Up Tempo

It has been about a week since I have updated you all on my internship and I will attempt to do just that here.

One thing I have learned over the past week is that a pastor's schedule can be like driving a stick shift car in downtown traffic.  You have to react to each day differently.  Some days like this past Saturday you might find yourself staying in just one gear the whole day.  We did construction all day on Saturday from 9 am to 7pm and it was great.  We made so much progress and area nearly ready for a rough inspection by the city's building inspector.  Just so you all know the church is building an elevator-like lift to go between three different floors in the building.  This lift will allow those with mobility problems to more easily traverse the church building which has been an issue for this church for years.  Thursday was a lot like Saturday in that I did just one thing and that was rest.  I spent my day off talking with friends back in Indiana and Michigan so good to hear from you all.  Then I get days like Wednesday where I come in to the church for the morning, go to Fenway park for an early afternoon game which gets rained on and then return the church at 5:30 to resume construction.  I literally changed my hats that day too going from a baseball hat to a hardhat in a matter of seconds.  Sunday was a similar story.  Pastor Reid invited me to join the worship  team for the contemporary songs segment of the service (they still use their old red hymnals too which is awesome!).  Then we went down to Providence Rhode Island to learn about Roger Williams.  Williams was an advocate for Indian rights in the 17th century and was an instrumental churchman in articulating the idea of the separation between Church and State.  I would highly encourage further study on the man if that latter idea interests you or Early American history is something you enjoy.

This morning I have spent a lot of time reading and praying.  At times I feel guilty for doing this during my work time, but I realize this is work and is necessary for work.  I know Bonhoeffer talked about the relationship between work and prayer.  I hope mine is in balance.  This afternoon I will be meeting with the associate pastor primarily talking about a reading he gave me in Bill Hull's Jesus Christ Disciple Maker.  In the book Hull touches on the idea of evangelizing to people by providing them a choice.  In a sense the gospel has always fasicanted people for a time whether they choose to believe it or not.  Hull believes that the best way to reach out to people is to allow their curiosity to bring them into the Church and let them dwell with the scriptures and believers.  After a time teachings and questions will set in and it is then that we can deepen the relationship and establish a more effective dialogue.  Also Pastor Reid has me going through a section of Richard Baxter's The Reformed Pastor.  Now I have read parts of this book already, but not this portion.  Baxter writes about the necessity of visitations.  Not visitations limited to just hospital or illness visits, but visitations to all the congregation throughout the year.  Baxter argues that the pastor cannot be effective for his congregation until he knows the state of the congregation's faith.  This knowledge of the congregation's faith is given to the pastor through relationships and interactions the pastor and congregants have.  Baxter believes that one the most effective interactions a pastor can have with congregants is a visit to their home.  Now Baxter does have concerns with doing this but for the most part he sees it in the same way a doctor used to visit the home of the ill to make his diagnosis.  Anymore we go to doctors for a diagnosis, but rarely do we see people come to the pastor when they have concerns and almost never see someone who wants to talk about beliefs who is not in some sort of crisis.  In other words few if any would come in for a spiritual check up in the way some go to a physical given by a doctor to a healthy person.  I really do wish more of the Church was accepting of these ideas thereby allowing their priests or pastors to better disciple the congregations.

It has been an excellent internship so far.


Blessings