The Perfect Ending

It was Friday night in Indianapolis, George W. had been elected General Superintendent earlier that day, now, several Alaskan Ministers gathered in an Italian restaurant for some fun and food. Kent had made some calls and Paula had given directions. In addition, two new missionaries had joined us for the evening. The food was excellent and the camaraderie was outstanding.

Prior to this, it had been a busy few days with CEP, GP, and finally the 52 General Council. . Many meetings had occurred, issues had been debated, and resolutions had been presented - some passed and some failed.

But, the highlight came that night when the General Superintendent Elect was leaving the restaurant where we were gathered. There, he received a rousing round of applause from members of the Alaska delegation. He laughed, smiled, and responded with genuine pleasure. At that moment there was no agenda, no pretense, and no barriers to friendships. At that moment we were all friends, friends with a common calling.

Earlier I had written about the church preparing for the 21st century. A comment was attached to that posting asking what that would look like. I am planning to respond to that inquiry in next posting.