The Rev. Tom Pierotti of Trinity Lutheran Church in Butler eats lunch last Thursday with Caedon West, left, and Cameron Laskowski, both from the church, during the Pastor Appreciation Luncheon at Penn Christian Academy. It was the seventh annual luncheon that allows pastors from churches around the area to come and spend time with students who attend their church. Forty pastors from five different school districts and churches of various denominations attended.

PENN TWP — Forty pastors gathered around cafeteria tables Oct. 28 at Penn Christian Academy, where students hosted the school's annual Pastor Appreciation Luncheon.

The program began as Principal Cindy Dodds welcomed the group.

"Your time and investment into the lives of our students builds upon what we are doing here at Penn Christian Academy," said Dodds before the children's choir sang a rendition of "We want to see Jesus Lifted High."

As part of the program, the pastors were treated to pizza, sandwiches and homemade cookies with the students that attend their church. Some of the pastors showed up with surprises for the students who invited them.

"I clear my calendar for this event every year," said the Rev. David Brown, senior pastor at North Main Church of God. "In fact, I was supposed to be traveling this week and I reworked my schedule."

"I agree with Pastor Brown," said Alex Nasiadka, a fifth grader who lives in Clinton Township.

"I look forward to this lunch all year. It's fun to have lunch with your pastor. We see him at church and it's neat for him to see us at school."

Brown, whose church spawned Penn Christian Academy, is a regular at the luncheon.

"It is so exciting to see the way Penn Christian Academy is growing and impacting the community," Brown said of the school on Airport Road, which has 211 full-time students and 95 preschoolers from seven of school districts.

The seventh annual event drew pastors from five different school districts and churches of various denominations. Congregations of 50 members to congregations numbering into the thousands were represented.Brent Fehl, the fifth and sixth grade pastor from Community Alliance in Clinton Township, said, "This is a great opportunity to get leaders involved in kid's lives."One of his students at church, fifth grader Melynn Dickson, has been there since kindergarten. She said she enjoyed having lunch with her pastor because he was a lot of fun.Jeff Schrage of Gospel Fellowship Presbyterian Church is new in his role at the church in Middlesex Township and was attending for the first time."It really makes me feel appreciated," said Schrage. He sat with several of Gospel Fellowship's youths and with the Rev. Nick Protos, senior pastor."It is really nice to be with the students in another context," said Protos, whose grandchildren attend the school.Outreach Pastor Matt Dreher and Director of Christian Education Jayme Steighner attended from First United Methodist Church in Butler."It is a great way to have an impact on the community," Dreher said."It is not often you get to join your students in an elementary school and pray before lunch."

Lay minister Carmen Shullo, left, from Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church plays around while eating lunch with a couple of students during Thursday's Pastor Appreciation Luncheon at Penn Christian Academy.