The other week I was at a conference in Toronto, as I said in my previous blog entry. My trip was somewhat unexpected. The group I went to Spain with some years ago had hoped to attend a Continuing Education event together and we saw the notice for this event, but our schedules did not allow it to happen. I saw the promotional material on it again, some months later, and decided to go. I had been to Toronto last year for a Stewardship conference and got to know my way around the city and where budget accommodations were.
When you go back to a place, you can do some of the things that you were not able to do in previous visits. I brought my camera this time and got some pictures of Toronto, the highlights, so to speak. I was fortunate to have some nice days to see a few of the sights. There is much in Toronto, things for all sorts of interests.
When you know a place, you know what is good in it and can make use of those things. I like cities with subways systems—Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago, Madrid. That allows you to get around all over the city quickly at minimal cost and avoid taxis or driving in an unfamiliar city. Generally they are clean and usually safe, at least during the day. I stopped back at a couple stores I spotted last year. I went past the Prada, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Cartier, and Rolex stores. I even went past Adam & Eve, a chocolatier (Get it? Temptation!). I stopped at L’Atelier Grigorian for their great selection of Baroque Classical music CDs and the Anglican Book Centre for the religious book bargains.
Last week in worship I posed the question to the Parish of what was good in it. It is my hope that we have an ongoing conversation as a part of worship. What are those things here we go back to? I polled those who were in worship on Sunday, July 4. A picture of the Parish, what we enjoy in Chatfield:
We eat well and feed others
Friendship
Good music
We work together
It feels like home
A long history
It’s good for your soul
Good messages
Good base to build on for the future
At Utica and Lewiston they are:
Fellowship
Worship—how it all fits together
Sunday School
We are close
We know each other
Comfortable
A History with families
Lunches
Continuing learning
That is a good picture.