What I do

I actually kind of like it when I can't truly explain my job. When I worked in the young adult office in Missions personnel at GBGM, my older brother would call every other month to ask me what I actually did there. It was a little complicated but basically I was an advocte for young adults in 4 different young adult missions programs. I was one of several go-to-people for them. We recruited, interviewed, selected, trained and assigned young people for the programs...and then some. We lost our executive and our administrative assistant so we sorta filled in those spots as well. Easy to understand right? My favorite part of the job was that I lived a huge chunk of the time in Atlanta, GA. Where we used to train our people. My favorite city with my favorite airport.

Well, now I live in Clinton, OK. Population of just under 9,000. I work for GBGM again (The General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church) as a Church & Community worker. The church I served has been accepted as a chruch and community site. Basically I am there to bridge the church and community. Outside of Sunday morning worship. According to my US-2 missionary training, I am there to work myself out of a job. I am to insure that the community becomes invested and takes ownerchip of the church & community center. If I am unable to work myself out of a job then I failed as a missionary. God, I loved my US-2 training!

What do I do? Well, I am a trying to figure that out. I am in the process of assesing needs and trying to get the Cheyenne/Arapaho tribe interested in using our building for their programs for the community. I met with people of tribe and found out that tribe is already interested in more programs for the particular community the church is in, but didn't have a place in the community. But I can't connect with the people who could make it happen, that way I am not recreating programs that already exist. And they have more people to do these things.

I am also the pastor of the Clinton Indian United Methodist Church. When I was explaining to the kids about being a church and community center, one of the kid's primary concern was that the church part of it would really remain a church. The former adults have expressed interest as well. So I am trying to figure out the best use of the space we have for everything. And who will be preaching if I am out raising money for the center on Sunday morning.

I am also still on the ordination track. I am still apart of OIMC. And I have been to two more funerals for pastors. Our pastors are dying too fast. One was a retired pastor a couple of weeks ago and the one on Wednesday was just 52. She died of cancer. She waited to go to the doctor and when she finally went it was too late. She was given 6 months to live. My mom and I went to see her and her husband at her home the Wednesday before; we were on our way to MO to teach at their school of mission. She was in pain and hadn't eaten in a week. The hospital had sent her home to die so her husband was caring for her with a home nurse stopping in every couple of days. Her husband is a lay missioner in our conference. When we were there it seemed like it had just hit him. About his wife really not being there much longer. It was heartwrenching and I still can't process it. Her not being here anymore.

The retired pastor who died a couple of weeks ago, had lupis which I understand is very painful. She also had tuberculosis. So I have been meaning to get another skin test done. My mom and I also went to see her in the hospital in TX. She was also in so much pain. She watched me grow up but I was closer to her former husband as a child. He was also a pastor. He was one of my favorite people because he enjoyed my company and talked to me and would buy me candy and stuff like that. He had died when I was 12. She became a pastor herself and remarried. I just remember her current husband's face as well as her daughter's from her first marriage. The devestation. The daughter was the only left now that her mom was gone. Her sisters and brothers had all died years ago, as well as her father. Its hard to process this as well. It seems so very sureal. I was a pallbearer for her.

We had also just buried another retired pastor who had cancer. I think he had found out he had cancer but it was so far advanced they just gave him about 2 months. I have been trying to deal with all of that and trying not to drag everyone I know to the doctor for checkups.

Well, I do a host of other random things, like teaching at schools of mission and preaching at other churches. I accepted an invitation to preach this Sunday before I got too comfortable not preaching. Enjoying the not preaching made me nervous. Weird, right?

I will be in upstate NY in Aug. In a couple of weeks in fact. I think I am flying in to NYC. I am teaching at the missionary conference there. I still have the kids on Sunday and Thursday nights. I am aslo trying to get people on the center's board and have our first board meeting at the end of them month.

Other than that, I kinda make up the other parts of my job since I am the only on there. That part of my job I truly dislike. Working by myself. Sometimes I am doing all this stuff and then on top of that, I have to motive myself to keep going when it feels like no one would notice if I just stayed in bed all day. Actually no one would notice if I stayed in bed all day. David, my conference superintendent, my boss but not my boss anymore, calls me a lot, I think to make sure I am still there and have not moved back to NJ. I am thinking of asking him to retire and move to Clinton and help me do this. But I am sure it will not always be like this. I will absorb into the community and town and find local help. The people in town as all friendly so...I am expecting the bi-monthly calls from my brother about what I do to start soon.