Charge Conferences #s 4 and 5

I had a charge conference last night and tonight, last night at Napolean, tonight at Dearborn. Both are served by student pastors. Jamie Gehrke just began July 1; Sue Reames started her fourth year, I think, in July, and continues to be very well received at Dearborn. Jamie is in his mid thirties, served in the Marines, has the coolest glasses frames I have seen other than mine and is off to a very good start in Napolean. Sue is, well, a mature woman--her spouse Travis is a retired pastor serving in my district. Sue will graduate in May and hopes to be commissioned next year. The charge conferences went well I think; the last two years I did the very same devotional at almost all my conferences---this year I sort of am. I am less structured this year so far (I have had five) which I think comes not from carelessness but from me being more confident. I am REALLY enjoying these..No big revelations here, but just a positive start to cc season. I shared the 5 practices at Napolean, which they generally did not know about...their lay leader Mike will take the lead in helping them study and find ways to shape their ministry around these. At Dearborn, Sue has preached a sermon series on the practices this summer , and when I had the folks help me name what they are, they had an idea. We talked quite a bit at Dearborn about how to turn outward in ministry--I was able to share some about a model for ministry with public schools. Anyway, hunt as I did, I found no signed print of Picasso's Crucifixion at either Napolean or Dearborn, but at both places, I did find as always fine folks dedicated to the ministry of Jesus Christ through their churches. And nurturing of student pastors. Yea!