UMCRM, Last Day

So I wasn't really looking forward to today. For a few reasons. Anna's been pretty good this entire time (knock on wood), other than her nighttime sleep being a bit off-kilter, and I had a thought in the back of my mind that it could change at any moment! Plus, at any rate, the only way we've made it work is that basically, she's either nursing, playing on a blanket on the floor, or napping in the Moby--and that can wear on your back after a couple days! Mostly, though, I was really bummed that the two workshops I was really wanting to attend on finances were canceled because the speaker couldn't make it here because of the snow storm hitting the midwest. I almost backed out of workshops all together.

But I'm so glad I didn't! The morning was good. Bishop Weaver is a great preacher, and I've enjoyed hearing him all week. The other speaker wasn't nearly that good--her talk to me seemed like something I could have put together with little time to prepare, and it wasn't as cohesive as I would have personally preferred. Like she had lots of little favorite bits she wanted to share, and plugged them together without really culling them and focusing what she wanted to say.

In the end, Chris and I decided to attend workshops together today, which at any rate I figured would be helpful with Anna, since it would give me someone to hold her to take a bit of a break at least while she wasn't sleeping or nursing! (The trick was always to anticipate what she'd need next, and by doing so, keep any fussing to a bare minimum.)

In the morning we attended a workshop with Bishops Weaver and Swanson speaking about the importance of CRM. Now, I'm not sure exactly why they'd offer such a seminar, kind of like preaching to the choir, isn't it? Bishop Swanson spoke mostly, since he'd only just arrived and Bishop Weaver has been speaking in various settings all week. But what I thought was best pointed out for folks attending (and what he'd also said in the workshop yesterday) was Bishop Weaver responding to a question about getting more bishops as interested in CRM as these two are. He made three points:

1. Everyone has their own gifts, and the same is true of bishops
2. Bishops no longer (if they ever did) can guaruntee the success of a thing--people simply don't follow the bishop's lead like that, and so it's more important to get broader buy-in
3. There are some bishops you just wouldn't want out at the camps (which doesn't mean, however, he said, that they can't be a good supporter of it)

It always seems like people think the bishop's vocal support is the panacea to a host of problems. Now I certainly think such support can make a world of difference, but too often it serves as a cover for issues (like failing to build broad support in the conference) that not only CRM, but any ministry, faces.

For the two afternoon workshops, Chris and I actually attended a two-part session on project management. Wow. Very helpful. Totally. I've had a Harvard Business Review subscription for maybe a year now, but am still catching up on some basic things like this. I cannot tell you how much this workshop rocked me world--in a good way. I've been wanting to take this opportunity, getting back into things after leave, to really think about HOW I do things, how I approach tasks, to work smarter and be more effective. I really think this approach will help me. I won't go into detail now. Maybe once I've had a chance to let things sink in more, I can summarize it better, but right now, it's all making my head swim! Of course, this stuff isn't new to lots of people in the business world, but I'm anxious to see how I can use it (in a helpful way, not a crazy bureaucratic way) to be more efficient and effective in my work.

So, all in all, it's been a really good conference. And that's saying something coming from me, because I get frustrated and bored easily at these sorts of things.

I've been reminded this week of how wonderful these sorts of opportunities are--time to get away and think about HOW we do our minsitry, which is often not possible (or as possible) in the heat of actually doing it. I know that I've had really turning point moments at conferences, and I know this one will also really give me a boost in ministry. There's always some reservations about taking the time to go to these (and let's be honest, some are a waste of time), but the set-apart time can be very refreshing. And add actually really learning new things on top of it? It feels much better going back to my day job after a week away when I can feel very confident that this week away will make me a much better pastor. Of course, the challenge always is processing all this great stuff into something I can use (that takes some time!).

So I'm excited to get back, and see how this plays out. It was good timing for me as I re-evaluate HOW I work, and I hope it proves to be as helpful as I think it will.