Hey folks, I’m heading into a really busy couple of weeks, so I wanted to give a general update since posts in April will likely be a little inconsistent.
The Difficult News
Two weeks ago, I interviewed for a residency position. Residency is a year-long chaplaincy education program with a livable stipend, so getting the position would have enabled me to put my various part-time jobs on hold for a year and focus fully on chaplaincy education. Unfortunately, I did not get the position. The interview committee were gracious, offering me valuable feedback and guidance. They even encouraged me to apply again for residency in September. While all of this is incredibly helpful, this situation presents two major obstacles for the Bar Chaplain project:
(1) My time will continue to be split between my various part-time jobs for at least five more months. They’re good income, and the work is engaging, but the hours present a challenge. Scheduling time with friends and family will continue to be difficult, and I’ll still only be able to make it to the bars once a week or so.
(2) Continuing my education would have granted more legitimacy both to this project and to me as a minister, so having to put that education on hold is painful. There’s a certain insecure part of me that will see myself as a “Bar almost-Chaplain” until I’ve completed residency, so I have to keep pursuing it.
All of this is not insurmountable, but it’s still a setback that has had me in a creative funk for the last couple of weeks. My roommate back in North Carolina had a great term for these kinds of things: AFGO, which stands for “Another F**king Growth Opportunity.” This is an AFGO season.
The Good News
My support system is currently the strongest it’s ever been. Jessi’s nursing school continues to progress well, and we celebrated our six month anniversary two weeks ago; we plan on many, many more. I also find myself surrounded with amazing friends, supportive family, outstanding mentors, and an awesome group of readers, patrons, and collaborators. The work hours are really the only thing I have to complain about, and even then, I love the work I do. Even if it’s just once a week right now, I’m still making it out to the breweries (especially Aardwolf). Exciting things are happening in the various faith communities I’m a part of. New doors are opening for bar collaborations and for partnerships with our homeless friends downtown, and once I knock out some remaining internship hours, I hope to focus more energy on these opportunities. The work we’re doing in April should set the stage for an awesome May. In the grand scheme, despite some setbacks, there’s some great stuff in the works. Seriously, check out all the things happening this month:
Upcoming Events
Beer & Hymns– April 6, 7:30pm at Bold City Brewery
You know our program at this point. Come have a beer and sing some great classics with good people!
The Cocktail Party- April 9, all afternoon at my place
Partnering with our videographer from StoryHouse, some friends and I are going to film short instructional videos of several classic cocktail recipes (and a few originals too). We’ll post these gradually in the months that follow.
Church Without Walls Maundy Thursday Footwashing- April 13
We’ll be washing feet downtown with our homeless friends, so come out during your lunch break and experience some incredible community. I love serving with Church Without Walls, and this service is a great entry point into the church’s ministry.
StoryHouse Gathering– April 20, 7pm at Riverside Baptist Church
With Lent behind us and the Easter season underway, we’ll be talking about resurrection and rejoicing together. As always, we’ll have an after party at Riverside Liquors restaurant and bar up the street.
Intersections Festival– April 29, all day in Klutho Park
This is the big one, y’all. A bunch of really awesome speakers, musicians, and artists are coming together for a one-day festival in the vein of Wild Goose, and it’s free. I’ll be doing a Bar Chaplain demonstration and helping emcee sections of the event; you don’t want to miss this! Check out the website for more details.
The Perplexing News
I began attending Swaim United Methodist Church in July, but even before then, I was partnering with Campus to City Wesley and Urban Soul, both of which are UMC ministries. While so much of my worldview is still shaped by the Baptist tradition, there’s a lot about the Florida UMC’s approach to community ministry that fascinates me. While I plan to keep a foot in the CBF and JBA worlds, the UMC’s involvement in the Fresh Expressions movement has me excited. As such, we’re exploring the possibility of my ordination in this denomination and what that could mean for Bar Chaplain, my hospital work, and Jessi’s and my commitment to ministry with homeless people. The ordination process takes several years, and I’m just fine with that. I have chaplaincy education to think of, and honestly, I’m not in a hurry to jump back into church-based ministry. Prayers are appreciated as this discernment journey continues.
So yeah, there’s a lot going on right now. On the one hand, posts may be a little less frequent this month, but there are a lot of great events taking place and a lot of great content in the works. There have been disappointments, but there’s a lot to celebrate too. When I look at how much there is yet to do, whether it be my educational goals or our ministries around town, the words of Julian of Norwich keep ringing in my ears:
All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.