Usually Thursday is a quieter day after a busy Wednesday night supper & associated ministries with the church full of activity for children, youth, and adults. It's typically a pleasant, more meditative day closing out a busy time from Sunday through Wednesday. It's a great day to prepare for weekend and Sunday ministries with a slower pace & a time to catch your breath.
Today was a little different.
9:00 AM - I filled my van with school supplies for an inner city school. I then spent some time with my local missionary friend Marsha and the principal of the elementary school. We talked about community partnerships in after school ministry, summer programs, and enrichment activities.
Returned to church office, took care of some phone calls & e-mail, and wrote letter requesting donations from some local companies to fill a 40 foot container to be sent to Togo next month for the orphanage, school, and Kipuke ministries.
11:30 AM - Arrived at Salvation Army for tour and lunch. Discussed partnership with our church with their existing SA work, as well as sharing ideas about ways to partner as Augusta prepares for a Kroc Center to be established in a neighborhood very close to Trinity on the Hill. The Kroc Center would include something like a community center and a one stop social services complex. I also ate a "free" SA lunch.
1:30 PM - I met for an hour with a college student who is entering her junior year. She is a double major in English and Spanish, and has done Study Abroad in Spain and served on mission trips in two South American countries. She is looking forward to next summer and wants to do a 3 month internship with opportunity for more extensive immersion in Hispanic ministries. Hmm, the possibilities for next summer are already shaping up!?
3:30 PM- One hour meeting with a friend from our church who is interested in establishing Hispanic ministry in our metro Augusta area. She is native to Mexico, married an American a number of years ago, and has called Augusta home for the last few years. I'm currently talking with local United Methodist pastors and churches attempting to build a coalition of people interested in this opportunity. I'll facilitate 5 sessions in September and October as we gather these interested parties around the table and discuss the prospects for development of this over the next year. Plus we'll eat some authentic Hispanic food and listen to music from some Central and South American countries courtesy of Carmen!
The interesting thing is none of these meetings were on my calendar when I stepped in the office Monday morning! It's always a wonder to me the way God can connect us if we are open to new creations and available to listen to one another. Let's see where this breeze of the Spirit takes us...
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