Pastor Appreciation Bucket Idea

October is Pastor Appreciation Month...but really, pastors can be appreciated any time. If you've noticed that your pastors need encouragement, this is a great and easy idea to get the entire church involved...and no one says it HAS to happen in October.

*Just to give you context...I'm a member of a small church (about 250-300 members). Sometimes these things are a bit easier to make happen if you attend a small to mid-size church.

For the past 7 years I've been volunteering at our church by leading a Ladies Bible Study. Each October, I've asked the Bible Study Ladies to contribute cards, letters, treats and gift cards to give to our pastors and staff. It was wonderful! The ladies spoiled our church's staff and really encouraged them.  I never thought we should change things up until it occurred to me that we were being exclusive. Those who weren't a part of our Ladies Group weren't given the opportunity to bless our staff....so, we decided to open up the invitation to the whole church.
*I often have friends from other church's that ask me for step-by-step directions...so here's what I did to make this happen.

First, I got permission from our church chair. (Always get permission so you don't mess up anything the church might already have planned!) The Church Chair wanted only the pastors to be honored for October. We will do something similar for the rest of the church staff in March or April.

You know how it's always more fun to give than to receive, right? Well, people love to give, especially in the church, but they need to know exactly how and what to give. So I made it easy for them.
I emailed the pastors to find our their favorite treats.
This is crucial! You don't want people to give them candy or coffee cards if they don't eat sugar or drink coffee--and yes, we have some very health-conscious pastors!

I asked each pastor to tell me their favorite:
-snacks
-treats
-drinks
-gift cards

Then, I took a trip to the Dollar Store to get supplies for the display. I purchased:
3 buckets (for 3 pastors)
1 foam board
1 pack of white mini pails
1 pack of colored popsicle sticks.

I already had:
tissue paper
colored cardstock
light wire
glue
tape

In a Word document, I printed out the pastor's names and their
information to create the poster. I backed everything on colored cardstock and glued it onto the board.

  

The mini pails had metal hangers that I stuck right into the foam board and taped securely on the back.

I made signs for the plastic buckets and taped them onto popsicle sticks to stand up out of the buckets.

After getting approval from our church's chair, I wrote this for the bulletin. It was printed in the bulletin each week for the month of October.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month ~ 

Join us as we show our Pastors appreciation during the month of October by 'filling their buckets'. To participate, please write a note and/or purchase a small gift for our pastors. Labeled buckets are located by the Welcome Counter. Drop your notes and items in the buckets.
Here's a list of our pastor's favorites:
Pastor David: Favorite snacks: kettle corn, nut butter-filled Clif bars. Favorite drinks: English breakfast tea. Favorite gift cards: REI, Amazon.
Pastor Amy: Favorite snacks: Apple Pie Larabars, pistachios, apple chips, seaweed snacks, very, very dark chocolate. Favorite drinks: sparkling water, kombucha, unsweetened ice tea. Favorite gift cards: Amazon, Target.
Pastor Scott: Favorite snacks: RX Bar (coconut and chocolate flavor), figs (or other dried fruit without added sugar). Favorite drinks: coffee & kombucha. Favorite gift cards: iTunes, Goodwill. 

The buckets and poster were put on display every Sunday morning right where everyone would see them. Each week, little gifts and notes started filling up the buckets.
After the Sunday services, I bagged up the pastor's gifts and stuck them on their desks. This gave the pastors little treats and notes to read all month long. In the past, I usually just gave one big gift basket--but little things all month long is even better!

Of course the pastors were overwhelmed! They were delighted and blessed and encouraged. I loved that it wasn't just one group in the church honoring them, but the entire church body.  (Of course not everyone participated, but the invitation to participate was open to all...and there's always next year.)

Our appreciation for our pastors doesn't stop in October.  The Ladies Bible Study loves on them during the year on their birthdays and Valentine's Day. Take a look at these pastor appreciation ideas we've done in the past.

De'LIGHT'ful Gifts
 

REDiculously Awesome Pastor



A BAG-FULL of LOVE



Retirement Party for a Pastor



Pastor Appreciation Table Decor




Tie-Themed Pastor Good-Bye Party



Pastor Appreciation for Valentine's Day



**Does your church do anything for your pastors?
Leave a comment...I'd love to hear.