I thought that today I would take some time to fill you in on what passing the interview process of the board’s means both personally and professionally. The next step is to go before the Executive Session at Annual Conference the end of June for a final vote, so as much as I would like to think that it is a done deal, there is still one more critical vote to come. With that being said, I have been to 5 Annual Conferences, sat through 5 Executive Sessions and have watched over 100 people go up for a vote, and during that time, I have heard a total of maybe 10 individual “NO” votes spread between 100 different people over that time. In other words, almost everyone is unanimously accepted and no one has ever been voted down at Annual Conference that I have seen, so unless I do something pretty bad between now and June to upset the entire State of Indiana, I should be just fine:)
The next thing this means is that I will need to have a full time appointment. As a “Provisional Member” it is required by Discipline that I spend the next 3 years of preparation working in a full time position. Now with that being said, it doesn’t mean that I will be moved. They also have the ability to add another charge onto the two that I have in order to bring me to full time status. I love Crothersville and Cana, and if they ask me (which they won’t) my vote is to stay put where I am. But, this decision is strictly up to the Bishop and the Cabinet, and my only input is to do what I am told to do, and go where I am called.
During the next 3 years, I will be enrolled in a program called RIM, Residence in Ministry program. Although I don’t know a great deal about the program, I do know that I will be meeting with this group of people on a very regular basis over the next 3 years, attending regular weekend retreats as well as longer ones once per year. The process is designed to prepare me for Ordination at the end of the three year period. I believe that this will be an enjoyable experience and it will be a good transition from the daily work of seminary to a little less rigorous learning environment.
Words really can’t describe how I am feeling about all of this. I hardly slept at all Sunday night worrying about the interviews and then Monday night I hardly slept thinking about all of the pressure that had come off from my shoulders. I now have at least some sort of guarantee of a job for the next 3 years which wasn’t the case at all a few days ago. I have the guarantee of a place to live, and I will not have to think about what to do with Odie if some place didn’t want animals. (we Methodists think that it is important that pastors and their families be allowed to have dogs and cats) I can now focus on these last few weeks of seminary, and Lent, and Holy Week, and Vacation Bible School, and all of those other things that don’t seem quite so stressful now.
In reality, we have only one real challenge remaining for us over the next 3 months and that is to come up with about $2500 before they will let me graduate. But, the funny thing is that after the experience with the Board, I have truly learned to quite worrying about these things, I have no doubt that God is busy right now working to help me solve this roadblock, and that just like every other semester before, this little miracle will happen as well.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Blessings
The next thing this means is that I will need to have a full time appointment. As a “Provisional Member” it is required by Discipline that I spend the next 3 years of preparation working in a full time position. Now with that being said, it doesn’t mean that I will be moved. They also have the ability to add another charge onto the two that I have in order to bring me to full time status. I love Crothersville and Cana, and if they ask me (which they won’t) my vote is to stay put where I am. But, this decision is strictly up to the Bishop and the Cabinet, and my only input is to do what I am told to do, and go where I am called.
During the next 3 years, I will be enrolled in a program called RIM, Residence in Ministry program. Although I don’t know a great deal about the program, I do know that I will be meeting with this group of people on a very regular basis over the next 3 years, attending regular weekend retreats as well as longer ones once per year. The process is designed to prepare me for Ordination at the end of the three year period. I believe that this will be an enjoyable experience and it will be a good transition from the daily work of seminary to a little less rigorous learning environment.
Words really can’t describe how I am feeling about all of this. I hardly slept at all Sunday night worrying about the interviews and then Monday night I hardly slept thinking about all of the pressure that had come off from my shoulders. I now have at least some sort of guarantee of a job for the next 3 years which wasn’t the case at all a few days ago. I have the guarantee of a place to live, and I will not have to think about what to do with Odie if some place didn’t want animals. (we Methodists think that it is important that pastors and their families be allowed to have dogs and cats) I can now focus on these last few weeks of seminary, and Lent, and Holy Week, and Vacation Bible School, and all of those other things that don’t seem quite so stressful now.
In reality, we have only one real challenge remaining for us over the next 3 months and that is to come up with about $2500 before they will let me graduate. But, the funny thing is that after the experience with the Board, I have truly learned to quite worrying about these things, I have no doubt that God is busy right now working to help me solve this roadblock, and that just like every other semester before, this little miracle will happen as well.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Blessings
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