A Tired Tay

When I miss a few days blogging it's a good bet I've been not only busy, but busy with things I can't really blog about because their are either too boring or too confidential. That has been the case for the past several days. Little of which I can talk about openly.

But I can say that today went very well. Solid attendance and a good spirit. One of our parishioners told me after the service that more and more it seems like the church and I are falling into synch. I would agree--there is a definite coming together that happens. I notice that people feel more comfortable with me and vice-a-versa! We definitely have some momentum going and that has everyone feeling good.

Which is not to say that I'm not challenging them. Today, for instance, we had to hold a special Vestry to authorize the Wardens to open a Line of Credit with the bank to make up for an expected shortfall in operating capital. In other words, we are about to spend more than we are taking in. This is not unanticipated, and we expect to make up the difference with the Stewardship campaign this spring and summer. But in the meantime we don't want to spend down the endowment, so the alternative is to take a loan against the Rectory (which the church holds free and clear).

Establishing such a line-of-credit turns out to be a real hassle. Obviously, the Diocese wants to discourage this sort of thing, so we have to pass a Vestry motion, get the Bishop's permission, and apply for approval with several Diocesan Boards! It's a pain--but it's the right move from a ministry point of view, as most of this deficit is the result of missional spending (especially the Director of Children's and Youth Ministry). They say money follows vision, and certainly everyone who talks about revitalizing parishes speak of the need to make this kind of move. As one person wrote recently, "Stingy parishes don't grow."

So having a special vestry meeting (during announcements, no less) today probably raised the level of anxiety a bit for people, but that's okay. It's a challenge for people to fund the vision that they endorsed at Vestry a few months ago!

Also, remember how I was leaving it to the Holy Spirit to give me another Warden? Someone has stepped up and expressed interest. I'm gathering with the other Wardens and this person next Sunday to pray about it together. Assuming that lightening doesn't fall from the sky, we'll have our third Warden. Whew!

The ARC group met on Friday to look at the physical space at St. John's York Mills we will be using. It's perfect! Big and well suited. It's on the second floor but there is elevator access. We'll need some money for paint and shelves, but that's what grants are for! we are all really psyched about how this project is developing.

I can now reveal that one of my parishioners, who comes to the Saturday afternoon service, has expressed a desire to be baptized. We've set Pentecost as the date. It's going to be a rocking service with extra (rock) musicians and, now, an adult baptism. She is excited by the prospect of full-immersion baptism, which I have never done with an adult. I think it is going to be an incredibly powerful and meaningful way to celebrate the sacrament. Lots of practical issues to solve, but I embrace the challenge.

I've also done a lot of writing in the past few days. My Column for the June Anglican is off to the editor. I was extremely pleased with how it turned out and curious to hear the feedback. I also wrote a piece for The Episcopal Cafe which should be published sometime this week.

After church today I did confirmation prep with the youth group and now I'm just taking a little break. In a few minutes I'll walk down to Trinity to say Mass and then back up to COTM for this evening's big concert. As I write this the choir from Church of the Redeemer and our choir are workshopping. This evening (7pm) they will perform along with the Niagara Vocal Ensemble.

Besides putting on a killer concert, part of the point of this event is to experiment with partnering with Redeemer to host joint events. If it is successful we probably will do similar projects in the future. Indeed, we are going to get a small group of Messiah and Redeemer people together soon to discern possible directions for future shared ministry. These kinds of partnerships are absolutely essential for urban evangelism, IMHO!

So I'm a tired Tay!

-t

The Tale of the Wondering Warden

Interesting that I would have mentioned the Meeting House yesterday as today I ran into a former COTM Warden who is now a member of that community. He described how disheartening he found leadership in the church. I explored why that was and his description reinforced my commitment to changing the way leadership is done in this parish. We make Wardens do all the crap that no one else wants to do. They have many of the worst burdens of ordained leadership but none of the sense of ministry to balance it. They have poor supports and little training. I've got to make some bold changes in how we do leadership if I want to further the ministry of this place. God help me!

