Saturday (Richard Hooker)

Out the door with Brenda at 8:30 so we could be at St George's, Belleville in time for an 11am Eucharist in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the relationship between St George's and St Mark Lutheran Church; they share facilities. We were joined by Bishop John Roth, my ELCA counterpart, who preached. After the liturgy, we adjourned to a nearby catering facility for an elegant luncheon banquet.

Back on the road at 3:30. Checked in at the Hampton Inn in Marion at little past 5:00. We were met at 5:30 by Fr Keith Roderick, who drove us to the home of Trish Guyon, one of his parishioners at St Andrew's, Carbondale, for another elegant meal, this time with St Andrew's vestry and spouses. Looking forward to tomorrow's official annual visit, and grateful for an extra hour's sleep!

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