God Jobs

Bi vocational pastors have to begin to see the jobs in the community as more than means of providing for their families. This requires trust, obedience, sometimes the sacrifice of security and comfort and the knowledge that a man plans his way but the Lord orders his steps.

In a previous blog I spoke to you about who my job at the Department of Social Services, lead to the establishment of Gates of Praise Ministries. With your indulgence I would like to continue the story.

For a social worker, DSS is a pretty good gig. Pension, dollar for dollar 401 k match, great tuition reimbursement, and a Monday – Friday day schedule. The job was rewarding and God was moving. Then God said time to Go!!! He used Matthew 10 repeatedly to draw me out of this position. I said to the Lord in prayer, “If you want me to leave you have to speak to my wife.” After 6 months he did. We were in agreement. I had some savings. We paid rent for 6 months in advance and trusted God. I went down to the church everyday, learned guitar and ministered to a steady stream of walk-in’s to our store front. People got saved and ministered to. It was fun.

We started a soup kitchen 3 days a week. Great food, great ministry, sanitary conditions, but clearly not up to code, but now we had a community ministering church. At the advice of a congregation member I went to work as a residential program manager at a local group home and the ministry continued during the day. We made the decision not to upgrade our rented storefronts kitchen. I have at times wondered if that was a mistake; but remember, we are writing from the perspective of “the Lord orders our steps.”

I began pray walking. As I was blessing the local Salvation Army one day the Lord said to me, “Your going to be part of the Salvation Army.” It was very clear. I did not know what to do with that word. Why would a Pentecostal pastor become part of the Salvation Army? Six months later, I picked up a Stop and Shop flier in the stores parking lot. I don’t know why I did that, but to my amazement it was advertising a Christian Social Worker position. Now that just does not happen in my part of the world. I had never seen it before, I have not seen it since. When I called the number they answered Salvation Army!!! I knew that was my job.

When I interviewed I told them about my prayer walk. I said, “You should hire me.” I was very bold; I knew God was involved in this job placement. They agreed but they said “We don’t understand why did it took you so long to apply.” I said, the advertisement was from this past weekends Stop and Shop flier, they said, “We never paid for a Stop and Shop ad, and in fact we stopped running our Ad two weeks ago.” I showed them dated flier. They new God was in it. The God Job paid $15,000 less a year than my DSS job had 18 months earlier. I stayed there two years and saw God do many great things.

Until Next Time God Bless, Don