Halfway Point!

We have completed our first two classes for Course of Study!

We have the rest of today, as well as tomorrow, off. We begin our second set of classes on Thursday morning.

I have made some wonderful friends, learned some incredible things and I look forward to coming back home for our worship service on August 1st!

Course of Study:Two Days of Classes Done!

I meant to write this entry this morning, but I did not have time. So, in writing this entry I have been through two days worth of classes. I will admit the days are long. Between the two classes, we have about six hours of instruction each day. We have a thirty minute chapel session, plus papers and group projects in the evening. It is making the week go by pretty quick.

So far, I realize that there is a lot I have to learn. Right now, the focus is on pastoral care and Biblical interpretation. These are two areas in which I would appreciate some help. So far, the classes have been wonderful and very informative.

For these two days, I have managed to run at night. I am used to running Oakfield with country roads and minimal traffic. A Chicago suburb does not provide that kind of environment. I have been trying to dodge the crazy Chicago traffic.

My prayers go out to the family of Don Grahl, who passed away on Monday morning. I was thankful to have the opportunity to sit at Don's side at Rolling Meadows with some of his family this past Friday. I appreciated the time I had to get to know him, and I am continually amazed to hear about the lives that he has touched and the difference that he made.

Course of Study: Day One

Justin and I embarked on our journey to Naperville, IL not too long after my second worship service of the morning. We made pretty good time and arrived at North Central College in plenty of time to unpack and get settled before our orientation.

I realize that I have lived in residence halls for quite a few years, but by the time I became a residence hall director, I figured I was done with communal bathrooms. I was wrong. That was a bit of an adjustment.

Here is a picture of my half of the room. Justin and I are going to be roommates for our three week stay at NCC. Thankfully, we were able to find the internet jack. We still haven't exactly figured out how the air conditioning unit works. It is over the door and never really makes any sound. Somehow, though, cold air does come out.

In a few minutes we will be heading out to breakfast and our first class which starts at 8:00AM. Tomorrow's entry will reflect on the first day of class.

Service Preview for July 11, 2010

This Sunday will make it the one full year that I have been in ministry and the Oakfield and Tabor churches. My sermon for each service will be a State of the Church Address for each church. It will highlight our successes, our areas for concern and a vision for the future. If you cannot make the service this Sunday, these addresses will be put on the website after the Sunday service. The next time I see you all will be on August 1!

In addition, at the Oakfield church we will be partaking together in Holy Communion. We will also have a baptism at the Oakfield church, Dylan James Yonker. There will be a reception after the service in the Fellowship Hall.

The readings for this Sunday are:

• Amos 7:7-17
• Colossians 1:1-14
• Psalm 82
• Luke 10:25-37

Blog Note:

After the Oakfield church service, I will be heading down to Naperville, IL for year one of Course of Study. I will have internet access while I am down there, and it is my plan to continue blogging. It is my hope to reflect on some of what I am learning in class.

Course of Study Update

As I have written before, I will be leaving for North Central College for Course of Study, hosted by Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. I am preparing for four classes that I will be taking from July 11 - July 30. Over the last few weeks, I have been feverishly working on completing the reading and papers for this class.

Of the 15 books that I was asked to read in advance of the classes, I have read all but one. I have a select of Wesley's sermons left to read. Of the 29 papers that I need to write, I have a rough draft of all but 4. I have 5 papers edited and ready to go.

It all needs to be received at the office by June 16th. It is my hope to have everything completed by June 13th before I leave for Annual Conference. I will likely have them overnighted to assure that they get there on time.

Course of Study

I came upon a realization yesterday afternoon. Like it or not, all of my preparatory materials for Course of Study are due on June 16. It was easy for me to dismiss that date because it was so far away. It was easy for me to dismiss that date because I was engaged in work for Lent and Easter and I was too busy.

Well, there's less than two months until the due date and I have a lot of reading and a lot of paper writing ahead of me. Last night, I read through almost half of a book and will probably try to keep up the pace.

The video game playing and movie watching will definitely need to decrease if I am going to get all of this done.

Course of Study

This afternoon, I have placed in the mail my application to begin Course of Study. You might ask, "What is Course of Study?" That is a good question.

In many denominations, pastors attend a seminary to attain a Masters of Divinity before becoming a pastor. In the Methodist church, there is a another path to ministry. I have the opportunity to be a licensed pastor. As someone who already has a Master's Degree in another field, I appreciated the opportunity to not have to go back for an additional Master's.

My education for licensing began two summers ago when I went to the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary for License to Preach School. By passing all classes, I became eligible for appointment to a church. I waited one year to allow Christa to finish school and was then appointed to the Oakfield and Tabor United Methodist Churches beginning in July 2009.

This only began my path to official licensing. I will need to attend classes for the next five summers, in which I will take four classes each. Two classes are taught in a week in a half. From July 11 to July 30, 2010 I will (hopefully) be at the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary taking my first round of Course of Study classes.

Registration is just the first part. I am in the process of printing out the syllabi and taking notice of the books that I will need to purchase for these classes. It's quite a list. I am also looking at the assignments that are ahead of me...wow. Later in the spring, I will need to pay for room and board costs as well.

This is something unique that comes with being a Licensed Local Pastor. It will be interesting...I am sure you will be hearing more from me about this over the next few months.