For the last several weeks I have been praying, pondering and preparing to speak to Tennessee minister’s wives about Friendship at the East TN Ministers Wives' Retreat at Carson Springs Conference Center on September 9-10. I am super excited to get to meet many of you face to face and get to know you!! Here’s the deal….I would LOVE to have your input and your help!
Would you be willing to spend some time thinking about the following questions and then email me your responses to jgang@aeneas.net? You can be sure that your answers will be kept confidential and will be ever so helpful to me as I pursue this topic.
Loneliness and lack of friends are two of the top issues that minister’s wives struggle with and I want to hear your stories. Your victories. Your struggles. What has worked for you? What has not worked for you? So….feel free to make any comments, share anything you want with me….even if it is not directly related to a question.
Thank you so much!!
- Do you feel like you have friends where you currently live? (i.e. not from high school or college or previous churches)
- What percentage of your friends are in your church and what percentage do not attend your church?
- What do you want/need in a friend?
- How do you go about making friends? About how long does it take you to make friends when you move to a new ministry?
- Why do you think it is sometimes difficult for minister’s wives to have friends?
Again....feel free to make any comments, share anything you want with me….even if it is not directly related to a question!
1 comment:
I truly feel like a pastors wife can not have a "best" friend in the church. I have been a preachers wife for 14 years, and a preachers daughter for 32. It is so hard to trust people in the church. It is difficult for people to realize that you are human. I am pretty blunt and honest in front of our congregation, I have told them not to put me on the pedestal, it just gives me further to fall. Even though I tell them this, they still hold me up there. They want to look up to someone. They want to believe that there is a woman out there that has no problems, no emotions, and can smile even when her heart is broken. I have to say I have failed miserably if they expect perfection. I'm a sinner saved by the grace of God just like them. I have acquaintances in the church, but no close friends. It is very lonely. I have one close friend that is Church of God. She has been there for me for 11 years. She sees me as human, and I feel like I can be real in front of her. I believe that all preachers wives go through this. I believe we are afraid of being hurt, and judged, and that is why we have lonely lives. Just my opinion. Wish I could be at the retreat...have fun!!
Post a Comment