Got up at 6, got the kids off to school, went for a 3 mile jog.
Hospital visit. I used to dread hospital visits. You just never know what you’re walking in to. What is the patient’s mood and prognosis? What is the family feeling? What is the pastor’s role? There’s been a trauma, and there’s always a lot to read in the room in terms of emotion in very little time. I’m not big on walking in, saying a prayer, and walking out. I spend maybe a little longer than most, trying to help sift through the emotional/spiritual reality in the room. I don’t dread visits anymore. I do dread the American healthcare “system.” Hospitals are generally terrible environments: sterile, soulless, confusing, and dehumanizing.
Staff meeting for 50 minutes. We meet on zoom and I work with the best staff in the world.
Bible study for 45 minutes, also on Zoom. We read from Jeremiah, whom I adore. So pessimistic, tinged with hope. My approach to Bible study is to try to get us all into the world of the text. To step inside it as a 3-dimensional space, to notice things, to ask questions about what we see, to observe how the text makes us feel. We usually have 6 or so people in Bible study. I wish we had 60. I love it.
Spent 30 minutes talking to the repairmen who came to fix the solar panels on the church roof. Every pastor becomes an armchair property manager. I know more about inverters than I ever expected.
An unhoused man dropped by to pick up his mail. He had used the church as an address during the summer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. We talked for 15 minutes—he told me about his struggle trying to get and keep work. Lots of entry level jobs have unreliable hours and schedules, which is complicated if you’re relying on public transportation or have to report to a shelter by a certain time in the evening.. He had walked 5 miles from Atlanta to get to the church. I promised him we would get him his mail. I also gave him a MARTA card so he could ride to his next destination. Dignity is hard when you don’t have reliable housing.
Talked for 20 minutes to our two wonderful “money changers”—two volunteers who come in to count the Sunday offering and deposit it in the bank. There are so many ways that unscrupulous people could steal money from a church. Churches have to build all kinds of financial safeguards—but most don’t. Pastors have to have our eyes on the church’s finances and financial management systems.
Filled out forms for benefits enrollment for our employees. As head of staff, I’m also the de facto HR rep. It makes me hate our healthcare system all the more. I had to call and ask for help filling out the forms because they were written in such bureaucratic healthcare-ese that I had no clue what they were asking. I felt very dumb. After 30 minutes, the forms were filled out and submitted.
Joined a zoom call in the late afternoon with pastors and therapists and LGBTQ organizers to talk about how to respond to the new presidential administration and the hostile climate it will create for people we love.
In the evening, I went to a city commission meeting to voice support for affordable housing. Decatur has become a rich town over the last 20 years. Affordable housing stock disappeared. The Decatur Housing Authority is trying to build more, but—surprise!—a local neighbors group has opposed it at every turn. My church has played a strong role in organizing pro-affordability policy, so I turn up at meetings when the opposition is planning something. Last night was great—only one opponent of the project spoke. About 10 people spoke in favor of the project. Organizing works!
Watched the Manning Cast of Monday Night Football while I washed dinner dishes. Went to bed at 10:15. A fair sample of the range of things a pastor does during a day.
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