Retirement? What retirement?

After the Church parade we dedicated a new Ambulance.

Wednesday night's warm gathering.

The protest on Saturday.

This week has been very busy, but with some deep moments in it.
Responding to an accident
As chaplain I was asked to come in to the brewery on Tuesday. A contractor there had a serious accident and I was asked to talk with brewery workers, and basically listen to their shock. Then on Wednesday the contractor died and I again spent time with brewery staff. Again on Thursday I called in, and will call again this week.  In my other chaplaincies of fire and ambulance I heard a little from their perspective. I began to feel a heaviness about the whole incident as people shared their pain. It was a sad accident and I have more work to do to help people process the impact of it. You do feel useful though in helping people through a difficult time.
Night Shelter fund raising
We are working toward raising $650,000 for the purchase of the Night Shelter buildings we currently rent. We have begun a part of our campaign, calling it "How to eat an Elephant".  I have been busy looking at possible Trusts to apply to, working out a special "launch" and lining up meetings. We had a meeting with the mayor, with a fundraiser and among ourselves. To do all this I have often been busy sending emails backwards and forwards. We also had to meet with police to work out protocols for the use of the Night Shelter. Another taxing element has been that our funding for the operation of the shelter is running close to the wind. I have had a few sleepless nights stewing on possible answers for this. At the moment it remains unsolved. 
Faith and Ale
There is a Catholic mens group which meets at a pub. They call themselves "Faith and Ale." I was invited to come along to their meal on Tuesday night and talk with them about "the sorts of things you have done - in fifteen minutes." I prepared a speech using stories of characters I have encountered in my ministry career, to highlight some of the things I had done and the lessons I had learned in each. I discovered that I was a hit, and a group of guys sat around for some time after discussing things. One, a teacher, wants me to talk at his school assembly, which happens to be the secondary school I attended. That would be fun! Another man I noticed during the talk sitting and listening intently. He nodded in agreement from time to time. He walked past at the end and dropped a folded bit of paper on the table in front of me, tapping my shoulder as he went. I later opened it and found it was a cheque for the Night Shelter for $1000! A good night's work.
St John special...
The Order of St John had a Church parade at Knox Church, a well known, liturgically correct Presbyterian Church in our city. I had several meetings and emails to prepare for this. I was to be the preacher.  In many ways I do not fit in that setting, you climb stairs to a fenced in pulpit. We worked it all out and I preached my heart out in this high pulpit. I had some really good comments from people. Three different individuals used the term "Orator" and told me I was a "clever", "skilled" or "talented" orator. Other people said they really enjoyed it and found it "inspiring."  With this very positive feedback to today's sermon and Tuesday night's talk I wonder what I ought to be doing with this "gift"?
I have not preached since December. I was reacquainted with all the preparation necessary, the nervous energy expended and the stress involved in doing a good job.  I love crafting a presentation, but done properly and sincerely, it is an exhausting process.
Chaplaincies
Again I have come away from my chaplaincies valuing the depth of conversation and the friendship I have enjoyed. I have talked with a cancer sufferer going through chemo treatment - then his wife. I have talked work relationships with firefighters. Listened to joys, pains, joked and caught up. I do love people in all their variety.
Protestor
We have legal highs in New Zealand and the government has passed legislation that many do not think goes far enough to either ban them or limit their sale. There were protests in every city in New Zealand on Saturday. My wife and I went along to the Dunedin protest. Some of the stories of addiction and its consequences brought tears to my eyes. There were a couple of groups trying to push their own agenda which I thought was quite rude. People seeking to legalise marijuana pushed their opinions - one speaker who had slurred speech and could hardly string a sentence together was not a great advertisement for their cause. I have seen devastated lives because of both legal highs and marijuana - I want neither in our communities.
Church links..
One pleasant interlude in our week was on Wednesday evening a couple who relatively recently joined my old church invited us for dinner with some others from the church. They are great cooks and they really greeted us warmly, treated us to a great evening and expressed the wish to have more contact. The current "interim minister" of the Church rang me to have a talk and ask questions about how I was going. I guess I found that tough, because it brought to mind all the stresses and frustrations of my years of ministry there. 
Still working...
I feel like I am still working. Each day I have an impossible "to do" list. My son in Edinburgh when he heard I was preaching and doing lots put this on Facebook for my edification...

retirement -
noun: 1.
the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work.
synonyms: giving up work, stopping working, stopping work.

I could do with backing off a bit, but I do feel useful and feel like the things I do are making a difference in this old world.  Tomorrow another interesting week awaits.