It is my turn to post to the blog, so I have been told. The difficulty with this is that we have been so busy the past few weeks that it is hard for either one of us to find time. Since time has been the issue, let me catch you up with what is going on with internship.
After our trip to Texas (see On the Road Again), we came back to a funeral and a site visit from our seminary. Site visits are normal, expected, and so on, but they can also be intimidating, time consuming, and exhausting. Ours went well, but over the course of a week, it took several hours and phone calls to pick a date, set an agenda, notify everyone of the agenda, and then modify the agenda when someone was not going to be available. This happened a couple of weeks before. We returned from Texas Monday night, late, and then dealt with the funeral on Tuesday, then picked up our contextual education professor on Wednesday morning. Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much one meeting after another, with some driving in-between. By Friday, we were both exhausted, and still had sermons to write for Sunday. We also had 41 volunteers sleeping at the church and working for LDR. Friday afternoon sermon writing was interrupted to open the travel agency office as several people were trying to arrange (or re-arrange) their travel home.
By Monday, our normal day off, we might have rested, except that we had not really had a day at home for almost three weeks, and the apartment really needed cleaning and the cupboards were bare. That means that our day off was really as much or more work than a normal day! Much of the week was spent catching up on some things from the previous week, plus some planning based on suggestions made by our professor during the site visit.
For some reason, by the time we got to Friday again, we were heavily involved in doing some repairs around the church. With the number of volunteers we have staying with us, and the remodeling project that is almost finished, there always seems to be something that needs to be fixed or modified or replaced. Since we had no volunteers in this weekend, it seemed like a good time to get some of these items finished. Saturday (and some of Sunday afternoon) was spent going up and down a step ladder, installing new smoke alarms in the areas that the volunteers sleep, repairing a light fixture, finishing the battery replacement project for our emergency lighting and exit signs, and fixing a couple of door stops. All of this was followed by a couple of hours of cleaning (cleaning up after ourselves, and after volunteers, and after the sexton as well)
I suppose it is appropriate to follow up a post titled The House of God with one about the work done in and on the house of God. In small congregations, with a mostly older population, there are always things to fix and work to be done. One project begets another. There is always something to do. Lest we become bogged down in these projects, though, we must also remember that we (even lowly interns) are called to care for each other. This weekend is past; tonight a new group of volunteers arrive; tomorrow we travel upstate to learn how to handle facility closings in a pandemic. Chores need to be done, but life cannot be spent on them. The world calls; the people call; there is work to be done out there as well.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
The House of God
We often talk about the church building as the house of God. But how many times does the church building seem more like a sterile, empty building than a house? We usually think of a house as a place filled with a family, their belongings and their activities, but the church often stands empty and quiet for hours or even days at a time, we don’t bring in many personal belongings, we eat only the occasional meal there, and we treat at least parts of it as though they are too special or sacred to be used for routine activities.
I was struck the other afternoon by the image of the church as the house of God AND God’s people. With over forty volunteers living here this week, nearly every room in the building is filled with inflatable mattresses. Most are covered with a pillow and blankets. In every corner, there seems to be a suitcase, many open with personal belongings spilling out into an area around the bed. These beds are in all the classrooms, the church parlor, the choir room, and even in the sanctuary. Every room is filled with the signs of people who live, at least for a short time, together in this place.
By mid-afternoon, the church was mostly deserted with a meeting going on quietly in one room, and most of the volunteers out working on jobsites, but there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen – and the enticing aroma of dinner began to fill the entire building.
In that moment, the church really seemed like a home; a place where a family lives, eating together and sleeping under one roof. A home where the family takes turns using the available shower facilities. A home where you have to really look for a quiet corner if you want to sit quietly and read, or pray, or just think. A home filled with activity as later in the evening, music filled the choir room, the sounds of the television came from one room, and the sound of conversations mixed as dishes were washed and the kitchen was cleaned up, while others gathered around a table to play a board game. Outside, rain fell and a cold wind blew.
Inside, the building was filled with people, happy for the shelter from the cold, wet weather. People not afraid to use every room in the building. A family, truly at home, in the house of God. What a delightful concept.
