A Wild Fall

This has been a wild-and-crazy fall, probably the weirdest I've ever known. Not even filling out applications for the discernment process or working in another parish prior to seminary matched this one.

To make a very long, very hard story short, the two churches I've been serving as Priest-in-Charge (PIC's to those in the know!) began discussing how/whether/if to call me as Rector. While I was out of town in late October, the Vestry of the smaller church decided to decline the negotiated agreement (negotiated by a subcommittee of that vestry). I told the deployment officer in the Diocese to put my name in for a few places.

However, the larger of the two churches' Vestry met and decided to take a great leap of faith, and when they told me, I said I'd take it with them. And the result is that a church which was contributing 50% of the costs of a full-time priest this year increased their pledges by 70% and will be calling me full-time at the end of the PIC contract in mid-June. I had some concerns when they said they were going to initially try for 75% of the costs associated with clergy, so the leap of faith to 100% was amazing. I am still processing it all - it's certainly really nice to be wanted enough that folks would take that leap!

And the big family news was the thing that kept perspective for me! My niece and her husband had their first child in late October, a few days early. I was more than a bit stunned and surprised to find that she's partially named for me! You can meet Susannah Rose Hall at mandghall.blogspot.com . I've been able to see her about once a month so far, and looking forward to spoiling her a great deal. I KNEW there was a reason I kept all those beautiful pieces of fine cotton fabrics and my pleater when I moved to Sewanee!

My next journey is hopefully to home ownership. After the exhausting fall, I know my own need for a place that's mine and that fits my lifestyle and where I can paint the walls something other than beige. Beige carpet is fine, but that's all the beige I intend to have in my future!