The second semester of seminary is now underway. Last week I took part in an intensive training and class in community organizing and congregational development. I really enjoyed the class! There were 60 people in the class from all over the country. Everyone had stories that were interesting and unique. The diverse environment of the classroom was only matched by our experience of having class in a church in the South Bronx. While in the Bronx we had a chance to tour some schools and low-cost housing known as Nehemiah houses. These projects were wonderful to tour after reading and discussing them all week. Like many others in the class, I am trying to finish the required reading and papers for the course.
Today we had the first day of classes. My schedule will be busy, but I am very excited to get the semester started. We started the semester with two special worship services. The first took place at a UMC in the East Village called The Church of the Village. The worship service was amazing, and I would highly recommend this church to anyone in the NYC area. This is the home church of a fellow classmate at Drew. Although expecting to see my classmate, I did not expect to see anyone else I knew. The lady sitting behind me grew up in WV and was the daughter of a UMC pastor. If that was not enough to convince me that we live in a small world, then I realized that a fellow member on the Division on Ministries with Young People was in attendance as well. The other worship service that kicked off the semester was here at Drew. At chapel today we celebrated the baptism of a friend's 9 month old son, Joel. During the service, we all had a chance to remember our baptisms as well as make the commitment to support Joel's family as he continues in his life as one of God's children.
What a blessing this past week has been. I am looking forward to the blessings in store for the semester ahead! Until next time, may you find joy and peace in remembering your baptism as a child of God!
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