Where Will I Go From Here...

 only God knows. Found out the Call Committee of L church is having a second interview with a candidate next Mon. evening. I should be given 30 days notice after the call has been issued and accepted.

So conceivably, this interim could end within 8 weeks. That still means having Ash Wednesday service but I would be gone before Lent is over. More's the pity, I would've loved to see the sanctuary all repaired and repainted. I might still be able to slip in to see it.

Where I go from here will be anyone's guess. I pray God has one more interim for me before retirement. I pray that it will be less than one hour commute. I pray I still have something to offer. 

I am tired and weary and know this interim lasted far too long. They need to move one and so do I. But it will be bittersweet as usual. I've gotten to know and love them. I've gotten to feel comfortable in the worship space and being there. I've gotten comfortable with the short commute. But it's time. Ministry is never really about feeling comfortable for too long. God keeps us moving lest we get too complacent, too full of ourselves.

I have a whole bunch of stuff to clean out! Not my favorite thing to do, but things have accumulated over time. Sigh. I'll get there. Just hate to leave the confirmation kids 3/4 of the year through, but that's the life of an interim, you don't always get to choose the timing. They will survive.

I just pray that God will provide another position for me, just one more. 

A NEW YEAR

 already. The fall flew by with Thanksgiving and Advent and Christmas! Certain activities were ot held due to Omicron surging everywhere. L church did still hold their Christmas Concert somewhat pared down, but didn't the organist/conductor/organizer end up with COVID just in time for Christmas Eve? Thankfully, a local organist who plays for the Episcopal church was available for our two services and the Sunday after Christmas.

   The M church gave us the week after Christmas off (unpaid time off). I did work on Tuesday delivering a couple poinsettias to care facility people - one whom only I know and the other too far for others to drive plus its just 20 minutes from my home.

   Didn't have our New Year's get together with my sisters-in-law, as one of them had exposure but thankfully in the end, tested negative. We'll be getting together this Friday for lunch, afterall it was a 10lb ham for just two!!! Need to use the leftovers!

   And now it's time to think of Lent and what to do and what might we be able to do and what is Omicron going to look like by then. No one knows! I had thought the call committee of L church might have a candidate for pastor and I could ride off into the sunset before Lent. But I haven't heard anything yet. Sigh. So, what do I plan or not plan? They are supposed to give me 30 days notice, so there's that. The L church's sanctuary is under repair and repainting. After all the roofing was redone, and windows re- tuckpointed and sealed, and the water damaged walls dried out in 3 years, finally, the sanctuary is getting fixed. Thanks to a very generous estate gift! The repair is very costly. It looks like a construction zone with plastic covering everything - organ pipes, piano, and half of the sanctuary pews are moved to the other side. But so exciting to see this repair and repainting happening! Sign of new things to come and new things God will be doing, hopefully!!

   I'm ready to move on and so are they. This has been a 5 year "interim"! Actually, more like a state supply situation. It has been nice to have such a short commute. 

   So, I'm thinking Lent and need to mull it over and pray for divine inspiration! It will be here far too quickly. But for now, I am content to look out on the snowy landscape that looks like winter should. We have looked like November up until this Izzy storm hit. Now, to stay warm as we stay in the 20's for week or longer...