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Continue reading →: I’m Not Done Running My Race and Neither Are You“There are no has-beens,” a friend of mine wrote recently. “Every one of us who is still breathing is still becoming.” Then he told the story of an old preacher who gave up his last permanent pulpit two years ago. But the preacher missed preaching so much that he’s now…
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Continue reading →: Litanies for Congregational PrayerAt Valley CrossWay Church were I speak once a month, sermons are generally about 15 minutes with the rest of the morning message communicated through reading Scripture, songs by the choir, singing, prayers, silence, passing of the peace, offering, and litanies that we all say together. This Sunday I’ll be…
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Continue reading →: The Community of GodI started the church I serve believing a myth about Christian community. I had the genuine conviction that if I just pastored the right way, I would be able to facilitate a nurturing, loving environment that would be mostly free from frustration, pain, hurt and conflict. I was terribly wrong,…
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Continue reading →: Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic JourneyWhen people meet me for the first time, they often assume that I’m Japanese because of my last name. But “Yamasaki” is my married name, and I’m actually third-generation Chinese-Canadian. “Oh, Chinese and Japanese,” said a new acquaintance recently. “You have a cross-cultural marriage.” She didn’t assume that all Asian…
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Continue reading →: Ministering to Grieving PeopleMinistering during times of grief is a significant portion of the pastoral work of the church, yet even with training and experience, the struggle to “find the right words” remains constant in most of our interactions at these emotion laden times. – “Ministering During Times of Grief,” The Thomas H.…
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 