The Start Date

I have an official start date. It's October 1st. It's been set for quite a while now and was even officially approved at a meeting a few weeks ago. Though I still wish my start date would have come sooner after graduation, I think it's a good start date.

My first Sunday will be October 5th, which is World Communion Sunday. I think that celebration will be a great way to kick off a new season of ministry in the church.

But back to the start date. Right now I'm wondering, how realistic it is to not do anything until the start date. I know a minister has to have a start date. I've even discovered that the bueacracy of the denomination I serve likes ministers to start on the 1st or 15th of a month.

But when the start date is a little ways off, many things start to creep onto my platter. Like some emails about meetings being scheduled in October and the upcoming church newsletter and forthcoming church bulletins and new minister orientation in the area. Now obviously some things need to be planned ahead. But when I start receiving emails about things to attend and do, I feel like I've already started my job.

Part of it is my own doing. As one heading into a solo pastor position, the task of preaching every week will be daunting at first. So the other day I hauled out my lectionary calendar and the hymnals the church uses and started to look at what I'll be preaching from now until the end of the year.

But the start date, I think it's just when I'll officially start getting paid, because I've already started ministry to and with the congregation.

It's September and all's quiet on the blog front

It's been a month and a half since I've blogged and even before that I haven't been doing a really good job at keeping up with things here. There's a number of contributing factors:

• I've accepted a call to serve a church (yeah!) and have been very busy traveling around and attending meetings. I've also been trying to figure out what shape my blogging will take as I head into this call.
  
• I've moved home to live with my parents during this time of transitioning from student to pastor. My parents don't have wireless internet and I've had to share the family computer with internet with three other people.
• In the next month I will be ordained, move to another state, settle into a house, and start my work as a pastor. The amount of planning and number of details this entails is quite overwhelming.

So, until things slow down just a bit (wait ... that may not happen until after Christmas) or until I have a more steady source of internet, I'll end with this question:

What do I want people to call me? And will my preference even matter (as in people will call me whatever they are most comfortable with anyways)?

(and if you are so led to comment, please do not use any part of my real name)