For three days at the end of February, I had the privilege of being immersed in a different culture and language, and a I loved it!  I was invited by a friend to speak at a pastors’ retreat with the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America.  Twenty-five pastors from around the US and Canada gathered in a beautiful retreat center five hours from Sacramento.  I was graciously welcomed into their midst, with traditional foods and incredible hospitality.  The picture above was from one of our worship sessions.  Not all of the songs were sung in Armenian, but it was a beautiful sound to hear these pastors sing so boldly in their heart language.  By the way, the lyric above is:  “Bless us, O Lord, with a joyful heart.”  

In some ways, I was also speaking a new language to them. I spoke about “five core false needs” we all have, using material from Steve Cuss, author of Managing Leadership Anxiety and The Expectation Gap.  Those needs are control, perfection, knowing the answer, being there for others at all times, and needing others’ approval.  Trust me, pastors struggle with these in unique ways!  We then looked at Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of John on these very things.  It was “new language” for this group of pastors, young and old, but it was incredibly encouraging to hear the conversations that came from our time together.  One of the recurring tensions that emerged was how we need to give our congregations our healthiest selves as leaders, so we need to make sure someone or something is “pouring into” us. Yet, we also see that our lives of following Jesus can be marked by being “poured out.”  One of the things I have discovered in conversations with pastors is that being “poured into” feels selfish, or like a luxury they can’t afford due to time or finances.  I count it a privilege to be able to be one of the ways that these leaders are catching their breath, being strengthened, supported, and challenged in their leadership journey.

Fully Funded and Fully Grateful!

In January of 2024, I began in earnest asking for financial support for this work of providing coaching and care for pastors and ministry leaders with Standing Stone Ministry.  Our fundraising training uses the phrase “fully funded” to describe when we reach our salary goal, cover all ministry expenses, travel, administrative fees, AND have at least two months in reserve.  I am pleased to report, because of your generosity, that I have reached that goal!  Here are some numbers to describe how we got here:

number of total donors:  89

monthly donors:  50

number of one-time gifts:  39

monthly support percentage of total support:  75%

Many generous people gave gifts in 2024 to help launch this work with me. I am hoping that new partners will join in 2025 to keep this work going! If you’d like to partner with me, please contact me at David.burke@standingstoneministry.org, or go here: https://standingstoneministry.org/shepherd/burke-david/