T'was the night before Assembly...

Things are falling into place - which is a good thing, considering I leave for Chicago tomorrow morning!

Ellie is happily settled in with a St. John's family who have taken care of her in the past when I've been away. Judging by her wiggling when I dropped her off, she's going to be just fine. I'm not even sure she'll notice I've been away, actually.

Back at church, I've made arrangements with Margo Martens, the pastor in nearby Cooksville, to cover for me in the event of an emergency while I'm away. A funeral at St. John's which is scheduled for Tuesday will be going ahead without me - a former pastor of the congregation has kindly agreed to preside at the service. I'm grateful to the family for their understanding about this prior commitment, and I know that they are in good hands while I'm away.

I've received my volunteer assignment - or at least the first part of it: I'll be shepherding walkers, runners, and rollers on the morning jaunt through Chicago, sponsored by the Board of Pensions. Those who know me well will appreciate the irony in my being assigned to assist in an event that requires me to report for duty at 5:00... in the morning. Ugh! But I'm glad to be of use. Could be that Chicago will make a morning person out of me. Could also be that a herd of pigs will go flying past Navy Pier, too.

It sounds as though there will be other needs for volunteers once I've checked in. I'll check out the sign-up list tomorrow, and see what else I can do to pitch in.

This morning at church I encouraged people to visit the St. John's website and to check out this blog. I hope quite a few do. The ties between most congregations and the national leadership are often surprisingly frail, and I'd like to provide a personal link between our congregation and the broader ELCA during the coming week.

Now, there's not much to do except finish up a few housekeeping items here at the office, run some laundry, pack my bags, and get some sleep. Tomorrow, the adventure begins.