Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Up and out in time to retrieve Bishop Godfrey from his hotel right at 6:30am and then head north to Lincoln. I presided at the 7:30 Eucharist and he preached. Between services, he showed some slides to a group of interested parishioners about the ministry of the Diocese of Peru. Takeaway line: "We don't just serve the poor; we are the poor." Indeed the growing Anglican presence in Peru is happening among those whom the more "native" Roman Catholic Church seems to be ignoring or overlooking or taking for granted. There's one community of 80,000 people--the highest city in the world, at an altitude of 18,500 feet--where the diocese of planting what will be the first church in town, of any brand or stripe. At the later liturgy, Bishop Godfrey again preached, while I presided and confirmed two adults. After a repast in the parish hall, we returned to Springfield for some down time before gathering again for dinner in our home, along with Archdeacon Shawn and Mary Ann Denney. Before winding up the day's activities, we had to assist the Bishop with rerouting his travel plans, as a winter storm in the northeast has rendered his scheduled visit to the Diocese of Albany impossible. So he's staying on in Springfield on Monday and heading to Jacksonville, FL, his next port of call, early Tuesday morning.

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