-t

Wardens' Retreat

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. (Matthew 6:30-32)

Yesterday I took the COTM Wardens for an all-day retreat at SSJD. As it happened, it was also the Feast of the Visitation of Elizabeth to the BVM, so I was pleased to get my Marion fix while I was there. We arrived in time for Morning Prayer. Had two sessions after that, and then broke for Eucharist and Dinner (Lunch), and then had another session together after that.

Here's a learning: it's easy to over prepare for this kind of thing. That is, I went in a bit anxious about how it would go, so I planned out some stuff ahead of time. Most of that went out the window as soon as we started talking--and the results were better than my plans. So beware of over planning something like this.

As it was, it was plenty to do to spend the first session talking about own spiritual well-being, the second on the church's, and the third on plans and priorities for the next year. I think we came away with a better sense of each other and some ideas about next steps for the church.

SSJD, btw, was an excellent host as always. They told us the rules, put out the coffee and cookies, and left us alone--precisely what we needed!

-t

Momentum Retreat at SSJD

I was gone the last two days on a retreat with the Momentum group at the SSJD Convent. Momentum is a three-year program for new clergy in the Diocese that has a meeting together once a month for years one and two, and then every other month for the last year. Because we see each other so much and have so much in common, the bonds have become intense and the trust is very high. We share with each other in a way that is virtually impossible to find elsewhere. It's a precious thing.

The program also gives us a certain amount of information content to absorb and learn, yet much of that is review for most of us. For example, at the this last session my year learned about pastoral services like baptism, confirmation, marriage, and funerals. The basics of these was review (we've all done plenty of these already) but the learning came when we talked about more unusual or difficult scenarios. Some experienced priests joined us to share war stories and reflections about excellent practice in ministry.

The Convent is a great backdrop. Worshiping with a Monastic community is always a treat, and the sisters have a beautiful new chapel. I'm particularly fond of their organ, the layout of the space, and their collection of icons.

I noticed something interesting at Mass both days. After giving Communion to everyone present, the Celebrant and the Minister of Communion (with the chalice) formed up behind a sister with a small candle and a bell. She led them out of the chapel and down the hall, ringing the bell the whole way. The purpose of the bell and candle is to alert people to the fact that the Holy Sacrament was in their midst (so that they could make the proper signs of devotion). They gave communion to at least one Sister unable to attend chapel and then returned in the same fashion. It was a simple yet profound action.

The convent has many fine features, but I must admit that the food in previous retreats has left a little to be desired. This time, however, the food was better, and I was pleased about that. They take all their meals in silence, so it's hard not to notice!

Coming back on Thursday night I barely had enough energy to get through dinner and check some e-mail and watch a documentary with Betsy about Roman technology before going to bed. Slept well. Woke up early this morning to prepare for a Corporation meeting that just wrapped up.

Corporation is the governing council of the parish. We meet monthly to discuss various issues and make plans and approve expenses. It felt like a productive meeting. I'm very happy with the group of people I have to work with at COTM.

Now I have just a few minutes before another meeting. This afternoon I need to visit someone in the hospital and then I have a singing lesson in the afternoon. I'm hoping to be able to take it easy tomorrow, but we'll have to see!

-t

Whirlpool Bliss

I took a day off from the gym today so that my muscles can recover a bit--man are they sore. After three straight days of intense workouts they've earned a break. After my workout yesterday I took a dip in the whirlpool and was rewarded with a huge rush of endorphin and other natural opiates. It was incredible bliss! I went home, spent some time with Betsy and went to bed early.

Today was mostly about a marathon-length Corporation Meeting. We are getting ready for Vestry and making some other year-end decisions as well as dealing with the regular monthly stuff. It felt like a good meeting--we got a lot done.

My computer is acting kind of funny. I need to order the parts and rebuild it, which I have been meaning to do for sometime. But I know it's going to be a day-long project and I just haven't done it! Once I get it upgraded, I can tackle some of the video editing projects I've had on hold. I also need to get myself in gear to get the COTM website going. It would be nice to have a draft of that up before Vestry, in fact.

