Today began with a meeting a copy-machine salesman. The photocopier is the most complex piece of equipment most churches own, and it is also one of the most useful. We are coming to end of our current lease in the next few months so our Sales Rep wants to see if we want to make changes, get a different machine, etc. So we talked through various options of what is available. He was surprised that I knew as much as I did about photocopiers, so I explained how I did some research on the subject back when I was at SMM. The kinds of things these machines can do now is really amazing: color, folding, book-fold stapling, scanning, faxing, etc. Of course, not all of these will be cost-efficient for us. So he's going to develop a couple of different quotes and then I can sit down with Corporation to discern which way to go!
I was on the phone today talking with a psychiatrist who is treating someone that I see on a pastoral basis. The medical team wanted to know if there was a way the church could support this person. we talked about it, and it seems that there are some small ways the church might be able to help this person more. To be honest, though, it's challenging for congregations to accommodate severely mentally ill folks. We will continue to do what we can to offer this person love, companionship, and a sense of belonging, but even doing just that requires a significant amount of resources. It's a remarkable challenge to the self-understanding of congregation to encounter a challenge such as this. It puts the whole notion of Christian community to the test!
Next I've got a staff meeting to attend and then Mass at Trinity Chapel. That's always a treat!
-t
1 comment:
re "talking with a psychiatrist...pastoral basis...medical team wanted to know if there was a way the church could support...challenging for congregations:"
Thank God! So the medical side is communicating with the church side on these issues now (even if it might be only to try and offload some work). They've come a ways in the past twenty years when some psychiatrists couldn't even allow one to discuss church. And for congregations: yes, I floundered badly when I was first out of university, newly employed in T.O. and was out of my depth with such a residence-mate and my own psychological weaknesses and my Christian life. But stupidly never thought of dumping my stress on God! Glad to hear clergy talking more openly about the issues involved, even if it is difficult because of confidentiality concerns. Thanks, Tay!
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