Sunday, September 9, 2007

Field Ed

I am currently working at Church of the Holy Comforter in Kenilworth as my field ed site. It is a beautiful church, full of wonderful, kind, and caring people that are doing wonderful things as God's hands and heart here in creation. Though I am used to a smaller, single-clergy, informal environment, I am beginning to feel comfortable in this large, multi-clergy, formal parish.
One of the challenges of being here is the preaching. Aside from the fact that I haven't preached before such a large crowd before (Sunday attendance is HUGE)and is making more than a little nervous for my first Sunday preaching gig, I have been struggling with preaching every week. Here at CHC, they have a weekday service every day of the week. I am preaching at one of these services every week. This is a learning experience! It isn't hard to come up with a great sermon when one has 6 or 8 weeks to plan, but when preaching weekly I am just happy to have a point! And if the congregation get the point, I am thrilled! The first few weeks of the weekly schedule were rough, but I feel like am getting into a groove now. Between preaching here on weekdays, preaching here on Sundays and preaching at school I am getting lots of practice!
The program year has started and the parish is literally overflowing with people, children, and programs. It is fantastic and exciting, while leaving me feeling a little overwhelmed and breathless too.

I'm Back!

Well, after a long enjoyable, unproductive summer of playing with my kids and hiding from any real responsibility that I could, I am back. Back to school, back to homework, back to over-functioning, back to over-committedness, back to it all. One nice thing is being back with old friends and meeting new friends.
I had planned a very useful and productive summer of studying for the GOE (General Ordination Exams) in January, but, alas, twas not to be. It is truly amazing just how many other things I can find to do, that absolutely MUST be done, RIGHT this very minute, cannot be put off even for one second, in order to avoid all those books I dragged home from school to study.
Oh well, why fight procrastination today when you can fight it tomorrow?