Swamped by a busy fall schedule

The last few weeks have been very busy for me...as you can see by the scarcity of posts on this blog! The reason is that we've started up our fall programming and all the sudden I have a lot more things on my plate.

I spend two to three hours a week preparing for my weekly Bible studies, and a couple more hours leading them, plus I have the Wednesday night program which pretty much takes up all my time on Wednesday afternoons.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you! I love all these things. It's just that they eat up a lot of time that otherwise could be used for things like writing this blog! Another area that suffers is visiting. I was relieved that I could make a pastoral call this afternoon that I'd been planning to do for some time.

I'm doing a lot of good things...if only I could do them faster!
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Freedom 5K Walk/Run

Today eight of us attended the Freedom 5K Walk/run in Bainbridge Island. The event was an awareness raiser and fundraiser for the issue of human slavery. Yes, amazingly enough, human slavery exists today, even in our own communities. The most vulnerable of society -- often homeless kids on the street - are recruited or forced into situations they can't get out of, and end up as prostitutes or unpaid domestic workers. Illegal immigrants are another favorite target of traffickers who take advantage of their illegal status and force them to work in degrading circumstances.

It was good to walk the three miles with my son Guy and the other members of our team. We had a beautiful day to enjoy the walk. About 200 people participated.

From Barn Sale to Barnival

Today we had a meeting to review the Barnival held the weekend before last. It was a good meeting, with nine people present and a lot of energy. We all agreed that the Barnival had been a success and we'd like to do it again next year.

Having said that, we then launched into an energetic discussion of how we could improve things next year. We covered all the major areas of the Barnival planning process and came up with some good ideas. Click here to read my meeting notes if you want the details.

What I think is interesting is the way we went from the Barn Sale last year to the Barnival this year. The Barn Sale was on its last legs, with little participation and a lot of unhappiness over too few people doing too much work. It was once a very lively event, but it had just run its course.

We held a meeting last winter to discuss alternatives for fund raising, but we didn't come up with any firm decisions. Later the BC set a deadline: if no chair came forward, we would cancel the Barn Sale. No one stepped forward, so the Barn Sale quietly died.

That left the door open for something new, and Marty Whitaker stepped forward with some fresh ideas and a vision for a new event. She named it "Barnival", and once we got the idea, off we went.

We had a core of about 10 people who did some crash planning. Although we started late, we got a lot done in a short time and we were able to pull it off. Marty and John and Janet Steller put in a lot of time and energy to make sure we were on our way. Other people came on board, and when the day came, the event was a success, despite the drizzle and a few unexpected glitches.

What impresses me was how we were able to let go of something old and allow something new to be born. Sounds a lot like death and resurrection. A parish must find ways to revitalize itself or else it will die. I think we did a good job in making the transition from the old to the new, and I think it's a good sign for other changes that we'll make to become a revitalized parish.
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My new role at Chorale

I've taken on a new role at Bremerton Chorale, that of social chair. Here's how it came about: I've truly enjoyed singing with the Chorale for two years, but I haven't felt like I've gotten to know the other singers very well. We rehearse intensely, but we haven't had much social time together.

So I volunteered to help us become more connected personally. Last night, our second rehearsal of the season, I organized a brief social time at the beginning of rehearsal, with finger food to eat. After about fifteen minutes of noshing, I stood up and directed the singers to do a series of icebreakers. I told them to gather into groups by sections and introduce themselves. Then I told them to gather into quartets, with one singer from each section, and introduce themselves again. Then we formed a long line according to the distance of our commute, and then another long line according to our length of time in Chorale.

I've also started a Yahoo group e-mail list so we can communicate with the whole group by e-mail, and I'm trying to create a webpage with resources. I'll ask two or three singers each rehearsal to introduce themselves to the group so we get to know each other.

I really enjoy this kind of organizing activity. Several people, including our director, told me, "This is just what we needed." We all want to feel more connected to each other in Chorale, and I think my gifts and personality are helpful in doing this.

Although this is not part of my job description as vicar of St. Antony's, I find that this kind of community activity pays dividends for the parish in the long run. Eventually, someone says, "I wonder what his church is like," and they investigate. 

It's all part of the role of being "the vicar of silverdale."

More Barnival Photos

At the Barnival last Saturday, we had lots of kids activities, and the children loved them! We had face painting, puppet theater, beanbag toss, bubbles, an Apostle scavenger hunt, thumbpainting, and more. Here are some photos.

A flower girl in front of the "Country Capers" duo.

The beanbag toss - fun for children of all ages!

Sarah with happy kids

A rosy-cheeked girl

Some of the masks we made

We had a visit from a clown!

Successful Barnival!

Today we held the Barnival! And despite drizzly weather in the morning, we had a good turnout of people all day long and had a successful event. It was especially fun to have music from "Bill and Friends" group and the duo, "Country Capers". With people coming and going, lots of conversations, and music in the background, it felt like a good old country fair. Here are some photos to show what it looked like.

Country Capers Duo

Lunch under the porch

The barbecue crew

Katy throwing beanbags for the beanbag toss

Tossing beanbags

One of our young friends who made a mask and tried out the beanbags.

Losing the colors

Today I visited a parishioner in a care facility. I've visited her many times over the last two years, beginning with the elegant apartment where she took Katy and me to lunch, then, as she declined cognitively, into more and more intensive care facilities. Now she's in a dementia unit.

Today I found her parked in her wheelchair in the main room where a volunteer was singing and playing old favorites on a keyboard. She told me (several times) that she wanted to get up and dance but she couldn't because she might fall.

As she loses her cognitive abilities, I think of her as losing the colors of life. What was once full of color and interest is now becoming grayer and duller. After my visit, I made a sketch of the facility in ink, and when I got home I added color. The colors cheer me up, and remind me how precious life is.