I was struck the other afternoon by the image of the church as the house of God AND God’s people. With over forty volunteers living here this week, nearly every room in the building is filled with inflatable mattresses. Most are covered with a pillow and blankets. In every corner, there seems to be a suitcase, many open with personal belongings spilling out into an area around the bed. These beds are in all the classrooms, the church parlor, the choir room, and even in the sanctuary. Every room is filled with the signs of people who live, at least for a short time, together in this place.
By mid-afternoon, the church was mostly deserted with a meeting going on quietly in one room, and most of the volunteers out working on jobsites, but there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen – and the enticing aroma of dinner began to fill the entire building.
In that moment, the church really seemed like a home; a place where a family lives, eating together and sleeping under one roof. A home where the family takes turns using the available shower facilities. A home where you have to really look for a quiet corner if you want to sit quietly and read, or pray, or just think. A home filled with activity as later in the evening, music filled the choir room, the sounds of the television came from one room, and the sound of conversations mixed as dishes were washed and the kitchen was cleaned up, while others gathered around a table to play a board game. Outside, rain fell and a cold wind blew.
Inside, the building was filled with people, happy for the shelter from the cold, wet weather. People not afraid to use every room in the building. A family, truly at home, in the house of God. What a delightful concept.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
On the Road Again!
You might think that interns would stay close to home, preaching and teaching mostly in their internship congregation. But we seem to spend large portions of our time on the road. It felt like we had just gotten home from the Carolinas, but we were on the road again this weekend. We had an invitation from a classmate to visit her congregation and give a presentation on what LDR is doing on the Gulf coast. So, last Friday, we packed up the Cruiser and set out for Texas!
We made a stop in Slidell, Louisiana to visit the LDR site at Peace Lutheran. There is an amazing transformation taking place there – repairs to the flood damage in the church building, renovations and additions to house and feed about 90 volunteers at a time who come to work in the area. Pastor Barb and her congregation are doing great things – with the help of volunteers from all over the country.
We then drove through New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. Even from the interstate, the devastation was appalling. Block after block of stores, homes, and apartment buildings stand empty – with gaping holes in the roof or all the windows broken out. The parking lots are empty, the buildings dark and abandoned. Words fail me, but pictures wouldn’t do it justice, either.
As we drove through, a couple was being interviewed on the radio to talk about their experiences – their escape from New Orleans before Katrina, the months spent living with family in Baton Rouge, their return to New Orleans, the additional months spend trying to decide if their home could be repaired. Fortunately, their story has a happy ending. They had insurance and were able to locate a building contractor who could do the work for the amount the insurance company was willing to pay. Now they have just moved back into their home. Unfortunately, those stories are far too rare.
Thanks to Vicar Christi, Pastor Steve, and the wonderful people of St. Mark’s in Cuero, Texas, we had a great experience on the rest of our trip. We preached at both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship services, spent the Sunday school hour talking with the youth and adults about our internship experience at LDR, and following a potluck lunch, gave our congregational preparedness presentation.
Monday morning found us back on the road, heading east for Alabama. It was a long drive in the rain, but we stayed in front of the sleet and freezing rain that some areas were experiencing, so we arrived home safely and right on schedule – and ready for a good night’s sleep! After a morning off to catch up on laundry and chores, we were back to work, with a funeral to attend this afternoon and an LDR presentation tonight at a nearby congregation.
We made a stop in Slidell, Louisiana to visit the LDR site at Peace Lutheran. There is an amazing transformation taking place there – repairs to the flood damage in the church building, renovations and additions to house and feed about 90 volunteers at a time who come to work in the area. Pastor Barb and her congregation are doing great things – with the help of volunteers from all over the country.
We then drove through New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. Even from the interstate, the devastation was appalling. Block after block of stores, homes, and apartment buildings stand empty – with gaping holes in the roof or all the windows broken out. The parking lots are empty, the buildings dark and abandoned. Words fail me, but pictures wouldn’t do it justice, either.
As we drove through, a couple was being interviewed on the radio to talk about their experiences – their escape from New Orleans before Katrina, the months spent living with family in Baton Rouge, their return to New Orleans, the additional months spend trying to decide if their home could be repaired. Fortunately, their story has a happy ending. They had insurance and were able to locate a building contractor who could do the work for the amount the insurance company was willing to pay. Now they have just moved back into their home. Unfortunately, those stories are far too rare.
