A New Chapter

I learned tonight that I’m appointed 1/4 time to pastor Wolf Creek United Methodist Church. That’s subject to their acceptance of me; however, I am their longest serving pastor (11 years) so they have some idea of what they’ll be getting. When I’ve had services there over the past year or so, I am warmly received. We will discuss details of the arrangement the first week of May.

Quarter time may be difficult for me to adjust to, since I am used to being the guy who’s at the hospital at 2 a.m. when needed–that sort of thing. If we can be clear about our mutual expectations, all will go well, I think, and this old dog certainly can re-train.

But what about Good Samaritan Care Center? We shall see. Lately, I find myself chafing against more and more of what I think are bureaucratic paperwork tasks that take time from what I signed on to do when I was invited to consider chaplaincy work there: do one-on-one ministry with residents, with families with great guilt about putting a loved one in a nursing home, and with staff that sometimes has a difficult day or has something at home that’s upsetting and they need to dump their burdens. I’ll continue as long as I can and I will know when the Lord tells me it’s time to quit. As for the added schedule, the Lord has made me strong.

Our town home association’s secretary/treasurer is in a nursing home and the books and records have been dumped in a box and left with me. We all will need to meet to figure out practical things like who gets the mail, who signs checks and pays the bills, and who contracts to have things done around our eight units. I don’t think it’s all that much work, but I really would rather have someone else take it on.