Friday (St Francis)

  • Up at 0500, out of the garage at 0534. In the office at 0900.
  • Conferred with the Archdeacon briefly on a couple of things, organized my tasks, then conferred with the Archdeacon again on some additional matters, these more weighty than the previous ones.
  • Took my developed outline of a sermon for Proper 23 (October 13 at St Christopher's, Rantoul) and brought it to the rough draft text stage.
  • Lunch from Chick-Fil-A, eaten in the mall parking lot, listening to the radio.
  • We have accumulated a substantial sum of money to assist with clergy healthcare insurance in the Diocese of Tabora, and it had been my intent to actually wire the funds. With the Archdeacon's help, I found the record of the last such transaction, which contained all the necessary information, and hoofed it down to Illinois National Bank. To my surprise, they've changed their policy, and will no longer work off of such forms. They require fresh information. Now, if I had just copied down the information in my own handwriting and brought *that,* it would have been acceptable. Frustrating. So I emailed Bishop Elias and let him know the lay of the land.
  • Returned a voicemail from a lay person in the southern part of the diocese with a technical question about a baptism.
  • Had a substantive telephone conversation with one of the clergy of the diocese over a pastoral issue that I only became aware of a couple of days ago. Followed it up with a text and an email to a couple of other interested parties.
  • Learned via Facebook message of the death this afternoon of Bishop Peter Beckwith, my immediate predecessor. It was a surprise, as we were not aware of the illness that took his life.
  • Attended to some straggling communication issues.
  • In the cathedral, did a lectio divina on today's Old Testament reading from the daily office lectionary. Followed up with Evening Prayer.

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