It's been a few weeks since I have posted and I've had a few folks ask what I have been up to and what my schedule will be for the next couple of months. So, for anyone who is interested, here's what's been going on since the last post.
I returned home from Nigeria on March 22nd and we closed on our new house the next day. I spent the next couple of days getting things ready for Bible Study and Worship Service here in St. Louis since I'm also serving as the vacancy pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church of West St. Louis County until our new pastor arrives. Then on Monday we moved to our new home in St. Charles, MO which is located about 20 minutes away from the church and parsonage in West St. Louis County where Beth and I and our family have lived for the past 19 years.
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of moving, cleaning, preaching, teaching, commuting, report writing, following up on emails from the visit to Togo and Nigeria, making plans for upcoming travels, and trying to un-pack while working out two offices with a computer that doesn't want to cooperate.
Just yesterday I returned from a visit to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. St. Paul is one of six Domestic Mission Congregations that receives subsidy from from the CLC Board of Missions budget. A few years ago the Board of Missions decided to make annual visits to the Domestic Mission Congregations a priority. This will now become one of my priorities as I make my visitation schedule each year. It was a privilege to serve as a guest preacher for Palm Sunday worship followed by a wonderful potluck dinner and an afternoon mission presentation. We wrapped up the afternoon with a discussion of the opportunities and challenges of working together to proclaim the Gospel. It was also a great opportunity to visit with and get to know Pastor David Reim and his wife Julie and all of the members of the congregation. Vernon is situated in a beautiful part of the Canada. If you are looking for a nice place to visit and great church to attend while visiting, put this on your list.
I will be home for Easter weekend and then off to the Detroit area for a visit with Mt. Zion Ev. Lutheran Church before the Board of Missions and Coordinating Council meetings that are scheduled to begin in Eau Claire, WI on the morning of Monday, April 24th.
My wife and I are planning a week of vacation in Arizona to celebrate our granddaughter's first birthday in early May. Then I'll be home for a few weeks before a visit to the CLC-Tanzania in late May and early June.
That about wraps things up until the CLC Mission Helpers and I leave for Nepal in early July.
There is a calendar on the left side of the blog that I plan to keep up to date.
