By Dr. Jay Akkerman
Several years ago, while visiting our nation’s capital, I joined an old friend from seminary for a tour of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, better known as the Washington National Cathedral.
Although it is part of the Episcopal Church and receives no federal funding, the cathedral has long served as a gathering place for Americans during times of celebration, mourning, and reflection. Over the years, it has hosted numerous presidential state funerals and, notably, the National Day of Prayer & Remembrance held just three days after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC.
Designed in the medieval English Gothic style, the cathedral is among the largest church buildings in the United States. Yet while its architecture is unmistakably Gothic, many of its details are distinctly American. Rather than striving to build a replica of a European cathedral, its builders sought to create a sacred space reflecting the history, geography, values, and aspirations of the United States. A striking example of this is the cathedral’s famous “Space Window,” which commemorates the Apollo 11 moon landing and contains an embedded fragment of lunar rock brought back from the Moon.
We were especially fortunate to receive a docent-led tour from Ruth Ann Williamson, who taught for six decades at the National Cathedral School for Girls before becoming a cathedral guide in her retirement. Because the school sits adjacent to the cathedral and artisans worked on the building throughout much of her teaching career, Ruth possessed an intimate knowledge of its countless treasures. She shared fascinating stories behind the soaring vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses, intricate stone carvings, hundreds of stained-glass windows, and even the 112 stone gargoyles designed to channel rainwater away from the rooftops.
Among the cathedral’s many carvings are depictions ranging from cherubic angels to a famous likeness of Darth Vader. As Ruth pointed out the abundance of carved angels throughout the cathedral, she remarked that she “sees her former students everywhere,” since so many of them had served as models for various artisans over the years.
Then she told us that Constantine Seferlis, the renowned stonecarver and a family friend, had immortalized her own beloved basset hound among the cathedral’s grotesques.
Can you imagine? Looking up to see your former students looking back at you, or smiling to see your puppy’s tongue wagging back down on you?!?
Then again, perhaps it’s not so difficult to imagine after all.
As I look around my own ministry, I see people everywhere who have served as God’s hands and feet in my life. I can’t point them out to you in stone carvings on a cathedral wall, but they are nevertheless etched into my memory in ways I will never forget.
The Apostle Paul understood this kind of gratitude. Writing to the believers in Philippi, he said, “I thank my God every time I remember you” (1.3). Those simple words remind us that faithful ministry is never a solo endeavor. Our lives and callings are shaped by countless people whose encouragement, prayers, wisdom, and friendship leave a permanent mark upon us.
Nearly 35 years ago, Hallmark Cards and Focus on the Family helped establish what we now know as Pastor Appreciation Month. Since then, congregations have found meaningful ways to express gratitude to their pastors through prayer, encouragement, and tangible acts of appreciation. Over the years, I have been the grateful recipient of some very thoughtful expressions of kindness during Pastor Appreciation Month. I hope you have as well.
This year, however, I’d like to turn that idea around.
I want to challenge both myself and you to take a few minutes to “see your parishioners everywhere,” much as Ruth Ann Williamson saw her former students throughout the Washington National Cathedral. Think of someone in your ministry who taught you an invaluable lesson, encouraged you at a crucial moment, or helped shape your faith and calling. Then take a few moments to send a handwritten note, an email, or even a simple social media message expressing your gratitude. If the recipient is deceased, consider sending it to someone in that person’s family.
Like Paul, let us take time to thank God for those we remember and then let them know how much their presence has meant. You may discover that one of the greatest blessings of ministry is not simply being appreciated but also expressing gratitude to those whom God has placed along your path.
