Rostered Leader Gatherings

In December, life in the synod office generally gets progressively quieter as we approach Christmas.  With parish life operating at a frenzied pace, the number of meetings and the volume of email and phone calls in our office goes down.  This allows synod staff members to catch a few last vacation days before the end of the year.  Perhaps I should say that is what I do.

The light schedule of this past week allowed me to attend three conference meetings.  The Northern Illinois Synod is divided into eight geographical conferences.  The rostered leaders of each conference get together once a month.  The meetings are all similar in nature.  The dean, a rostered leader elected by the conference, chairs the meeting.   There are coffee and goodies to eat.  The Eucharist is celebrated and a sermon is preached.  Announcements are made.  Some conferences have a program with a guest speaker.  Other conferences use their time for mutual sharing.  Lunch may follow at the church or at a local restaurant.

I am a big believer in collegiality.  Attending conference meetings is one way rostered leaders can be good colleagues to each other.  During the course of a year, I try to attend at least one meeting in each conference.  It helps me keep in touch with what is going on all across the synod.  It also gives me the opportunity to see some folks I do not see often.

I am the synod staff liaison to the North Conference, so I regularly attend its meetings.  Each December the rostered leaders of the North Conference gather at P.A. Peterson Center for Health, an LSSI facility in Rockford.   This past week, we were the guests of Pastor Chuck Olson, P.A. Peterson’s chaplain.  Pastor Denver Bitner, president of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, gave us an update on LSSI.  Following our meeting, we divided into two groups and did a little Christmas caroling for the residents.  I am always surprised at how little effort it takes to bring joy to so many faces.  Our singing was, well, let’s say, not of professional quality.  But, residents took a break from their meal to sing along.  Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner together, as you can see.

Comments?  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC