decided to go to church with Son#1 and his family. So I didn't get to hear him preach or to meet him or his family.
The second time he was at our church I had had another funny spell and was up at the hospital having tests done. Again, I didn't get to meet him.
The third time he was at our church, I didn't know who he was and just assumed he was a visitor on holidays. It wasn't until we were at home that one of our sons mentioned that the candidate for the pastor's job had been at church and I made the connection. At least this time I had a vague idea of what the family looked like.
And then there was the time not so long ago when he and his family were in town and the church family was invited to meet him over a barbecue. I had an awful headache and we didn't go.
Just over a week ago he and his family arrived in town to take up the pastoral position. Last week we had his two elder daughters in our Bible class. They seemed lovely. DH got to meet the pastor after morning tea but again I was not in the right place at the right time.
But today as I was standing near the door to the outside wondering if I wanted to go out in the rain to see if DH was waiting for me in the car (because I'd failed to see him inside even though it turned out that's where he was - sitting down with some other guys discussing guy-stuff) he came up and introduced himself and we got chatting.
I've been really nervous about having a pastor. We've never had a pastor before. We've had a youth pastor, but that's different. In the past our elders and those gifted in teaching would preach. Elders and deacons governed the church (for want of a better word). A pastor is a step into the unknown. A step once taken that is hard to change. It's been a long process for our church to get to the place where they felt ready to appoint a pastor.
But now we have a pastor. And he seems really nice. It probably doesn't hurt that he's a fellow-Australian (at least in my book!). I think he'll do a good job.
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