-t

Snow at Holy Cross

The snow fell extra hard at Holy Cross in West Park. Br. Randy made a slide show. The snow can be inconvenient, even in relatively self-contained monastery, but it sure is gorgeous. I've been at Holy Cross during both scorching summer heat and terrible snow storms, and must say that I prefer the snow! I remember one summer when there were days I'd leave my super-hot room on the fourth floor of the guest house for the couch in one of the air conditioned parlors. I hate trying to sleep in hot rooms.

The "Corporation" meeting this morning went well. The Wardens at COTM are a very competent bunch. That's a good thing considering how much work there is do right now.

The annual Christmas party for the Daycare is tonight. I'm looking forward to that!

-t

A Light Day

The Corporation Meeting on Friday morning went well. Various initiatives were discussed and shown to be on-track. There is plenty going on, and there are many hands on the plow.

I had a singing lesson with Hallie--that went well. Afterwards I spent some time with a woman I give care to. I would say that she is schizophrenic, though she denies that she is mentally ill. Anyway, I spend time with her every few weeks listening to her. The primary thing I can do with her is simply be someone who pays attention to her. there are precious few that regard her.

Came home and had supper with Betsy. I went to bed, but I'm still not sleeping well. The stress and the cats have something to do with this.

Today we are cleaning the house and having a relatively casual day. Megan is on to preach tomorrow morning, so I don't have too much to do to prepare. I'm glad to have a light day.

-t

The March of Progress

We had a "Corporation" meeting this morning to handle church business. We got through a bunch of different agenda items--mostly relating to the ongoing renewal of the church and a bunch of over-due renovations to the old rectory. Stuff continues to roll along and develop very nicely. We are even making tentative plans for a day long visioning event to help solidify our vision of ministry for the next year or two. Stay tuned!

They also approved going forward on the piano project. We are giving Paul Hahn and Company a deposit towards purchasing a piano. We don't know precisely which piano we are going to buy from them--though they have a couple of candidates currently being refurbished. In the meantime, they will provide us with a suitable piano on loan. So hopefully we'll have an instrument in next week that will remain until we choose a permanent instrument sometime in near future.

There are bunches of other projects underway. It's a busy time at COTM! Today I have a voice lesson and then a pastoral visit to make.

-t

Corporation Meeting

Last night we had the Corporation of the Parish (the three Wardens: Trent, Virginia, and Brendan plus the clergy) plus the Parish Administrator over for dinner and a meeting. Betsy prepared a great chicken dish and we toasted the beginning of my incumbency with champaign and many stories. It was a great opportunity for the seven of us to get to know each other better. After supper we cleared the table and got down to business--an hour and a half of hashing through agenda items. I was pleased that we managed to come to resolution on most of them. Considering that it was my first time actually chairing an entire Corporation meeting, I think it went quite well.

But I don't think that getting to resolution on items of business is really the best measure of success for these meetings. I'm more concerned with developing a culture of Christian leadership shared among the members of the corporation. The idea is that this then trickles down into the rest of the church. This is accomplished through "lay leadership development."

LLD is like exercise and healthy eating--everybody knows they are supposed to do it, but few actually do it with any kind of intentionality. I've asked a number of priests in this diocese how they do their spiritual development with their wardens. There are a few different models being used, but what's clear is that something ought to be done along these lines. So at COTM we are going to have to experiment with some possible ways of doing this. Stay tuned.

Today we had a nice intimate Eucharist to start the day. But considering the late night just before, it was no surprise that Megan and I were dragging. The Parish Administator caught a bug and came in around noon not feeling well--again, no surprise, the Ministry Team has been pushing hard.

After the Eucharist I spent time doing research on Sunday's Gospel lesson (also our text for the work-place Bible Study we lead downtown). The Bible Study itself went very well. After that I returned the church briefly and then went out again to visit a parishioner and run some random errands.

Met up with Betsy and we ran some of our own errands late into the evening. Weird how much satisfaction Home Depot and Costco runs can bring. I guess I'm domesticated...

-t