Candidating: Monday

Quite simply I would have to say yesterday was intense.

We left the fancy dancy hotel, made our way surprisingly quickly to the East Side, to the corner of Benefit and Benevolent (can anyone hope for a better address?) and launched…

Met many, many people. Some worried for various reasons, and a tiny bit of quite natural wariness hung in the air. Many continue to miss Thomas Ahlburn. Most, however, of the folk I met expressed varying degrees of excitement about the process and my prospects…

I preached. Boy, that is one nose-bleed pulpit. There were maybe three hundred folk, perhaps a few more present. I don’t have a “feel” for the meetinghouse. I understand it should be able to pack nine hundred, if everyone is being particularly friendly. The hardest part to factor is the extremely large balcony, the primary preserve of the youth who choose to grace worship with their presence…

I stood in the longest receiving line I’ve yet experienced, shaking hands and briefest pleasantries (and, yes, there was an alternative exit for those not so inclined…).

Then I met with the High School youth. Great crowd. After which my “handler,” Jan and another of us slipped away to Whole Foods for a quick lunch. While standing on line a young woman (well, she’s in the fifth grade) introduced herself to me as Emma, and offered that she thought I did a great job at church that morning (Cathy the DRE & I did a brief telling of a story describing “ministers.”). Obviously, a very bright child. And I took it as a good sign…

Then back to meet with the Membership committee, the Fellowship committee and the Deacons (I’ve never dealt with UU deacons before. Their charge is a tad nebulous, not unlike that for a minister, with a concern for the spiritual health of the community.) All very interesting…

Because of the relative proximity between Providence and Newton Jan & I declined the offer of a hotel for the whole time. We accepted Saturday night and will return to Johnson & Wales for this coming Friday and Saturday evening. But, will return home to sleep for the balance. This had the unfortunate consequence Sunday of needing a place to lay down for a few minutes. Fortunately our old and dear friend Bill Zelazny, who is the District Executive in Providence, while he was out of town, gave Jan the keys to his house. So, we had a quick rest. (I appear to have closed my eyes and started snoring)

Then we returned where we met with the BUUUG’s, (the Brown University Unitarian Universalist Group), undergraduates, graduate students and a few college age but working, who gather every Sunday evening. A spectacular crowd. We discussed those various experiences people have of finding images of Jesus or Mary or some divine figure in water stains and tacos, and from that, considered what such experiences might have to say to religious liberals.

After which Jan & I returned to Newton and fell into our beds.

Today I have one little bit of Newton church business to attend to, then this afternoon I’ll return to Providence to meet with folk from the Music committee, the Small Group ministry, Adult RE and then RE committee and teachers.

I expect to return to the house a bit on the late side…