Catching my breath

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted. I keep thinking about the fact that I needed to put at least a little something up, but time for doing this has just slipped by. With thanks to Gavin for the push, I shall do my best to resume.

I've been here for just short of a month and so much has already gone on. From still settling in to my office, to finding the good places to eat, Laura and I are getting used to life here.

It's been a busy few weeks. We moved in (officially) on the 14th of June, were here for about 9 days and then went to Camp Sumatanga to direct a Jr. High Camp. Laura and I both came back from camp sick, me with a bad case of conjunctivitis in both eyes and a sinus infection. That Sunday I preached all three services and was welcomed with a very nice reception. Then, the next week was the 4th of July, which really breaks up the week, and that gets us to today.

Huntsville and Trinity are definitely different than life in Florence and Weeden Heights. I've gone from a congregation of 35-40 to a church staff that is about that large. I'll be teaching a Sunday School class in a couple of Sundays that is larger than most UMC congregations in North Alabama. It's definitely different here.

I'm loving it though. It's amazing how a change of environment can have such a profound effect. One of the big things that Laura and I have both noticed is that we feel lighter here. A simple fact of life about being a rural church pastor and living across the street from the church that you serve is that you are constantly under observation. I'll never forget the woman who lived two houses down from us in Florence telling me how she enjoyed watching us come and go from our house through her kitchen window.

Here, we're a little bit more anonymous. Don't get me wrong, it's not like Laura and I are trying to sneak around and engage in illicit activities, it's just nice to be able to go somewhere and not feel the heaviness of pastoral voyeurism.

The larger city isn't the only thing that has helped our health. Our apartment is situated next to a lake with a 5k walking path around it. We've made the walk a regular part of our activities. Food is better here too. We can actually find produce that is fresh and doesn't rot after 12 hours. I didn't realize how bright bell peppers could be.

As far as the rest of the things at the church go, it's a mix of getting used to the pace of how much more quickly things go and having more than just myself to rely on when it comes to getting things done. Before leaving for camp I mentioned in the worship meeting about having my scripture text displayed on the screens during the contemporary service. They told me who to contact and we could work it out. However, in my haste to get things ready for camp I didn't get a chance to get anything done about it. I was greatly surprised when I came in on that Sunday morning and was told, "OK, this is when your scripture will pop up."

There are many more things that I could cite as examples of "Wow" here, but that's it for now. I certainly feel at home here. The people are so kind and gracious and the mix of talents, gifts, and personalities make for an amazing worship and work experience. But, I would be remiss if I didn't stress that I'm not trying to say that Trinity is better than Weeden Heights. Weeden is a wonderful church with some very great people, who do some amazing things themselves. I just feel that at this time in my life, and mine and Laura's life, that this is where we need to be.

That's all for now. I hope to give and update on camp next post.