Work

I've been busy setting up a lay pastoral care ministry here at St Diverse. I've got the Lay Eucharistic Ministers trained and licensed to bring communion to shut-ins, I've got the meal ministry semi-organized, and we've been in touch with a number of folks who would like to receive help. My hope is to get it chugging far enough along that it will survive when I am done with my internship in four and a half weeks. Remarkable to think I'm approaching the halfway point at this place. It's a brief enough time that I can look upon it as a case study in congregational issues, but long enough that I can develop relationships with some of the people of the parish, as well as with the rector and the parish administrator. A good experience, all in all.

We had a good meeting (despite a monster storm that knocked out the power) earlier this week on the research project for 2nd semester. My prof, our dean of academic affairs, me, and another prof who is a nationally recognized expert in congregational analysis through the lens of sociology of religion, all working through methodology of the project. It's going to be a great learning experience. My prof will get a good book out of this work, and I may be able to use elements of our research in my thesis (which I'd like to publish either as a monograph or expand into a book). We shall see.

PH and his team are pedaling across Ohio at this time. One of the riders was injured and is out of the race, so there are three left on the team. This translates from each rider doing 100 miles per day to doing between 120 and 150 a day. I can't even imagine.

They have less than 600 miles to go and should reach Annapolis in the wee hours of Friday morning. Can't wait to see them!