Thursday

  • Back to the on-and-off Thursday morning routine of a fairly short weights workout followed by 45 minutes on the treadmill.
  • Morning Prayer in the cathedral.
  • Made air travel and hotel arrangements for a trip to Philadelphia next month in order to attend the annual Mass and meeting of the Society of King Charles the Martyr. Since they were kind enough to grant me an honorary life membership last year, and then elect me to their board, it seemed the right thing to do. I've never been to Philadelphia, so that will be an added bonus. (Plus, I'm preaching the next day in a friend's parish.) I took the time to familiarize myself with a map of downtown, and with transit options from the airport.
  • Conferred a bit with Pete Sherman, with whom we are contracting to get our new database software up and usable. Handed him my Mac laptop for him to install a Windows emulation program, since the new software runs in a Windows environment.
  • Kept a scheduled telephone appointment with the Archbishop of Calgary, who is a longtime friend and seminary classmate. We try to check in with one another for mutual support on a regular basis.
  • Lunch from Taco Gringo, eaten at home.
  • Debriefed with Pete on the back end of the software installation. I can now run Windows programs on my Mac.
  • Met with a group of key players in our diocesan summer camping program in order to assess the impact of the recent news that our longtime partner, the Diocese of Quincy (originally TEC, then in its ACNA incarnation), has ended their participation in the relationship. Between dollars, campers, and staff members, the dollars can be fairly easily made up, and there was a consensus to embrace the challenge of lower numbers of campers and staff members and move ahead with plans for the coming summer.
  • Responded via email to a pastoral care request from an Episcopalian in a diocese where theological views that are fairly mainstream in Springfield and profoundly marginalized. This happens fairly regularly.
  • Responded via email to a message from a communicant in one of our own parishes whose views on a controverted issue are marginal in this diocese. See, it works both ways. The expression "communion across differences" says it best, I think.
  • Sent a batch email to all our deacons (of which there are only five at present) in an attempt to set a date and time to gather them for a meal and some conversation. Negotiations are ongoing.
  • Attended to a routine monthly calendar-related chore.
  • Evening Prayer in the cathedral.

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