Partners Assisting the Lords Servants

The Pastors' Wife
Dorthy Farmer

Hello, my name is "the preacher's wife".

There are quite a few of us out there with the same name. I am the person married to the man who pastors the church. The number one question I am asked is not, "How are You?" Would you be surprised to know it is "Do you play the piano?"

Please do not interpret this as a negative way to begin an article such as this. Over the years it has become an accepted thing for me to respond to the title "the preacher's wife". I move right on past the reality that I cannot play the piano, and I begin to show and tell what I can do as a panner in ministry with my preacher husband. I teach the Bible, introduce a lost person to Christ, pray, serve as the church hostess, and I can even mow the grass around the church if it needs it. I have been seen cleaning the church and dusting the piano (even if I can't play it !). I enjoy visiting the hospitals, nursing homes and shut-ins. A loy of sunshine can be brought into the life of a sick or lonely person by a visit. Which includes a smile or just a quiet bedside presence. I like to affirm the faithful ones and encourage the downhearted.

Each of these gifts has proved to be a great asset to the Lord's work through "the preacher's wife". I would not conclude that because "the preacher's wife" can not play the piano that she cannot do many of the other things I have mentioned and perhaps many more as well. I admire the partner who has the talent and the willingness to sit down to an instrument and accompany the singing of hymns. It adds so much to the worship experience. Amen.

In conclusion, when my gifts were discovered. I focused on developing what the Lord had given me and I hope I have become the servant about whom the Lord and my husband can say. "Well done".

Dorothy Farmer has been a partner in marriage and a partner in ministry with her husband Dr. Tommy Farmer, for more than four decades.

Return To PALS Articles Menu