Update
It's been so long since I last posted that I forgot my password. It took four tries before I hit on the right one.
It's busy. I'm doing my job, which is full-time work, but am also the chair of my congregation. Which then means chairing our congregational meetings, our Church Council meetings, and Executive Committee meetings. It also means being in much closer contact with our church staff - mostly the pastors - and collecting all the phone calls of "concern" (read "complaint"). Plus our Council is doing an all-day retreat this Saturday (gasp - that's Remembrance Day. Is he allowed to do that???), and we're planning a special fund-raiser for later in the month. Ah well, if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it.
And then there's our church's Pilgrim Group - which V and I co-chair. What a great opportunity to say to our gay and lesbian friends, and their families, that we love them, and that God loves them. This in the face of a wider hostile church that wishes they'd just go away and leave us alone. Sometimes I still can't believe that we were able to get our church's approval to start this group. I just wish that other churches would sit up and take notice.
So - travel plans over the next month or so. Going to Saskatoon on Nov 16 and staying until Nov 21. Off to Toronto, Kitchener and St Catharines from Dec 11-15. Off to Calgary from Dec 19-22, and from there directly back to Saskatoon to spend Christmas with parents and (hopefully) kids. Back to Winnipeg on Dec 26.
And special appearances by Father Christmas: At Canadian Mennonite University for their Christmas program on Dec 2, in Toronto and environs three times, in Calgary once, in Saskatoon, of course, and on Christmas Eve - throughout the world. If Mother Christmas can get her act together in time, she'll accompany Father Christmas on one or two occasions. Should be fun.
It's busy. I'm doing my job, which is full-time work, but am also the chair of my congregation. Which then means chairing our congregational meetings, our Church Council meetings, and Executive Committee meetings. It also means being in much closer contact with our church staff - mostly the pastors - and collecting all the phone calls of "concern" (read "complaint"). Plus our Council is doing an all-day retreat this Saturday (gasp - that's Remembrance Day. Is he allowed to do that???), and we're planning a special fund-raiser for later in the month. Ah well, if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it.
And then there's our church's Pilgrim Group - which V and I co-chair. What a great opportunity to say to our gay and lesbian friends, and their families, that we love them, and that God loves them. This in the face of a wider hostile church that wishes they'd just go away and leave us alone. Sometimes I still can't believe that we were able to get our church's approval to start this group. I just wish that other churches would sit up and take notice.
So - travel plans over the next month or so. Going to Saskatoon on Nov 16 and staying until Nov 21. Off to Toronto, Kitchener and St Catharines from Dec 11-15. Off to Calgary from Dec 19-22, and from there directly back to Saskatoon to spend Christmas with parents and (hopefully) kids. Back to Winnipeg on Dec 26.
And special appearances by Father Christmas: At Canadian Mennonite University for their Christmas program on Dec 2, in Toronto and environs three times, in Calgary once, in Saskatoon, of course, and on Christmas Eve - throughout the world. If Mother Christmas can get her act together in time, she'll accompany Father Christmas on one or two occasions. Should be fun.