The Tao of the Furnace Room

Today was a full day. As usual for a Friday I spent a significant amount of time doing work around the parish finances. We are ending the year on a very positive note, but so much has changed from 2006 to 2007 to 2008 that coming up with good budget estimates is tricky. But since the budget is really a policy document, it's important to spend time on getting it right. That means looking at the data and making comparisons and plans and so forth.

The usefulness of "metrics" in ministry is debatable. It's easy to get caught up in data because it's much easier than prayer or relationships. And it's also nearly impossible to measure things like "discipleship" or "prayerfulness" or spiritual growth. Yet on the other hand, it's foolish to ignore the data when it's available. For instance, the contributions have risen every year (by 33% over the last four years)! Now that tells me good things about the stewardship here, or it could just mean that the parish had a lot of extra expenses and giving rose in response. Anyway, my point is simply that there is lots of insight about the parish to be gained by looking at numbers like these.

Then I spent about an hour working on getting the Bell Tower Room turned into a "Vestry." Of course, it's not just moving the vestments in that makes it a Vestry. the best vestry rooms provide the clergy with a sense of peace and prayerfulness as they prepare to lead worship. So it probably is going to need a few icons and cross and a place to sit down and so forth. Recently that room has become a kind of catch-all storage space, so there is still a lot to move out.

My singing lesson with Hallie in the early afternoon went well. She says my pitch matching ability and control are continuing to get better, but my strength and endurance have declined since I left SMM. That's not a surprise--I'm singing a lot less since I came COTM, but that doesn't mean I should quit working at it. Anyway, Hallie is going to give me a piece of music to learn for a recital. The important part, to her, is that it not be Church music!

After that I met with a furnace salesman to talk about a new furnace and water heater system for the Rectory. I'm not exactly an expert in this kind of thing, but it's role, not competency, that is the main source of authority in ordained ministry! Is God is the boiler room? Probably, but I didn't any signs of Him. No BVM or Face of Jesus to be seen in the dust, I'm afraid! I suppose I could have tried praying in the basement while I waited for the furnace guy, but that's hard to do when you don't know how long you will be waiting. What is the spirituality of building maintenance?

On my way back to the church I stopped at a local gym I'm thinking of joining. They gave me a tour and all that. Seems like a nice place, I just have to decide whether I'm ready to make the commitment to actually work out. No doubt doing so would make a number of people in my life very pleased (including God, I suspect).

Now I'm in my office doing some e-mail and other necessary tasks. Tomorrow the roofer is coming by to look at the leak in the church and then I have some other meetings and things to do... Such is my ministry...

-t