Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Are You Blessed to have had a Pastor Jim?


While Steve and I sit with snowflakes swirling outside in the darkness of an Alaskan morning and the Christmas lights twinkle on our tree, our thoughts turn elsewhere.  As I pen these words, our dear friends and acquaintances, family, missionaries, colleagues, and other disciplers are gathering to celebrate and thank the Lord for the life of Pastor Jim. Some belonging to Pastor Jim's "Boys (and a few girls,)" will gather together. Steve and I are honored to have been counted among this group, and regret that we cannot be at First Free today to weep, share stories, and laugh together as we recall the impact of such a godly man. 


Pastor Jim first entered into our lives in 1975, before our marriage, when Steve began attending First Evangelical Free Church of Rockford, Illinois. As a part of the pastoral staff, he seemed friendly enough but little did we know the impact his life and ministry would have upon each of us.

It was several years later that we began to benefit directly from Pastor's Jim discipling. He gently, but strategically, discipled both Steve and me.  We learned some valuable things from this godly, gentle and humble man of God.  We would like to share these attributes with you.

Gentle, Strategic Caring
Pastor Jim barely knew us when he began to care about our concerns.  He gently moved us both into active ministry with the church, in ways that were respectful and demonstrated that he really valued our opinions. I will never forget the day I sat in his office describing the issues I had observed in the church nursery. He listened carefully and I could see his mind working on the problem and the opportunity. I finished my story and he looked at me and said, "So what would you like to do about it?"  If he had not already built such a caring relationship with Steve and me, I might have been offended. However, it was a straightforward question for me and God used it to motivate me to step forward in response to the need. Pastor Jim was always watching for people that he could motivate to grow and minister.
Investing in Others
Steve remembered how he and Pastor Jim met regularly to discuss ways to build my confidence and help me grow spiritually. They prayed together and kept this collaborative prayer times to themselves, until years later when we all enjoyed a good laugh at their spiritual conspiracy!  Steve commented that he knew Pastor Jim was not only interested in helping me find my place in the church, but that he was actively discipling Steve throughout this process.
Wisdom and Patience
We both recall Pastor Jim's influence on us as a young family. He helped Steve grow as a young husband and father. When Steve began to sense God's call to full-time ministry, it was Pastor Jim with whom he met and discussed God's leading. We valued his wisdom. We appreciated his networking and experience in ministry. Ultimately, we knew Pastor Jim had watched us grow spiritually and was patient with our failings, our fears, and our struggles. Pastor Jim was instrumental in our journey into ministry. We saw God work in miraculous ways with our family,stretching our faith and trust in God, and preparing us for the journey in our future. Pastor Jim lent a steady hand and wise counsel as we walked through this new opportunity. He utilized his experiences, connected us to others, and supported, prayed, and helped launch us into ministry. Pastor Jim and Corey never stopped their discipling, supporting, and praying for us, our family, and our ministry. We knew that we could grab the phone and talk with him at any point, and glean from his years of experience and godly wisdom. And that's just what we did, knowing that he would always make time for our conversations.
Humility
Finally, we remember Pastor Jim as a humble, gentle, behind-the-scenes kind of man. He and Corey were a stable and solid team in our lives, for which we are so grateful. Whether he was in leadership at First Free, the Home Office Missions Department, or seated in their living room, there was never any change in his demeanor. Pastor Jim could lead, support, come alongside, or watch and pray, and he bore all these roles equally well. We benefitted from his wisdom and he was so brilliant when it came to steering people into ministry. Pastor Jim and Corey were responsible for discipling and mentoring many godly men and women, individuals that started new mission organizations, and yet never was there a proud attitude in Pastor Jim. He wore his humility as easily and gracefully as he wore his gentle spirit.  God used Pastor Jim and Corey to point us to missions, mobilize us, and support and pray for us.

Today as we reflect on the life and impact of Pastor Jim, we are so grateful to have known him and we value our friendship with Corey. He was a mentor, a friend, a partner in ministry, and he was always available for us. In the verbiage of, "Four Chair Discipling," Pastor Jim took us from Chair Two and discipled us into Chair Four.  We pray that those of you reading this today have benefitted from a godly leader such as Pastor Jim.  We pray that our lives also exhibit such godly attributes.  To Corey, Mark, Shannon, and the rest of the Forstrom family, we thank you for sharing "Pastor Jim" with us and so many others.  Our prayers are with you as you grieve his departure.  We look to the day when we will also step into Heaven and see Pastor Jim's smiling face once again!