Wondering on the Walk About

Second day of the Walk About. Third stop of the trip at St. Thomas in Rawlins. People have interesting, deep questions about the nominees and the life of the church, but I am wanting to spend more time and get in deeper dialogue with everyone than the time we have is allowing! I found the small groups at St. Mark’s, Cheyenne , which met with one nominee at a time, to be intimate and allowed for some amount of follow-up to initial answers I gave. The larger groups at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie met with 3 candidates at a time, which generated a different level of energy. I found that listening to the answers of two of my traveling partners was fascinating and also helped to focus my responses. The more informal and brief stop at St. Thomas in Rawlins was refreshing in that I got to connect with  several individuals who generously entered into conversation about their congregational contexts…but I left realizing there were more people present who I hadn’t had a chance to touch base with.
 I wonder, would it be helpful to use this blog as a way to reach more people in a deeper way? And what exactly is the kind of knowledge about a person which informs discernment? I know in smaller churches where we spend up to a year doing congregational formation before we are even ready to do discernment around ministries (both lay and ordained), it is often listening to the stories a person shares about his or her life which give insight into not only the nature of the individual but the gifts they bring to the table. Maybe sharing in this forum the stories I am telling on the Walk  About will help to give greater insight into the gifts I bring and whether they are indeed a fit for our diocese. I think I’ll try to do that in the days ahead…if energy levels and wifi connections allow….