ROUND TWO

One of the most important things I learned on my first sabbatical journey was that there are many things I do not need to pack and carry in my suitcase. My 50 lb. 29" suitcase was a challenge for me wherever I went. Even just going upstairs in someone's home required some careful planning.

So I am packing lighter and smarter, I think, and I have downsized the suitcase as well. Rightly so, since this trip will be shorter and more "local" (if going from New York to Pittsburgh to Des Moines, Iowa, to Sacramento by way of Dallas, Texas can be considered shorter.)

My purpose in making this journey is to learn how shared ministry has been developing in the U.S. among Lutherans and Episcopalians in quite different settings from overseas.

I am starting out by visiting with Lutherans in the Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries (P.L.U.M.). They are, in a sense, "groundbreakers" among Lutherans when it comes to sharing ministry, with a multi-church, multi-site, multi-pastor ministry that is already spinning off similar experiments in Western Pennsylvania. They are demonstrating an alternative to the "Last one out, turn off the lights" strategy that is far too common among churches today.

The Brits have been experimenting with different approaches for nearly four decades already, but it is only in recent years that anyone saw a need for even thinking about alternatives to the way we are doing church in this country.

My visits in Iowa and Northern California Dioceses will give me another glimpse of how bishops, clergy, and lay leaders have been trying to develop new approaches to the challenges Christians face in the midst of an increasingly secularized culture where church attendance is not "automatic" and where mission is still possible.

After this trip I will be home to celebrate my wife's birthday and rest for a while before heading out once more to Minnesota where I will visit with Episcopalians who have been sharing ministry in a variety of settings in very creative ways. In Minnesota Lutherans are still in abundance, while Episcopalians are in somewhat of a "minority" status membership-wise, in a way somewhat similar to the situation we face in Metro New York in relation to our Roman Catholic neighbors. That's why I know we can learn a lot from their experience.

So, I'm getting the suitcase ready and will head out via LIRR for my second journey from JFK on Wednesday. Please keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine.