Last Paper

I just turned in the last paper of my Iliff career, and boy am I glad to be done. I suppose it probably won't be long before I start missing being in school, but right now I am so incredibly glad to be finishing. I'm a bit sick of school, and a bit sick of Iliff in general. Like I said, I imagine both of those feelings will fade in time.

It's pretty weird to be staring my first appointment square in the face. I honestly feel that I am prepared -- as prepared as I can be -- but I also know that I'm going to make a whole lot of mistakes. Coos Bay is about all I can think about, but I still have so little information that most of my thought is completely speculative. I am looking forward to it, and also a little bit scared.

So now we're venturing on the great task of packing up everything. We have a lot of books. So far, we have 27 boxes packed, and most of them are filled with books. And there are still books left. But books are the easy things, I guess. I'm sure there are other things that will be much more difficult.

Lighthouse

Melissa got a great job in Coos Bay. She'll be teaching either 4th or 5th grade at the Lighthouse School. This seems to be just a wonder match for her, and I'm very excited that she is already free from the stress of job hunting.

Keyboards of Calvary

Did a last concert at Calvary. It's always kind of weird performing jazz piano. It feels a bit like entering a past life. But it was rather fun to do. Click here to see the concert on Windows Media Player. Jason and I are the last act.

Darfur is Dying

Check the online game, Darfur is Dying. After you've played, one way to help is through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. 100% of your gift goes directly to those in need. Here is more about their Sudan Emergency Advance.

Reflections on Coos Bay

I'm finally starting to get over the cold enough to be able to reflect cogently. Melissa and I have been in Coos Bay for just under two days now. The weather has been really nice while we've been here: sunny most of the time. The town/area seems nice. It's big enough to have just about everything one would need. There's passable shopping. A nice medical complex. People seem friendly.

Visited the church. The sanctuary is beautiful. It seems like a wonderful worship space. They even have a processional cross, though I doubt they use it for processions very often, if at all. There's a nice office space. The pastor's office is in a converted classroom. I definitely going to have to paint it, but it's quite spacious with lots of shelf space and windows. There is a lot of classroom space; almost none of it is being used. Great fellowship hall downstairs with a quite functional kitchen, though a remodel is in the works. We rent space to a Jewish congregation: Mayim Shalom. I look forward to meeting the rabbi.

Had dinner with the folks from the SPRC committee. They seem great. Really wonderful people. I look forward to working with them. I think they're a little down about the church's prospects, but that's not uncommon.

Melissa is interviewing today. The teaching prospects look quite good. She might even have a job lined up before we move.

Saw the outside of the parsonage. It seems like a big house: split level two story. What we could see of it looks nice. It's kind of tucked away on a hillside, so it's hard to see much of the house. It's really close to the big city park, which is nice. About a half mile from the church, which is about perfect. I guess there's already a piano in the house, so we'll probably put our piano in my church office. And they're going to be putting in all new appliances, so that will be great.

It's great to be around all the water. The bay is close. It's a little farther to get to an ocean beach, but it's quite nice when you get there.

Visited the closest Methodist Church: North Bend. Nice church with nice folks. The pastor seems like someone who will be good to work with. Hopefully we can coordinate on some programs.

Overall, it looks good. It will be a bit of an adjustment from Denver, but I think I'll get used to it pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to moving.

OR-ID Appointments VII

Three more appointments came out. Here's the list:

Scott Harkness: Connectional Ministries
Donna Pritchard: Southern District Superintendent
Robert Flaherty: Eastern District Superintendent
David King: Coos Bay
Jim Fellers: Corvallis
Courtney McHill: Corvallis Associate
Karen Nelson: Coquille, Pioneer
Jeremy Hajdu-Paulen: Dallas
Achsah Clark: Eugene Asbury/Harrisburg
Ruth Marsh: Florence
Melissa Harkness Haugen: Grants Pass, Newman
Gwen Drake: Hillsboro
Dan Benson: John Day/Prairie City
Larry Ward: Portland, Capitol Hill
David Bean: Portland, Cherry Park
Brett Stroebel: Portland, Christ Church
Daryl Blanksma: Roseburg
Christina Fridel: Seaside
Davey Lefler: Shelley
Charles Chase: Wilderville/Cave Junction