Sunday, September 21, 2008

A Quiet Sunday Afternoon

Today was a special day at church--every year we kick off the fall church season with a BBQ after worship. A number of families from the day care came for the service, so we had excellent attendance. The pieces of the liturgy worked well together, and during communion I anointed people with oil for healing. My homily was short by solid (and just as well since the service ran long). A couple of new tweaks worked out well, including praying with the choir just before the service.

After Mass the BBQ went into full swing. Besides food we also were able to offer a big inflatable "bouncy castle" for the kids to jump around in. Later in the afternoon a bunch of us adults took a turn. I'll try to post some pictures up here when I can. The bouncy castle is always a hit.

Been watching football this afternoon--also doing the dishes left over from last night's canning. Yesterday I made another batch of tomato sauce. This time it took about 9 hours of simmering, but the results were fantastic. Much more flavorful than what you get at the store. Downright intense, in fact. Using fresh herbs makes a huge difference. The wine also adds a lot.

I must admit to feeling a little anxious about the church finances. We simply need to raise some more money. So we are planning to send out a letter this week to solicit donations. But then we need to arrive at a more comprehensive strategy that will take us through the fall and winter and integrate both a regular stewardship drive and a capital campaign. I really, really need to delegate this to others, otherwise it's going to be hard to concentrate on my existing ministries.

Anyway, that's something to worry about on Tuesday. Right now I'm just going to enjoy some football and rest.

-t

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