Week of Oct. 10, 2004
I have been back in Louisville for just over a month. During the past four weeks, I have tried to catch up with members of our congregation and our staff, as well as the pastors and AIMs in our conference and in my colleague group. I have met with the Youth Ministry Committee, the Christian Education Committee, my Mutual Ministry Committee, and our H2H confirmation Guides. I met with the Spirit Group (children in grades 2-5) and their parents on Sunday, and I will meet with the youth groups and their parents on Sunday. In the coming months I will be meeting with the 2004 VBS Task Force to evaluate our Vacation Bible Schools and begin planning for 2005. I will also be meeting with the four “overseers” of our Firelight Summer Sunday School program, for evaluation and planning.
I have worked between 50 and 60 hours each week. I’ve also taken a full day off each week, though this week will be two half-days off. I don’t have a specific day off each week, but I am trying to plan time off in advance, so I can be more consistent.
This is the first fall since I arrived in 1996 that I haven’t been “in school.” However, I continue to participate in First Call Theological Education. One aspect of this program is a monthly meeting with a colleague/mentor group comprised of pastors and AIMs in their first three years of call and a veteran pastor/mentor. The majority of our group attended the synod’s FCTE retreat this past weekend. I was nominated to serve on a task force to plan the spring retreat, which will focus on spiritual direction.
At the retreat we were asked to reflect on the joys, challenges, and hopes we’re experiencing in our ministries. Since I’ve been back, I’ve found joy in preparing for and teaching my Sunday School class. I have found getting back into the swing of things more physically and emotionally challenging than I had anticipated, and it seems difficult to believe it’s mid-October already. I hope that our “Youth Create...” program, which kicks off tomorrow night, and our Faith Stepping Stones programs, which began in September, will be meaningful programs that help our children, youth, and parents grow in their faith.
