Ministry Journals Weeks 1-5

Ministry Journal Weeks 1-5

Week 1

Date: May 26^th, 2019

Location: Anglican Diocese, Bermuda

1.       What happened this week at your ministry site? (This is your laundry list – what did you do?)

Introduced to the church during service and repass

Participated in mid-week communion service

Participated with Girls Brigade

Attended the Contemporary Service

Driver’s license,

Get to know you lunch with Rev. Ant

Meeting of the other Anglican Clergy in the Bermuda Dioceses

Supervisor Meeting

Lesson about the Anglican church it purposes and expression.

Attended an info session for St. Mellitus, Bermuda

2.       Accomplish? Try to accomplish? Experience?

Lots of new experiences as listed above.  Mostly getting my daughter and I settled and create a new routine.  Familiarizing myself with surroundings, the church office and Rev Ant’s style.

3.       Taking a step back from the list of activities, how might you make meaning or reflect on this work?

My initial thoughts are that this is not going to be our usual vacation with family and in actuality it is going to be a bit difficult managing the internship and Zj together.

Upon interacting with the clergy of the Diocese all active members are older white men beside one who is a male friend.  There are no woman clergy in this organization.

What did you learn?

It was clear that Rev Ant was the gate keeper to my entry into the select group of white men.  Everyone was welcoming and offered assistance.  I was already vetted and vouched for.

Where are gaps in your knowledge?

Even though the Anglican Church has been my family’s church all of my life, I was Christened there, flew back to get married there, and have my daughter christened child there I quickly understood that I knew nothing about the church, it’s processes, nor its members. 

What is becoming clear? 

I thought I had come to share my faith with my aging grandmother who attends the church however so many opportunities are becoming available.

What is unclear?

School does not get out here until the end of June.  What am I going to do with my daughter for a month and how am I going to manage everything?

4.       What stories are emerging? (This is where you can begin to write a case study)

Turns out my ministry supervisor has a vision for preparing Bermudians for ministry and has started a satellite program with St. Mellitus Seminary in the UK.  Very ideal.

Week 2

Date: June 2nd, 2019

Location: Anglican Diocese, Bermuda

1.       What happened this week at your ministry site? (This is your laundry list – what did you do?)

Added to the pulpit staff and robed for the first time.  Exciting!

Participated in the church’s first all-black Eucharist serving.

Contributed the intercession prayer to the main service in the Anglican frame work

Participated in Service and Served Communion

Spend the week learning about the varies meanings, processes and instruments used for Anglican services and why.

Sending out introductory letters to the community of clergy and asking for a meeting to discuss ministry in Bermuda, strategy and what they discernment, political climate and its effects of the population and their findings.

Participated in mid-week communion service

Girls Brigade end of year Awards Ceremony

Supervisor Meeting

Office familiarization

Funeral Consultation

Had a lesson on grieving from my supervisor

Internship goals were established

Covenant agreed to and signed

Took a meeting with Rev. Deyonne Douglas of the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Bermuda. A long time friend who turned the AME’s on their ear by giving up her secure pulpit to take time out for her health.

Participated with the St. Mellitus class on preaching being taught by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Nicolas Dill. (Anglican Bishop of Bermuda).

2.       Accomplish? Try to accomplish? Experience?

My first funeral consultation.

Trying to discern my ministry expression and how to develop that with in the Anglican frame work with the goal of being heard and received and still be authentic.

Studying the Anglican liturgy to find personal meaning so that I can connect to it.

Prepared my first intercessory prayer in the Anglican frame work.

Learning pulpit protocol on the fly from other pulpit associates.

3.       Taking a step back from the list of activities, how might you make meaning or reflect on this work?

I’m finding that this faith tradition that as a young child I dismissed as being dead and irrelevant actually holds life for the people involved and that is a point of curiosity for me.

Where are gaps in your knowledge?

Lol, I know nothing it would appear.  This is a very humbling experience.

What is becoming clear? 

I’m here for far more than to serve my grandmother.

What is unclear?

What is it that I have to contribute?

4.       What stories are emerging? (This is where you can begin to write a case study)

After my contribution to services it has become evident that my faith make up is different and that has inspired a few questions.

Week 3

Date: June 9^th, 2019

Location: Anglican Diocese, Bermuda

1.       What happened this week at your ministry site? (This is your laundry list – what did you do?)

Participated in morning service with surprises. 

Served communion

Participated in mid-week communion

Supervisor Meeting

Long and multiple talks about family life while preparing for ministry and while in ministry.

Took a meeting with Rev. Allistar Bennett (Rev. to the Queen Elizabeth) of Christ Church, Warwick Bermuda. (Presbyterian, Church of Scotland)

Took a meeting with Rev Attillio Morelli of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Bermuda.

Assisted with my first funeral. Wow!

Participated as one of three clergy that anointed the congregation for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Amazing and humbling experience!

During communion and special prayers I designated as the intercessory to seek for prayer. Another humbling experience.

Boys Brigade Beach BBQ

2.       Accomplish? Try to accomplish? Experience?

Lots of new experiences as listed above.  Mostly getting my daughter and I settled and create a new routine.  Familiarizing myself with surroundings, the church office and Rev Ant’s style.

Had a very interesting lesson on grieving from my supervisor.

Zj took ill

3.       Taking a step back from the list of activities, how might you make meaning or reflect on this work?

My initial thoughts are that this is not going to be our usual vacation with family and in actuality it is going to be a bet difficult managing the internship and Zj together.

