Ash Wednesday

Well, ready-or-not here is Ash Wednesday. I'm feeling like I've mostly caught up on the stuff that piled up last week, but that's only because I worked like a fiend yesterday and today. But I did manage to get many things done.

For one thing, the Healing Prayer Service I've planned for Saturdays in Lent is a "go." I've made up a flier and I have a draft of a banner to hang outside. We'll see if anybody shows up. Maybe, maybe not. But we'll run it for a few weeks and see what happens.

Second, I finally went down to Long and McQuaid (or "Loud and McNasty" as one friend calls it). They are the place to go in Toronto for sound equipment. I went down there to swap the loner sound board we were using for the one we own that was being repaired. Apparently ever since Mackie moved their manufacturing to China they've been having a lot of problems with quality control. So much so that it's ruining the Mackie brand name. When I mentioned this to one the salesman at L&M he got really upset and went into a huge rant about how much he hates stuff made in china and how exporting manufacturing has ruined our economy and poisoned our children. Poor guy--he really cares about where his stuff is made.

While I was there I also picked up a new wireless hand-held microphone that we can use at the lectern--some of our readers aren't as loud as others. I came back to church and wired this stuff up no problem.

Next, I stopped by Fed Ex / Kinkos to mail something overseas and see about getting a vinyl banner printed up to advertise the healing service. I discovered that it would be much easier for me to simply make the PDF myself and bring it to the location with the vinyl printing equipment.

So back at church I was dusting off my copy of InDesign and drafting up sign and poster designs. In the back ground I've been answering e-mails and phone calls as well. Interesting way to spend Ash Wednesday.

Now I think I'm going to start shifting into worship-prep mode. We'll probably only have about 40 people, but these are deep, prayerful people. Time to start moving into that spiritual space.

Incidentally, I did post today on the Mission Church Toronto blog about the Jeremiah Project (New Monasticism). These folks are creating a Neo-Monastic movement right here in Toronto--very cool.

-t