Diary of a Country Priest

Well, I won't even attempt to unload everything that has happened in the past month. We just got high speed internet at our new home in Arkansas, and blogging has been kind of low on the totem pole as I have been getting used to a new town and a new job. I don't think I've managed to steer the ship too far off course--I've made some changes in the worship service, including a children's sermon that I have found no objections to. However, I've been told that the small changes that I have put into place have caused some unrest. Oh well.
The inevitable culture shock hasn't set in yet...Probably because we've been busy here at the house getting everything in place. Our cats seem to like all the space, and as I write this, Sid is behind me rolling around on the floor as if there were a patch of catnip growing there.
My sermons have seemed to be sufficient, and attendance has increased from my first to second Sunday. We also have a group of girls that have joined us from a nearby correctional facility work camp type of thing. It is great to have them in the service--they all sit together in their bright orange shirts. It is a great opportunity for my congregation to get to know them and minister to them and with them. We had an ice cream social the afternoon after this past Sunday service, and the girls apparently were excited about it when we made the announcement and asked their chaperones if they could come back, so they did. When a church member suggested they go first in the line, one of the girls looked astounded and said "Us?!" IT was genuinely heartbreaking, and evocative of "the last shall be first."
Well, that's enough for now, I'll delve more into this later. Also good news about our church food pantry--Maybe I can take a picture and have it available to post next time with a story.

IN case you'd like to read my first and second sermons, I'll post them too