Today’s blog is about a day in the life of ministry. A ministry that could not happen without the support, cooperation, and love of a lot of people.
So…. once upon a time last week we were fortunate enough to host a special needs young adult who is part of SFC. She’s stayed with us before, but this was the longest period we were together. On Thursday her music classes were canceled, so we ended up taking her with us to a big church meeting of folks from all over the area where we learned about the vision for our district and the steps we were going to take to join in this dream for our shared life as the larger church.
The weekend before it had rained and we were able to confirm that my brief interaction with a pillar in a parking garage had indeed dented the trunk enough to cause a leak. So we decided to get our car fixed. On Wednesday night we realized that our one car life was about to get complicated. Jeff volunteers with an amazing organization called Friends of the Carpenter that provides a day shelter and woodworking instructions to homeless folks in Vancouver. He does the morning devotionals one Thursday a month and this was that Thursday.
Thursday morning came, and we got into the van, drove over to one of the SFC member’s homes to pick him up, and headed to Vancouver. Along the way, we reviewed the expectations and rules for the meeting to help our young adult participant have a successful experience. We dropped Jeff off, turned around and drove 20 minutes back to North Portland, and got settled in at the meeting. Then I turned around and headed back up to get Jeff. While I was gone the people of our parish including Jayde, supported our young adult. They kept an eye on her, helped her when she had a bad reaction to incense, and supported her as she navigated the meeting. While Jeff and I were the ones who had agreed to be responsible for her, our team stepped up because they love and value her and wanted her to be part of the event.
Later on, towards the end of the meeting, we were sitting in a cluster with area clergy and all the lay people were gathered in the chancel of the sanctuary. The three people from SFC were seated together on the step. Different ages, intellectual abilities, and gender identities, all sitting side by side, doing the work of the church together. It was a really beautiful snapshot of our faith community.
After the meeting, Jeff and the SFC folk headed home and Jayde and I sat with the two Trinity UMC people who had attended the meeting. They handed us a list of all the folks they wanted to invite to our action assembly charge conference, which is the annual business meeting of the local church where we remind ourselves of the district vision and commit to supporting it. They were both excited and passionate about the work of our church and our area. We talked about some of our upcoming plans and they shared the ways they were helping share the vision with others. Their energy, leadership, and buy-in are such incredible gifts.
Jayde and I then went to coffee and talked about all the things. We spent nearly 3 hours plotting, praying, praising, and planning. While I know I’m pretty darn good at my job, I know I’m even better when I’m working with Jeff, Laura or Jayde. It’s almost ridiculous the amount of talent in this team.
I swung by home for half an hour to eat dinner with the fam, said goodbye to Jeff as he headed to a service project, got the girls set up with a movie, and then my friend Stacey picked me up and we headed over to the church for a design consultation. Stacey has a great eye and her home is warm, charming, and full of love. We are thinking about updating the sanctuary and the memorial room at Trinity so we’re collecting ideas and inspiration. While Stacey and I were imagining a beautiful blue paint, I got a text from a Trinity family letting me know that their daughter’s heart procedure had taken an unexpected turn and they now needed to spend the night in the hospital. They asked me to bring them dinner. The lovely Stacey agreed to drive me to OHSU, stopping for food on the way. Then her daughter texted saying she wasn’t feeling well and needed to leave practice, so we drove over to the high school and Stacey took her daughter’s car while letting me take her car to the hospital. Such an incredible gift to just hand me her keys so that I could minister to a family in need. I got food, went to the hospital, snuggled the baby while his sister woke up, and reminded these beautiful people who were feeling so vulnerable that they are part of a network of love.
At about 9:30 I showed up at Stacey’s door with her keys and over her protests walked the mile home. It was a clear night, with the stars twinkling, and Mars shining brightly. As I walked I prayed; for the healing of a heart, for the great honor of doing this work, for the team I get to serve with both, clergy and lay, for the holy vision God is unfolding in the Parish, for the leadership of our larger church, for friends who hand over car keys, for teens who feel sick, for vulnerable adults, for the wind and the stars and the way my heels clicked on the sidewalk. Jeff and I arrived home about the same time and the day ended with a debrief with my love, my partner in all things, my sounding board, my expert on introverts, and the best dad our daughter could have.
It was a hard day. It was an awkward day. It was a day in which I had to ask for help. It was a day in which I was asked for help. It was a day of beauty. It was a day of tedium. It was a unique day. It was a pretty standard day for ministry. And God was in it all.
The End
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