my how time flies...

when you say yes to many things and then get sick on top of it all. :o)

I have spent the past few sundays doing pulpit supply in the Glasgow--thus preaching and leading worship. One was in the Southern part of Glasgow for a friend of mine and the other, just down the block from me for a local minister. Since then I have started my locumship at the wee church in Drumchapel, and have had about one week of pastoral care (& services) and am in the middle of the second week. During this time, we have had session & board meetings (elders & deacons), a churches together meeting (all the churches in drumchapel work together to minister to the people there...methodists, episcopals, catolics, presbyterians and united reformed churches...), a bible study on genesis 38-39, a home visit about two baptisms, and a pastoral visit for a woman who just lost her husband...with still more stuff yet to come. Whew! But I am really delighted to be serving these folk and the Kingdom of God.

This has presented some 'mobility' issues if you will, because I don't have a car, i take public transport (mostly buses) to the church and other bits---so I am learning to coordinate with the bus and to learn the various routes on the three different services I can take. The ride is about 30 minutes by bus to the church, so it often provides quite time for reflection etc.

We also completed our first Holy City Event this year...."Honeypots & Hairdressers". Our overall theme is "Tales of the Unexpected" and we are attempting to work with different stories in the Bible which are often overlooked in the lectionary texts (and the like)... Next month, Nov 26, our event is "Bricks & Babble"....talking about different sorts of walls, languages, words, buildings and stuff in the scriptures. I will be offering a workshop at this event on my recent trip to Palestine which primarily focuses on the concrete wall that Israel is building throughout the Palestinian land. Also, I am hoping to have as a guest one of the lads I met in Palestine who is currently studying in the EU. The possibility also exists that I will have the company of one of my seminary comrades who is returning to the States after serving in Tanzania.

Today, I spent the day in Edinburgh with a colleague talking about my recent trip to Palestine and her more recent trip to Lebanon. We are hoping to put together a CD/DVD about the "Facts on the Ground" with footage and photos of our visits. So...more about that in the new year.

Well, that's me for now. I must get back to my work, I am speaking tomorrow at the Friendship circle meetings (formerly known as Women's Guild).

Every Blessing to you all & Thanks for your continued prayers!
Jamie