Last Friday, I conducted the first (that I know of) inter-seminary Student Leadership Event. It went far better than I had hoped. We had enough food, enough participants, enough to do. We even figured out how to run technology in McGiffert. Folks seemed excited and ready to get more involved. I had been so nervous that nobody would come; it turned out that everyone registered in the last two days. Okay, I can live with that.

In some ways, it felt like one of the International Solidarity Movement trainings I used to lead in the West Bank and Gaza. True, we didn’t have bombs and gunfire outside, but rather there was an air of expectation, and a sort of delight in discovering common cause. People were trusting of one another, and curious. They were eager to do something that they hadn’t seen before. That’s hopeful.

I had been worried because so many of the folks who were involved in SeminaryAction last year graduated. Perhaps it was because they saw in their final year of seminary how important it would be to them in their first calls to be able to relate to people of other religious backgrounds. I got to thinking about this after going to a McCormick retreat and hearing one of the students talk about how she was going to spend as much time with other McCormick students this year, because it was going to be so lonely next year. True, when you get out into the parish you won’t be surrounded by all these other Presbyterian or UCC or Lutheran clergy, like if you came from a denominational seminary. But, if you could talk to folks from other schools, you might be a little less lonely and a little more able to relate to the clergy around you.

I’ve been meeting with potential donors this past week, and also with people working in foundations that just would like to help with advice. I’m open to all of it. I feel like there’s so much to learn in building this organization and running a fundraising campaign. It’s encouraging though to hear what they have to say, enough so that I ought to schedule one such meeting every week. It’ll keep me going when things get discouraging. Sure, faith will keep me going too, but I wouldn’t underestimate the usefulness of lots of mentoring.

I went to a Session (church council) meeting tonight. It was interesting to watch the personality and decision-making dynamics in the room, although it got kind of old after two hours. We still had another hour to go. I tried to talk a little, but I think folks were mostly pretty tired. Also, there was one disturbing moment, when I brought up a volunteer program that wanted to move into the neighborhood and just wanted a church home—no financial support or anything. One of the session members said, “We are too small to think about such things." They also have started discouraging university students from coming to volunteer at the church, saying it’s not worth having to open the church and turn on the lights.

It may be that they are tired. But I worry that a church so small and who says they want to grow is turning away eager young adults. Sure, it’s a logistical hassle. Perhaps we can find a volunteer coordinator with more energy and willingness to help. Perhaps it could be another young adult.

These days I have lively global hymns running through my head, with energizing beats. I think I run them through my head in order to counter the gloominess of our worship services. The new music director has been helpful; he plays a little faster on the organ than our previous musician. And he’s heard other beautiful forms of worship music, and understands blending services rather than having an all-contemporary or all-traditional. I think our congregation will enjoy them. I hope to find a way to introduce them.