Reverend Ref +

CLERGY CONFERENCE

I've been out of town most of this week at clergy conference, so I haven't had time to post anything. Last week's sermon finally got posted earlier today -- see below.

So -- clergy conference. What is it. This is a time for all the clergy to get together and get away. It was held at Camp Marshall, the diocesan camp, just north of Polson, MT. That's about 300 miles from Sheridan. The camp sits on Flathead Lake with lots of trees and cabins, some in better shape than others. It's pretty much your standard summer camp. There's even an osprey that has made it's home nearby. The one thing I don't like about the camp is that the area around it is very developed, it's more like being in the middle of a housing development than in a secluded camp.

But that aside, it is a nice place. Because there was so many of us, clergy and spouses, there wasn't room for everyone at the camp, so the Lovely Wife and I stayed at a motel in Polson. Not a bad place, but the walls were a little thin.

The focus of the conference was contemplative prayer, and we had Bonnie Thurston as the keynote speaker. It was . . . . interesting. Her focus was on Thomas Merton and she had a lot to say about him and his writings. If I'm going to be honest here, I would have to say that I'm still trying to find "what works" for me regarding my prayer life, and this wasn't it. More than anything, I was a disinterested observer. Maybe I'm still feeling the after-effects of dealing with the COM and having to "prove" my spiritual worthiness. Maybe that's an excuse. Maybe I'm just too uptight to really let go. It seems that, for me, alot of this stuff simply seems forced. Who knows?

Other than the topic, however, the 2-1/2 days were enjoyable. It was nice to meet many of the other clergy from the diocese, most of whom I have only met once before. Most of the members of the Commission on Mission Planning (CMP) were there, so we had a little pow-wow and started laying the groundwork for what we will actually be doing. I met another priest who was in the middle of creating an "end of life" packet for his parishioners. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I asked him to send me a copy of it when it was ready. My wife got to meet several other clergy spouses, and she said that that was good.

Our bishop also gave us a rundown on the House of Bishops, some of the work going on there, some background information on their communique and response to the Windsor Report, as well as our voluntary "time-out" from the Anglican Consultative Council, and some diocesan issues. I was reminded again how fortunate we are to have the bishop we have.

The food was excellent, the company was good, the conversation was enjoyable -- all in all, it was a good 2-1/2 days. And finally, as we were driving up for the conference we stopped in Butte at the $1 Store to pick up some balloons for a classmate of The Kid who was in the hospital. While there, I found something that I actually miss from Chicago -- IBC Rootbeer. This is good stuff, and the $1 Store in Butte carries it. However, they only carry 32 oz bottles. These are the biggest bottles of rootbeer I have ever seen in my life. I was happy.

It's been a good week. And now I need to plow through unread e-mails, snail mail, create a sermon for Sunday, and maybe work on my lines for the play.

Peace.