30th March 2021
Beginning a pastoral ministry during lockdown with Pastor Sally Agostino
In the middle of lockdown in July of last year, Sally Agostino was appointed as Senior Pastor at Southern Cross Community Church. Despite not being able to meet in person with her congregation, regional pastors or anyone at the BUV Support Hub, Sally was still able to engage and participate in a number of initiatives that we provided online, which allowed her to meet with other pastors and leaders.
Some of these online events included Nourish, Next Steps, Tuesday Chats and our Marriage Celebrant Training. Tuesday Chats was particularly helpful for Sally, who joined this small group of pastors who met every Tuesday afternoon to discuss up-to-the-minute issues that arose within their churches. This was also a chance for the group to encourage and support each other. Sally credits this time as vital and essential time for not just her but for each of the attending pastors who were all going through the same experiences and challenges together.
“When the second lockdown coincided with my role starting at Southern, it became a strange way to begin pastoral ministry. But thanks to the BUV Support Hub, I was able to connect with experienced pastors in a way I never would have been able to in a normal year. My first six months became a unique and pretty wonderful training ground, where I could glean wisdom from those who had been pastoring for many years. I feel so privileged to have had that start.”