Pastor Appreciation Month Spotlight: Returning to church post-COVID

Grant County has a wide selection of churches spreading across over ten denominations.

While none of them are the megachurches with a large attendance, there is no shortage of impact in the community through their ministry.

Jeff Luedtke, lead pastor at Fairmount Wesleyan Church, got to the church 12 years ago. He says the church was initially inward focused when he joined, but Luedtke has made a deliberate effort to change that.

“We understand that our mission is outside the four walls of the church, so we do various outreaches throughout the year,” Luedtke said.

Events such as a block party, prayer walks, cleaning up trash, and building ramps for the elderly are just a few of the ways the church serves the community of Fairmount.

“When we hear there’s a need, we want to try to push people to go and serve,” Luedtke said.

The building Fairmount Wesleyan Church resides in is 162 years old, but after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Luedtke said the church is still in a rebuild.

“COVID about took our legs out from under us and really changed the dynamic of the church we were,” Luedtke said.

The church was on the verge of launching a fourth service. Luedtke said that well over 300 people were coming to services at the time. After the pandemic, less than 70 people attended services.

“We didn’t see a kid for almost eight months after we came back,” Luedtke said.

Luedtke said the church is in a slow grow of discipleship with their new members, featuring training on how to serve, how to lead, how to give and what the Christian life is all about.

Jodi Small, who attends Sweetser Wesleyan Church, said her church shut down like everyone else, but pre-recorded services and has since made it back to where it was pre-pandemic.

“By the end of 2020, most of our people had returned. I would say we are completely recovered from COVID,” Small said.

While it took a while to meet back in the sanctuary, eventually Sweetser Wesleyan was back to their two-service format, which Small said holds around 45 people total.

Small has been a part of initiatives concerning Pastor’s Appreciation month, which is celebrated every year in October.

“We have handed out papers with ideas of how to bless our pastor – his favorite foods, hobbies, etc., and a reminder to our congregation to invite them for dinner or dessert or coffee,” Small said.

Small said the church comes together to treat their pastor well.

“In the past we have taken up a collection to purchase something large, like an Airbnb gift card or a conference registration that our pastor wanted to attend,” Small said.

Small recognizes the importance of celebrating pastors during October.

“Our pastors and leaders work hard throughout the year, and many times congregants aren’t appreciative because the pastor is doing what’s expected of them. October’s pastor’s appreciation is a way to truly see all the things our pastors do for us,” Small said.

After a rough couple of years dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, local churches are getting back to their pre-pandemic numbers. This month is where the leaders through those time are highlighted. Small and others are thankful for the way they handled the unprecedented time. This month is also a reminder to not just celebrate pastors and leaders for these 31 days, but also the rest of the year.