Thursday (William Laud)

I returned last night from my two-day trip to Virginia to take part in a "conciliation" conference with respect to the Title IV disciplinary complaints that have been filed against made and seven other bishops. Sadly, I am constrained by several forces from saying anything more about either the process or the fruit of the meeting at this time. I know there is apprehension and speculation in many quarters, and it is immensely frustrating to me that I cannot say anything to allay anxiety and quiet speculation. Please be patient ... and pray for my own patience!

Dealing with some of this detritus kept me up until the neighborhood of 1am, so I did not get a very energetic start to the day. Emails always accumulate when I travel (despite my attempts to process many of them on the go), so I had a good batch to deal with at home. I arrived in the office just in time to attend the 10am Standing Committee meeting. I very much value their ministry to me as a Council of Advice. After the meeting, I met with Fr David Boase, the Standing Committee president this year, over an ongoing pastoral concern.
Lunch was at home, then back in to deal with more emails and phone calls. Eventually I did manage to attack my to-do list, making some progress on preparing an application for a companion diocese UTO grant to help get the Bishop of Tabora a reliable automobile, and made major progress on some liturgical matters related to next month's clergy retreat.

Tomorrow morning Brenda and I head by air to Charleston, South Carolina, where I will preside and preach at the Church of the Holy Communion on Sunday, after which we will take a three-day mini-vacation there in a warmer climate.

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