Friends

Today I board a plane to San Francisco to study with 17 other clergy. These are probably some of my best friends in the world and I have that child-before-Christmas sense of time fluttering in my belly. It's been over a year since I've seen most of these friends and honestly, I can't wait.

We met on a study grant through the First Parish Project 3 years ago. Most of us, at that time, were serving as solo pastors of our first church -- and most of us had served less than 1 year. We boarded planes from all over the country, hoping above all hopes that the other 18 of us would not look or act clergy-ish. We should not have fret. Upon arriving at the airport, we discovered a bunch of 20-ish and 30-ish aged people, wearing blue jeans and birkenstocks. By the end of the first long weekend, we had weathered an unexpected hurricane in NC together and played 3 Lies and a Truth in the darkness when the storm kicked the electricity off. Since then we have gathered 6 times -- this marks the 7th. In each gathering we all leave our lonely jobs and gather with friends who understand the difficulties of ministry. We struggle with difficult congregation members, families who want more of our time, and parishioners pulling for that same time. We evaluate our calls into this low paying professional position on a daily basis. We share when our doubts seem stronger than our faith and when our faith is so strong we feel we will burst. And we laugh together -- deep belly laughs.

Friendships are hard to make in ministry. To pastor a church, especially in rural areas like Arbuckle Creek, requires that we frequently sequester ourselves within our little faith communities and come out for air only to have a reputation as the pastor of a community (for good or for ill). Friendships are rare gifts, and while I have finally made some true friends in Arbuckle Creek, they are rare gems. So think about me this week (if anyone reads this blog besides other FPP-ers!) for I plan to have the time of my life learning and studying, yes, but also playing with my friends.