Thursday, June 18, 2009

Clergy-Laity Conference and other sundry items

Last week, our parish hosted the Metropolis of Atlanta Clergy-Laity conference. As far as I can tell, things went pretty well. From a personal perspective, it was a great opportunity to see some friends from the not-too-far-gone seminary days. It was interesting to compare notes and look at the challenges we are facing in our various parishes.

The best part, though, was the reminder of why I felt blessed to go to the seminary in the fall of 2004. At the end of the first year, those who remained formed a group that seems to me to have had (and still to have, as I was reminded this past week) something special. A few of us graduated early - but were still sent the graduation T-shirts of the class of 2008 - and a few people from the incoming class of 2005 joined and fit right in. We have different talents and often radically different approaches to the practical problems that might appear, but it seems to me that every person from that group who graduated the school of theology was there for the right reasons. The love of God and His Church was tangible in the discussions we had in those few moments we managed to find for ourselves - all together, or in smaller groups. I think those discussions did me good.

In other news, I seem to have an almost-nine-month old version of Sir Edmund Hillary, or a reasonable facsimile. Evidence here (that is the back of the sofa and yes, he got there on his own), here, and here. Fortunately, he seems to balance that with a down to earth (or, rather, water) approach.

And now, for the regularly scheduled slumber.