Today, I said good-bye to my first appointment.  The quality of my first appointment was very high: three churches of differing personalities.  I learned so much.  Foibles and failures notwithstanding, I think they learned a thing or two from me. Here is a quantitative look at my first pastorate.

• 3: Number of churches.
• 4: Number of years served at one church.
• 5: Number of years served at the other two churches.
• 173 (approx.): Number of times I served Communion in Worship.
• 5: Number of Baptisms.
• 6: Number of weddings.
• 20: Number of funerals.
• 1: Number of babies born to active parishioners.
• 3 (out of 5): Number of years I got my statistical reports completed on time.
• 2: Number of years I taught at WV School of Christian Mission.
• 1: Number of times I had to confront the use of racial slurs in church.
• 3: Number of times I read Courageous Leadership, by Bill Hybels, none by choice.
• 12 (approx.): Number of people it took to allow me to take 8 weeks of family leave.
• 2: Number of family vacations taken (not including trips to see relatives).
• 3: Number of roofs repaired or replaced.
• 2: Number of furnaces/ACs installed or replaced.
• 1: Number of lots of property received.
• 1: Number of times I spoke at City Council as a clergy.
• 3: Number of Letters to the Editor written.
• 133: Number of blog posts on this version of my blog.
• 4.32: Number of major educational endeavors undertaken (1 Pilgrimage to Taize, 1 Extended unit of CPE, 1 First Parish Project, .66 Provisional Residential program,  .66 L3 Incubator).
• 1: Number of personal spiritual retreats taken.
• 1: Number of critical matters that I should’ve made sure I won.
• 35 (approx.): Number of requests for assistance fulfilled.
• 240 (approx.): Number of children’s messages delivered.

It feels like I did a lot.