Finding True North #11: Teaching, Worship, Names, and Kenya

Today I spent a lot of my time bugging Brenda. If things continue as they are, it looks like I'll be splitting my time between Brenda's office and Nancy's (where I actually have a desk and a church computer). That's fine by me, because they're both awesome.

Brenda and I were working on two things: planning worship for Lockerbie Central on Sunday (yes, this Sunday) and brainstorming for a worship design class we're hoping to teach. We're planning to lead a discussion about "Approaching the Bible" this Sunday evening at Lockerbie as part of the worship service, and I immediately put dibs on the Old Testament. Since my Facebook poll yesterday about sermon titles was at least amusing, I posted another question today: "If you could say one thing to a group of people about the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, what would it be?" I think my favorite responses were, "It's hard out there for a...prophet" (Kate Flynn) and, "If it doesn't matter as much as the NT, then we sure are killing a whole lot of trees for no reason" (Sarah McGiverin). Nice. Anyway, I'll share more about that once we hammer out our plans for Sunday.

I've also been working on the bulletin and my sermon for Pentecost. I am *quite* excited about it. The choir has an anthem recalling Ascension Day and one focused on Pentecost, and the organ prelude and postlude are liturgically appropriate, as usual. And, of course, I picked good hymns. :)

For lunch, Brenda, Brian and I went to Yats, a cajun creole restaurant that is apparently a college favorite. This happens to be one of four eateries that Chad, last year's Duke intern, recommended I go to while I'm here. Check. The food was great, though I sure do need a nap right now. Also, one of the guys working there knew Brenda from Earth House, so we got free lunch. Awesome.

Something else I did today was to start a document on my computer called "My NUMC Directory." I adapted this idea from Laura Steed, who told us yesterday that when she first went to Kenya, she would write down names of and take notes about people she met to help herself remember them later. I procured a church directory and wrote down the names of people I've met directly so far, adding biographical info and memorable bits of stories to help me remember where I met them and who they are. I'm hoping I can keep up with this and that it will help me with name retention.

Kevin was out of the office most of the day because last night his father fell and was taken to the hospital. From what I've learned, his father has been ill for a long time—as in, over a decade. Prayers for Kevin and his family are encouraged.

The last thing on my schedule today was a board meeting for the Global Interfaith Partnership. It was at 4:30, so a little before 4:00 I decided to give myself a bit of a break to go read. I'm currently reading a novel by C. J. Sansom called Heartstone as well as Bryan Stone's Evangelism After Christendom. I need to finish the latter so I can write a paper for my evangelism directed study, and I need to finish the former because I'm not allowed to start Nikos Kazantzakis' The Last Temptation of Christ (which my friend Ben lent me) until then.

Anyway, I was just a spectator at this meeting, but it was interesting. Global Interfaith Partnership cooperates with various congregations and faith-based organizations in Indiana, and many more in Kenya. The Partnership supports the Umoja Project in Chulaimbo, Kenya, where the other interns are heading tomorrow. The group is working on getting an interfaith pilgrimage planned for clergy from here to travel to Kenya. They are also working on girls' issues and handed out the results of wide-ranging interviews conducted on a recent trip to Chulaimbo, which revealed the ways in which young women are particularly disadvantaged in that cultural and economic location. Ellen Daniels-Howell, the executive director (who is a member at North), said that professional women especially had a lot of ideas of how to help improve the situation of girls there. Also present at the meeting was Winnie Amollo, a former Umoja scholar who worked for the project for a year after graduating. Suzanne Anthony, a member at North (whose sister is in my class at Duke), just spent 4 weeks in Chulaimbo and reflected on the depth of relationships and competency of the staff that she witness while she was there. The GIP is really focused on empowering local leadership to make positive change for the community.

Tomorrow promises to be busy. I'd like to go to Bread 'n' Bowl, the thrice-weekly soup kitchen hosted at North—that's at 11:00 a.m. The Farmer's Market starts tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Then there's some Board of Directors meeting I'm going to at 5:30 (I don't actually know what they direct) and then I *might* attend choir practice at 6:30. There are only 3 choir rehearsals left before they switch to summer choir, a more relaxed format that includes just a 10:15 a.m. Sunday morning rehearsal to sing at 11:00. I'd really like to be able to see Mark and Martin at work before that changes over.

As the summer cranks up, don't worry, I probably won't continue to post daily. But everything's just so new and exciting! :) Blessings.