Ministry Time in Small Town Ontario

Well , its been just over a month since Igot back from Cochrane.  It seems like a long time ago!

I had an absolute blast.  Preached for 8 Sundays in a row.  Visited parishioners. Showed up for community events.  Lived with a roommate for the first time ever!

I left feeling really called to church ministry - I loved the church and her people even though there were things that I would want to encourage to change.

The people were super friendly and down to earth.  For the first time in years I was able to wear what I want and still fit in.  The houses were well kept but not fancy.  The town had cute stores and everything I needed.  The local Chinese restaurant made wicked home made cheeseburgers with fries and gravy.

The local churches get together every Thursday for an hour of prayer followed by breakfast together.

One of the greatest compliments I got was on my last day I did a sermon and a bunch of CRC came to visit the town.  They were older and obviously well churched and took time to encourage me in my studies and to go for it!  It was nice to have people affirm me.

And affirmation was everywhere.  I preached some hard stuff when the time was right and it was recognized as challenging for the church to think about BUT Biblical.  The elder gave a speech at the end which was so kind and gracious thanking me for my time and how much they enjoyed having me there.  At one point they had stopped referring to me as their "student pastor" but just called me "pastor" when introducing me. 

I went to a farmer's picnic and they asked the elder from the church to do the blessing.  They all know he is a Christian.  Later he asked if that was okay - he apologized and said that he had been doing it for decades but wondered if he should have deferred to me!  Anyone who knows my journey knows how surprising that is.

I also got to have some indepth conversations with parishioners.  It was a real joy to sit and talk and enter someone else's personal place like that.

Of course I'm suspicious.  Things in Toronto plod along at their confusing rate.  I'm wondering if God granted me this affirmation not to push me further but to get it out of my system so he can prepare me for whatever it is that I will be doing.  This way I won't look back and wonder if I could have done church ministry.  I know that sounds paranoid but there do not seem to be too many doors open here.

I miss the place and have come to be very disenchanted with Toronto.  Its big and impersonal and very hard to do ministry in.    C is still looking for a job - though he has another interview on Monday.