Corey and I ventured up to Bloomington, IN for Annual Conference this past week, and my parents met us up there at their lake condo. I was commissioned on Friday night by the bishop in a wonderful ceremony. (See pictures on facebook!) I also got to see some of my old friends from St. Luke's, as well as meet some great new people that will be my colleagues in ministry. As I sat up on the stage during the celebration of ministry service, I looked around and asked myself, "How did I get here?!" This wasn't a scared or panicked question, but rather a statement of gratitude for the opportunities I have been given and for my calling into ministry. Being commissioned was truly an amazing experience, and not one that many will ever experience in their life's calling. It was also very meaningful for me to have my parents there to support me in all of this. It was simply a reminder of how much they have been here for me throughout this entire process and journey, and how they will continue to be there. It was also wonderful to have Corey with me, of course!
Along with this excitement came some funny and dramatic moments...the whole weekend there was confusion over my name....whether to use my maiden name or my married name, how was it printed, how it was going to be said, etc. So on top of this, when the candidates for commissioning were being asked to stand as his/her name was called, the person reading my name said, "Jeff...." and then corrected himself right away, but there was still a moment where I thought that I was going to be known as a man's name! So now the running joke is that I'm "Rev. Jeff." We'll see how long that lasts :). Anyway, also during the service, we could hear the tornado sirens going off outside, and there were storms for the rest of the night. We woke up to take my car to Terre Haute and got 20 miles away and discovered small towns literally under water, and finally had to turn around because the roads were closed due to flooding. I had never seen anything like it before. People's homes and cars were under water and there were boats going through parking lots to help people. We tried to map out 3 different ways to get to Terre Haute but realized that all were shut down. Leave it to my family to try to travel around the state of Indiana during the worst flood it has seen in about 100 years. I can't imagine what it must be like for the people being directly affected by this. Entire towns under water, bridges washed away, and roads damaged beyond repair. People were stranded and lost everything. Corey and I are trying to figure out exactly how bad it is in Terre Haute before we move there next week. It appears that I will be starting my first week at the church in the middle of a crisis situation and a community deeply affected by the flooding. I just pray that God will use me to help in any way I can. At times it seems overwhelming.
In other news, we are in the middle of packing, moving, getting to Terre Haute, and me starting at the church on Sunday. Everything is happening so fast! This is truly an exciting time for us, and it's only the beginning. If you're reading this, please pray for those affected by the flood waters and other natural disasters. They seem to be everywhere lately, and I'm sure many are asking the one question: "Why?" While we cannot offer an answer, we can offer prayer and healing. These are the gifts we are given.
1 comment:
Looks like you're diving in feet first into your congregation. You'll do great!
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