Remember Who You Serve (Scotland Pastors’ Wives Day 2022)
Pastors’ wives from across Scotland met to support one another and reflect on guarding the “good deposit” in their roles alongside their husbands.
I was recently asked what my husband’s day-to-day looks like as a pastor.
I worried my answer wasn’t as eloquent as I would have liked, then wondered if my response was okay but simply not what the person was expecting.
Nonetheless, it got me thinking again about what my husband does, and the ways in which I seek to support him in his role.
Pastors’ Wives Day
This was a focus of the recent FIEC Pastors’ Wives Day in Edinburgh: we read from 2 Timothy and reflected on how we ‘guard the good deposit’, the good news of Jesus, with a focus on our role as pastors’ wives.
Reading the passage together was a valuable reminder of God’s wonderful gift of grace and our call to live for him, but what made the day was the opportunity to talk through the passage with other pastors’ wives.
While we come from different places and circumstances, our concerns and difficulties as pastors’ wives can be similar and we share a desire to support our husbands and serve the Lord.
It was great to be able to discuss with others how we seek to remember the gospel in our day-to-day lives and how this impacts the ways in which we support our husbands.
We talked about what was going well, the pressures and busyness of our lives, and the times we’ve fallen short. We were in good company - with women who have been there and women earnest in their efforts to support and encourage one another.
It was a chance to step back and remember whom it is we are serving, and how lovely to do that in a room full of women seeking to do the same.
Ministry wives groups
There were some good conversations had, and it needn’t end there! For just over a year, groups of ministry wives in Scotland have been seeking to meet together more regularly, to get to know one another and encourage and support one another through studying God’s word together.
At the moment, there are three groups:
- West (Glasgow-based) and East (Edinburgh-based) meet in person, usually in someone’s home.
- North currently meets via Zoom, as we cover a slightly wider geographical area.
If you don’t live within easy reach of Glasgow or Edinburgh, the North group may be for you!
As someone who comes from a smaller congregation, I have valued this group as a means of touching base with other pastors’ wives. While life is certainly busy, these meetings aren’t just another something I need to try and fit in; I’ve come to look forward to these times and truly value the friendships formed.
Perhaps you couldn’t make it to Edinburgh this year- look out for when we are going to gather again next year. If you’re interested in coming along to one of the regional ministry wives groups, please use the FIEC contact form and we’ll be in touch!