Thanks to Vicar Christi, Pastor Steve, and the wonderful people of St. Mark’s in Cuero, Texas, we had a great experience on the rest of our trip. We preached at both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship services, spent the Sunday school hour talking with the youth and adults about our internship experience at LDR, and following a potluck lunch, gave our congregational preparedness presentation.
Monday morning found us back on the road, heading east for Alabama. It was a long drive in the rain, but we stayed in front of the sleet and freezing rain that some areas were experiencing, so we arrived home safely and right on schedule – and ready for a good night’s sleep! After a morning off to catch up on laundry and chores, we were back to work, with a funeral to attend this afternoon and an LDR presentation tonight at a nearby congregation.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Coming Home
Being in ministry (on internship or as a pastor) means that you don’t have Christmas off. On top of the decorating and shopping and baking and sending cards and wrapping gifts, we had many preparations at church. I taught adult Sunday school on the morning of December 24th (we were discussing the birth of Jesus as recorded in the second chapter of Luke); then assisted with worship for the fourth Sunday of Advent. After worship, the sanctuary underwent a transformation from the blue of Advent to the white of Christmas. A busy afternoon followed.
By evening, we were back at church again – to celebrate Christmas with a candlelight communion service. Home then to fix a late supper, finish the laundry, and pack. We left first thing in the morning to travel home to visit family for a few days. On our drive we listened to a variety of Christmas music on the radio. One holiday favorite kept repeating: “I’ll be home for Christmas.” We could identify with those lyrics as we sped along the highway on our way home to spend a week visiting with family and friends.
Before the end of the week arrived, though, I realized that I was ready to be home – back to my own pillow and bed and other familiar surroundings. But just as I said that to Ray, I realized that I wasn’t so sure where home is anymore! We call North Carolina home, but haven’t really lived there in over two years. We have library cards in two major cities, cars registered in two states, phone numbers in three area codes, and belongings in storage in one place and in an apartment over 500 miles away. You could say we have roots in one place, but are roosting in another.
Just as I began to be melancholy about not feeling like I can really call anywhere “home” anymore, I realized that this is a very real part of our seminary education. We haven’t just left behind too much stuff and our ties to one place, but have gained so much more. We have had the opportunity to learn so much, to meet so many people, and worship in so many different congregations and settings. We now have many new friends in several states just because of this amazing journey. We are becoming “at home” in many different places. Something tells me that this is a lesson God needed for us to learn…
I trust that God has a plan which he will reveal to us at just the right moment. Most of all, I know that we always have a home with him. In the meantime, I can’t begin to imagine where the path of this journey leads, but I do know that it felt good to be back in our apartment last night, and to be welcomed “home” by someone at church today!
By evening, we were back at church again – to celebrate Christmas with a candlelight communion service. Home then to fix a late supper, finish the laundry, and pack. We left first thing in the morning to travel home to visit family for a few days. On our drive we listened to a variety of Christmas music on the radio. One holiday favorite kept repeating: “I’ll be home for Christmas.” We could identify with those lyrics as we sped along the highway on our way home to spend a week visiting with family and friends.
Before the end of the week arrived, though, I realized that I was ready to be home – back to my own pillow and bed and other familiar surroundings. But just as I said that to Ray, I realized that I wasn’t so sure where home is anymore! We call North Carolina home, but haven’t really lived there in over two years. We have library cards in two major cities, cars registered in two states, phone numbers in three area codes, and belongings in storage in one place and in an apartment over 500 miles away. You could say we have roots in one place, but are roosting in another.
Just as I began to be melancholy about not feeling like I can really call anywhere “home” anymore, I realized that this is a very real part of our seminary education. We haven’t just left behind too much stuff and our ties to one place, but have gained so much more. We have had the opportunity to learn so much, to meet so many people, and worship in so many different congregations and settings. We now have many new friends in several states just because of this amazing journey. We are becoming “at home” in many different places. Something tells me that this is a lesson God needed for us to learn…
I trust that God has a plan which he will reveal to us at just the right moment. Most of all, I know that we always have a home with him. In the meantime, I can’t begin to imagine where the path of this journey leads, but I do know that it felt good to be back in our apartment last night, and to be welcomed “home” by someone at church today!
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