Ministry Changes, Yet Continues

By: Rev. Tom Budzowski (A ministerial widower who now co-leads a Widowed Ministry)

On April 23, 2010, life forever changed for me. My wife, earlier that day, had been finishing up last-minute details and materials for the next day’s PA South Central East, Women of Purpose, Spring Celebration Conference at Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown, PA. Gloria and I had been pastoring at Calvary Assembly of God, Harrisburg for fifteen years.

     It was a beautiful Spring Day. I kissed her goodbye and left to drive the school bus. Gloria was about to leave and drive to the Harrisburg Airport to pick up the special speaker, flying in from Houston, Texas, for the Saturday Conference. Later she planned to take her to dinner and then to her hotel before returning home. As our minivan sat as the last vehicle in stopped traffic on that Friday evening, I’m sure the two of them were having great fellowship. Meanwhile a 40’ box truck was also traveling westbound on I-283. He was an older truck driver and had fallen asleep at the wheel. Our minivan was hit from behind at 55 mph, and my wife and the speaker were ushered into Eternity with Jesus. The accident happened at 5 pm, and the highway had to be shut down for the State Police to investigate the cause.

     At 9 pm I was sitting in the church parsonage, waiting for my wife’s call to tell me she was finished taking the special speaker to dinner, and was traveling the five miles back home. But I never got her call. I was notified at the parsonage by my son-in-law, who worked for the State Police as a Dispatcher and a State Policeman. He told me not to call our five daughters, who all lived locally but that it would be best to travel to each of their homes to tell them of their mother's fatality. So, we spent all night traveling to each daughter's home to inform them of the heartbreaking news. That was truly the hardest part of this long journey!

     We had been married for thirty-four years and had pastored two churches for a total of twenty-five years. We shared the same office in the church, as my wife was my Administrative Assistant, as well as the church's part-time Secretary, in addition to the Women’s Ministry’s leader in the church. Through this great loss on earth, my relationship with God and the fellowship that I had with Him in worshiping, singing, playing guitar and reading His Word sustained me and brought a slow healing of my grieving heart and soul.

     I continued pastoring four more years after my wife’s homegoing. God then spoke to me that it was time to resign as pastor and transition into a Singer/Communicator Ministry. That ministry is still developing. I now attend a larger Assembly of God church in Harrisburg, PA. I am a part-time Visitation Pastor to all the shut-ins of the church. Also, I was recently asked, along with another widow in the church, to start up a ministry for the widows/widowers in church and outside the church as an outreach. This ministry was started in April of 2024. God is so Good to us as we maintain and increase our closeness to Him!