So My Parish Pastor Has Been Transferred...

Today service was not the usually Sunday service where we do have few attendants. The Congratulations is always few on a normal Sunday service. Today is the first Sunday after the New Year celebrations. In Nigeria the first Sunday of every month is thanksgiving services in some churches but the case is different in Germany. However, the church was filled up today with a lot of people including some prominent people who also graced  the occassion. It was a  send off service for one the parish pastor of the Martins Church in Grünstadt; Pastor Stefan Kuntz who has pastoring the church for the past eight years alongside with Pastor Andreas Funke. 

It was a beautiful service but I was surprised as the people sat quitely observing the service. And I thought weithin myself; how do people react in german church when they heard their pastor has been transferred? For some Nigerians, even regular church going types or a dedicated full time church members it is a big problem for them, if their pastor has been transferred to another church because most christians in Nigeria do have a strong personal relationship with their pastors; some members of the church in Nigeria go as well to their pastor to seek direction of how to live theirlife, some go ask the pastor to prayer for them before embarking on any journey; for example, if they want to travel they ask the pastor to pray for them, so that they can have a safe journey,and return safely. Some even ask the pastor to pray for them to get Visa to travel out of the country and so on. They have a lot to do with their pastor, that if the pastor is good enough they can even go to the church he has been transferred to if is not a far place from the formal church. I have seen  some cases in Nigeria where a pastor has been transferred from a church and some members of the church will stop coming to that particular church.Some church members in Nigeria are happy when they learned that their pastor has been transferred. This could be that they don't really like the pastor for some pesonal reasons and it's fine for them to see him go without any emotion. And also a lot of people have said they do not understand why the church transferred parish Pastor to another church, but no one seems to understand why parish pastors are being move either; for spiritual growth or phyiscal growth or for church growth or for personal reasons. Anyway, as we all know that the only thing that is costant in life is change.

From left, Klaus Wagner Mayor of Grünstadt, Queendaline Schneider and Pastor Stefan Kuntz

I really like the German evangelism church, as the people prayed for Pastor Stefan, and thank God for his life for a good leadership during his ministry as parish pastor in the Martins church Grünstadt. As they earnestly wait for the new Pastor. I think all these pastors are working for God; though they are also serving the people God has put in their care. I am privilege to have know Pastor Stefan as I fellowship with the Evangelische church (Martinskirche) Grünstadt and he is also member of the New Green Voice of Hope Gospel Singer Group. He is really a quite and nice Pastor. 

Another thing that I observed that  is different from the church in Nigeria and the church in Germany;  there were also some politicians who were invited for the service today, the Mayor of Grünstadt Klaus Wagner and the District Councillor of Bad Dürkheim Herr Hans-Ulrich Ihlenfeld. I'm surprised in Germany the politicians do not go every where with police men and bodyguards unlike in Nigeria the Mayor will not go out without maximum security, and you see them with their entourage. And some of the Nigerian politicians do not really go to church service, they go only during their election campaign and when they go some of them feel too big and very important to stand up from their seat. I am surprised seeing the District Councillor and the Mayor standing up to sing the hynmm with the member of the Congratulations and standing up for prayer, such an act of humility to God and human I have never seen from the Nigeria politicians. I hope the politicians in Nigeria change some of their ways, as the New Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo is also a Pastor. I am privilege to have seen Pastor Yemi Osinbajo is a member of the Redeemed Christian  Church of God, and he is really a humble person.

At the end of the service, the Gospelchor (the Green New Voice of Hope) sang a song titled "Blessing" as a surprise for Pastor Stefan. And of course fellow by refreshment at the Old Latin School in Grünstadt. 

The old Latin School was renovated last year by the church with support  from the Grünstadt government. I find it very interesting that the church gets support from the government in Germany. I pray Pastor Stefan contiune to waxing strong in faith and the strength to face the new work ahead of him, and a ever burning love to do the will of God. Amen!