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Continue reading →: Self-Care While Caring for OthersI once thought of self-care as selfish. But instead of “me first” or “me not at all” where you always come last, I’ve come to realize that we can take care of ourselves while we take care of others. In fact caring for ourselves plays an essential part of vital,…
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Continue reading →: Prayer Shawl Ministry Like a Wearable Huglast updated March 23, 2021 Today as I write, I’m wrapped in a prayer shawl given to me last November by some of the knitters in our church. Fall had been tough with my husband in the hospital for six long weeks. Due to the pandemic, I was able to…
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Continue reading →: God in Our MidstIt’s now been a year since my church has met in person for Sunday morning worship. I miss the smiles and handshakes from greeters at the door, the choir members who came early to practice and sang every Sunday, the church lunches with lasagna and salad and too many sweets…
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Continue reading →: Not Giving Up in LentI thought I might give up Lent for Lent this year. Well not entirely. I was scheduled to preach at my church for the first Sunday of Lent. I changed our church Facebook cover page to a photo of our worship space in Lenten colours. But these last 11 months…
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Continue reading →: Do I Really Need to Take Care of Myself FIRST?Long before the novel coronavirus, I was invited to speak at a church conference, so I flew from where I live in Abbotsford to Calgary, then from Calgary to Toronto. On each flight, I heard the same standard safety instruction: in the event of an emergency, if the oxygen masks…
When You Work for the Church
Hello,
I’m April Yamasaki
Welcome to When You Work for the Church. I’ve been a church volunteer and a full-time pastor. I’ve led small groups and served on denominational committees. When I resigned from pastoral ministry to focus on my writing, I knew that I wanted to be—needed to be—grounded in a local congregation. I love the church!
But I also know that churches and church organizations have not always lived up to their calling, have brought harm instead of healing. So I started this website to share resources for doing ministry better, and pray that together we might serve more faithfully and effectively.
For a healthy rhythm of work and rest, I’d love to send you my ebook.
When You Work for the Church 