Question: Pastor, what do you do the rest of the week?
Answer: I typically spend my days on the couch eating
popcorn and watching re-runs of Downton Abbey... erm, I mean...
Second attempt (returning with a bowl of popcorn from the kitchen): Why don't I just tell you how this week has gone?
Sunday: Of course, you saw me up there Sunday morning in the
new blue Advent scapular. So I proclaimed a sermon, presided at communion, and
engaged in the mutual consolation of the saints Sunday morning.
Then, right away after worship I had a meeting with our rites of Christian initiation for adults
leadership team to plan the next step of our catechumenal process (what we call
Our Lives, This Text). We planned our
Sunday evening gatherings for January-March.
Later Sunday afternoon I brought my family up to church for
the Christmas program. Splendid. Had cake and gatorade with the families after
the program, then stayed for supper with our catechumenal group.
Monday: Started the day with a staff meeting. Then this week
I've been conducting year-end staff review meetings, so I started some of those
with our staff. Had lunch up at Butterfield Trail Village with a wonderful
90-year-old gentlemen from our congregation. Then came back to the office to
finalize Advent worship details and write content for our mid-week e-blast.
Tuesday: More staff review meetings in the morning. Multiple
conversations with various parishioners who stopped in. A bit of writing and
busy work. Then hosted the "Two Sides of Maple" event at St. Martin's
Episcopal Center. Our council president, and also professor of horticulture at
the university, gave a talk on how he sees his faith and work as a scientist
intersect. Good ecumenical event, nourished with Pizza Hut pizza. Later that
afternoon went to the coffee shop with the oldest and hung out, I did a bit of
reading while he watched Phineas and Ferb. Brief 5 p.m. meeting with the
personnel committee to draft a proposal for succession for our parish nurse
program as our current parish nurse retires next year.
Interlude: Imagine that each of these days also includes
morning Advent calendar rituals with the family, lots of later afternoon and
evening play, and bedtime routines, among other domestic pleasantries.
Wednesday: I spend Wednesday mornings home with the youngest
while my wife volunteers at the elementary school. This particular morning it
was also my pleasure to go to preschool with our middle child and do a joint
presentation on our holiday (especially Advent) rituals to the class. We talked
about Lego Advent calendars, nutcrackers, Justin Bieber's Christmas CD, and the
Christian faith practices we try to do each day from our church Advent
calendar. I also went to the gym.
Noon I attended the Fayetteville Ministerial Association meeting
up at Mt. Seqoyah, which was a joint meeting with the Latino Ministerial
Association. Learned a lot about the shape and approach to Latino ministries
currently under way in Northwest Arkansas. In the afternoon, I hunkered down in
my office and finished content edits for my dissertation and submitted it to
the Doctor of Ministry office at Fuller Theological Seminary. Wednesday
evening, led Advent worship and made a casserole for the Advent supper.
Thursday: Today I'm working from home in the morning while
AT&T installs U-Verse in our house. I had a "Go-to-meeting"
meeting with the advisory board of Connect Journal (the magazine of the ELCA
Youth Ministry Network), and brainstormed themes for 2013 and also started
soliciting new authors for upcoming issues.
Since Internet is down currently, I'm doing off-line tasks like
composing this blog, writing a letter to the confirmation group, to our adult
faith formation group, writing the prayers of the church for Sunday worship,
and doing a little bit of reading in phenomenology. I plan to eat lunch with
Joe Liles, the mission developer of The Neighborhood Church in Bentonville,
then a meeting back at church with some lay communion visitors.
Friday: Sabbath. I rest, and do stuff with family.
Saturday: Holiday activities, including going to the
botanical gardens for their annual train and Christmas display. Saturday
evening our family is attending the Hannukah party at the local synagogue,
which includes a service of prayer at the conclusion of Sabbath (Havdalah), lots of
good food, a dreidel contest, and more.
Update: Illustrating why days off are not always days off, Friday included visits to two hospitals, as did Saturday.
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