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Continue reading →: When a Church Closes: A Nightmare or a Good Death?Closing a church was my worst nightmare. I fought it with all my being. We hoped we might survive as a congregation, yet our church died. Through the process, we struggled with many forms of grief—anger, sadness, confusion. Darkness hovered, like Good Friday or Holy Saturday. Afterward, I wondered how…
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Continue reading →: Responding to Grief: Suffering and ConsolationDo you long to come alongside others who are suffering, but aren’t sure how best to do that? Do you regularly work with people who are suffering and want to deepen your reflection and practice? Are you an individual or church seeking to grow in compassion and caring? For all…
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Continue reading →: We Rest Because God RestedMonths ago, the worship committee at Bethel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, thought about planning a four-week worship series on self-care. Then with the stress and restrictions of the pandemic, the series took on “a new urgency,” says committee chair Erwin Warkentin. So for the month of June, the church…
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Continue reading →: Do Not Be AfraidDo not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will…
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Continue reading →: Black Lives Matter in CanadaLast week I received a phone call from a church member. “I want you to know Black lives matter,” he said, “And Asian lives matter.” I’ve written elsewhere on Naming Anti-Asian Racism in response to increasing verbal harassment, physical assault, and other acts of discrimination against Asian people. And for…
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 