Upon interacting with the clergy of the Diocese all active members are older white men beside one who is a male friend.  There are no woman clergy in this organization.

Upon service starting I found I was responsible for the intercessory prayer.  After much fretting and no time to prepare I decided to just be myself.  I sang for the first portion and asked the Holy Spirit to fill us and combined that with Anglican traditional prayers.

Again, after fretting over what I prepared in a space that reads prayers and in such a high tradition it didn’t feel right so I decided again that I can only be myself and executed an extemporaneous prayer according my experience. 

Both of those choices where huge for me as I learn to see what my expression looks like in the midst of a field that appears so different from what I am familiar with and be at peace with me.

What did you learn?

It was clear that Rev Ant was the gate keeper to my entry into the select group of white men.  Everyone was welcoming and offered assistance.  I was already vetted and vouched for.

Where are gaps in your knowledge?

Even though the Anglican Church has been my family’s church all of my life, I was Christened there, flew back to get married there, and have my daughter christened child there I quickly understood that I knew nothing about the church, it’s processes, nor its members. 

What is becoming clear? 

I thought I had come to share my faith with my aging grandmother who attends the church however so many opportunities are becoming available.

I have no understanding of grief.

Zj is not managing my new role well and has expressed that she wants to go home back to her father.

What is unclear?

School does not get out here until the end of June.  What am I going to do with my daughter for a month and how am I going to manage everything?

4.       What stories are emerging? (This is where you can begin to write a case study)

Turns out my ministry supervisor has a vision for preparing Bermudians for ministry and has started a satellite program with St. Mellitus Seminary in the UK.  Very ideal.

Week 4

Date: June 16^th, 2019

Location: Anglican Diocese, Bermuda

            1.What happened this week at your ministry site?

in morning service with surprises. 

Served communion

Participated in mid-week communion

Supervisor Meeting

Lessons on parochial pastoring and how to adopt the posture.  The importance of knowing, understanding and being apart of the community together with ministry that has integrity.

Instruction on how to enter into a congregation as a new pastor.  Gaining trust and the importance of your word and stance.

Conversations and shared strategies on how to manage your schedule and make space for yourself

Parenting conversations in regard to helping Zj adjust to this new role that I am adopting.

Spent an entire day with Arch Deacon the Rev Andrew Doughty of St. Mary’s Church, Warwick Bermuda. (Anglican) 8:30 – 9pm.  Started in the morning with the Anglican call to Prayer at 9, tour and history, parsonage visit and discussion, recruitment session, funeral, discussion on the state of the Anglican Church in Bermuda and ending with a vestry meeting in the evening.

Participated with the Anglican Island wide Pentecost Service

Had to rush Zj to the emergency.

2. Accomplish?  Try to accomplish? Experience?

3. Taking a step back from the list of activities, how might you make meaning or reflect on the work?

Since arrival there has been pressure to consider the Anglican church from family, friends and self if I’m being honest.  However, this was the first time there was a direct approach. The compensation package was extremely interesting.  Seeking God and trying to clear the noise.

Wondering if congregational ministry is really for me with my child so young.  Feeling overwhelmed.  Feeling guilty about the splitting my time with the internship and her but loving the ministry and feeling guilty about that as well.

5.       What stories are emerging?

Lots of interest and questions are generating because I sang in church.

Week 5

Date: June 23, 2019

Location, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Bermuda

1.       What happened this week at your ministry site?

Service this week was held at the Beach.  I was the preacher.

Served communion

Participated in mid-week communion

Supervisor Meeting

Attended the monthly luncheon of the Warwick Ministerial Alliance

Had lunch with a visiting Anglican Rev who was wanted me to consider joining the Anglican Church of Bermuda.

Attended my first island wide Synod meeting

Deep and intense conversation as to why I have not been attending the 8 am service.

Met with Mark and Wendy Crabb husband and wife ministry team for the Cedar Hill Salvation Army Citadel of Canada.

Met with Rev. Judy Gardner of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Hamilton Bermuda. 

Lesson about culture.  Getting to know your surroundings as a pastor and learning your boundaries.

2.       Taking a step back from the list of activities, how might you make meaning or reflect on this work?

Learning to follow the lectionary has been interesting.

Preaching an all ages service at the beach in a dress with the blowing my dress up and not podium to hold my papers and exhibits was nerve-racking. What an experience but I got it done. 

With the conversation about why I have been participating with at the 8 am service was rough but helpful in understanding my position as a parent and my limitations and why I take a family first position. 

The Synod meeting was a paradigm shifting concerning an organization who needs to make some changes for survival.

There is a picture developing about ministry in Bermuda while listing to how clergy are attending to ministry.

What are the gasps in my knowledge?

Why is God giving me these opportunities to see his work in Bermuda up close.

Am I called to ministry in Bermuda and if so how does that work in the scope of my husband and daughter?

What is becoming clear?

I’m gaining confidence and can see a style developing.

Some clergy are growing weary from ministry.  Some have given up in this generation and are turned their attention to evangelizing children.

Since most of the mainline clergy I have been in conversation with are from the UK and Europe their references are helping me to see another plain in ministry and it’s obstacles in the East, the hinderances they are experiencing in ministry in Bermuda

3.       What stories are emerging?

The Anglican Church’s desire to shed it previous repetition and figure out how to be more culturally relative in today’s society.