RDQ Reappears After Mysterious 3 Week Absence
Life has been very, very interesting lately. Let me just catch you up:
*This past Wednesday, I have resigned one of my two pulpits, the church in Flint. My last Sunday in worship with this congregation will be November 25th. I tendered my resignation at the meeting of our board of directors, who received it with appropriate sadness, but also appropriate support. So, for the next 30 days, I and hopefully these congregants will be praying and saying our "goodbyes", tying up some loose ends, preparing for the annual congregational meeting, and preparing to say "hello" to an interim pastor as well as new ideas, new vision and new energy for ministry. Dear readers, all 4 or 5 of you, I solicit your prayers for me and this congregation, as well as the denominational leaders who will be assisting us through the transition.
*Yesterday, I found out that what appeared to be an exciting new interim job opportunity doing peace and justice ministry may not be open to me in quite the way I and a few other folk thought it would be. Pray for patience, "clearness" and wisdom for me and some others who are impacted by multiple transitions and the unexpected, and trying to figure out what is possible, reasonable and just, fair, ethical ... and best.
*I finished my 2006 income taxes, 8 days after the extension deadline. Oh well! I had planned several dates with Uncle Sam at the US Treasury, but you know ... he's just sooooo high-maintenance. I really wish the tax deadline didn't usually fall so close to Easter --at least in 2008 it doesn't, hallelujah. OTOH, there will be only a month to breathe between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. But an extra month to breathe after Easter.
*I took part in an exciting retreat this past weekend which I blogged about here. I learned some new concepts, such as "cultural appropriation", and experienced the diversity of the LGBTetc. "community of communities" more directly and personally than I usually have opportunity. So, gathered together in one room there were ... black/African American/American of African descent SGL Lesbian Christians and clergy, white Christian clergy, straight people, pagan/earth-based/shamanic practitioners, transpeople, intersexed, disabled, atheist, multi-faith, buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, highly educated and non-literate, Quaker .... and I know with certainty I am leaving someone out. We're already planning a similar event in May and October of next year.
*I attended one night of the week-long Reel Pride Film Festival, an annual event sponsored by the Triangle Foundation which shows all kinds of movies which would be of interest to members of the TBGL community. A short film called "Pariah" really spoke to me, particularly one of the featured songs which had this refrain: "someday I will be able to bring all of whom I am".
[Dear God, how I am longing for a place, a space, a time to bring all of me ... Dear God, the church isn't always a place where I can do that. What are we to do about that?]
*This past Wednesday, I have resigned one of my two pulpits, the church in Flint. My last Sunday in worship with this congregation will be November 25th. I tendered my resignation at the meeting of our board of directors, who received it with appropriate sadness, but also appropriate support. So, for the next 30 days, I and hopefully these congregants will be praying and saying our "goodbyes", tying up some loose ends, preparing for the annual congregational meeting, and preparing to say "hello" to an interim pastor as well as new ideas, new vision and new energy for ministry. Dear readers, all 4 or 5 of you, I solicit your prayers for me and this congregation, as well as the denominational leaders who will be assisting us through the transition.
*Yesterday, I found out that what appeared to be an exciting new interim job opportunity doing peace and justice ministry may not be open to me in quite the way I and a few other folk thought it would be. Pray for patience, "clearness" and wisdom for me and some others who are impacted by multiple transitions and the unexpected, and trying to figure out what is possible, reasonable and just, fair, ethical ... and best.
*I finished my 2006 income taxes, 8 days after the extension deadline. Oh well! I had planned several dates with Uncle Sam at the US Treasury, but you know ... he's just sooooo high-maintenance. I really wish the tax deadline didn't usually fall so close to Easter --at least in 2008 it doesn't, hallelujah. OTOH, there will be only a month to breathe between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. But an extra month to breathe after Easter.
*I took part in an exciting retreat this past weekend which I blogged about here. I learned some new concepts, such as "cultural appropriation", and experienced the diversity of the LGBTetc. "community of communities" more directly and personally than I usually have opportunity. So, gathered together in one room there were ... black/African American/American of African descent SGL Lesbian Christians and clergy, white Christian clergy, straight people, pagan/earth-based/shamanic practitioners, transpeople, intersexed, disabled, atheist, multi-faith, buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, highly educated and non-literate, Quaker .... and I know with certainty I am leaving someone out. We're already planning a similar event in May and October of next year.
*I attended one night of the week-long Reel Pride Film Festival, an annual event sponsored by the Triangle Foundation which shows all kinds of movies which would be of interest to members of the TBGL community. A short film called "Pariah" really spoke to me, particularly one of the featured songs which had this refrain: "someday I will be able to bring all of whom I am".
[Dear God, how I am longing for a place, a space, a time to bring all of me ... Dear God, the church isn't always a place where I can do that. What are we to do about that?]
posted by Reverend Dona Quixote @ 10:15 AM
2 Comments:
At 1:59 PM ,
revkjarla said...
prayers and peace to you as you wrap up ministry with that particular congregation.
also loved "dear readers, all four or five of you..." cracked me up!
take care...
At 4:04 PM ,
Dr. Laura Marie Grimes said...
Wow, that is a lot. Praying that the path forward will become clear and that the wait won't be too stressful.
The deep ecumenism conference sounds wonderful (and it is so good to hear someone else mention pagans with respect...I get grief for that sometimes and it's sad that church people, including clergy sometimes, often have so much ignorance and fear of sisters and brothers on other spiritual paths).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home