The Pastor’s Booth

Rendering on the left by Hayden Swan (Pastor Fryer’s nephew).

Some Reflections on my “The Pastor Is In” Booth

7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Tuesday mornings, God willing
[Update: Now more often, varying days, often between 11:30 and 1:30 pm]

I do this “The Pastor Is In” booth for fun, but also for real. Many passersby offer a shy smile and go on their way. But also there are people who sit on my stool with tears in their eyes and weight on their hearts. They desire pastoral conversation. That is why I do this: I want the ministry of our church to be available to folks.

An interesting and unexpected aspect is that people give me money for this. I try to decline it. The sign says “5 cents,” but that is just part of the fun of it all. I do not really want the 5 cents. In fact, I have a plate of nickels available if people want to put one in the jar. But people put in money anyway – nickels, quarters, dollar bills, one fellow even put in a fifty-dollar bill. I think they press ahead with these contributions simply because they like the idea of pastoral conversation being available in the city.

One lady told me this morning that she shared a Facebook photo of our booth with her rabbi, who loves it and might set up his own booth. I hope he does. I hope for lots of clergy booths in our town. There is spiritual hunger in our city. That is why we are doing this.

Pastor Gregory P. Fryer, Tuesday, October 18, 2016
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Here is a report by New York’s Fox 5 (WNYW) on Pastor Fryer’s Spiritual Help booth: