Ordination - Just Around the Corner

I began this blog to track my path through accepting my call from God through the ordination process in a specific denomination.  If you have read through my postings you will see that this process has changed considerably since I began it.  Little did I know, at that time, that my understanding of what God wanted me to do would change so drastically in such a short time.  Had I followed man's process I would be finishing up my internship with a church somewhere and now be returning to seminary for one final year of education.  Then I would get to play the 'waiting game' that so many that I know get to play.  Waiting for their organization to find them a job.  This, of course, is not the path I am on.

God called, I listened, and then let him show me the path.  A path that has plopped me down in Greenville, SC where I have been blessed to be a pastor for the congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Easley for 2 1/2 years.  Together we have grown and developed from the original group of about 28 people to a group of about 60.  No, we don't worship 60 every Sunday but that's not the point.  The point is that God called and I listened and they called and I listened.

From the beginning of this relationship the congregation wanted to make sure that I continued my education and that was part of the call.  I did that through attendance at ILT (Institute of Lutheran Theology) where I have just recently completed my Pastoral Ministry Certification.  This is a confirmation of the basics of ministry for those who lead congregations that can't afford a full time pastor, and especially one who has an amount of debt out of seminary.  I will now continue my education through ILT working towards a masters degree.  This, of course, will take me several more years.

All in all, since I have completed what Emmanuel feels is a milestone, they have voted as a congregation to extend my call as a continuous call and have also voted in a resolution to ordain their pastor.  I am truly honored that they feel this way about the man who has led them almost from the beginning.  I am truly blessed to have a group of people who are willing to think outside the box and created a congregation, called a pastor and together we are blessed to have recently purchased a place to call home (debt free may I add).

To all of them, I say thank you.  To any of you who have read any of my words whether or not you liked what I had to say, I say thank you. 

To all who are interested in such things;

I invite you to the ordination of Gregory Lee Longtin
August 25, 2012 @ 2:00 pm
Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Easely
101 East First Ave
Easley, SC 29640

I have an office?!.

OK.  So you may think that this is not that big of a deal and for the most part it isn't.  After all I've pretty much had an office most of my adult career of some type or another.  But since accepting the call to Emmanuel we have been a congregation with no home and therefore...no office.  We moved into this space in December and I haven't really thought about it much until recently when I've started to come into the "office" at least once a week for "office" hours.  Of course, I still have my office at home and I use that a lot for sermon prep and taking courses but that one is just down the hall from everything else and it is convenient.  This new one is 1/2 hour away.  So I seem more serious about this office than the one in my home.  I'm not sure why that is because I get the same amount of work done at either place and yet, this new one seems more important and I don't know why.  Those of you who know me know that I'm not about stuff or status so it's not that (if anything it's worse since it seems I have 6 miles of bookshelves and only 1/10 of a mile of books) and so I struggle with this new office.  This office here is still pretty sterile too as it needs some wall hangings (and those dreaded empty book shelves are staring at me) and some other touches that the home office has and yet...this office still seems more important.

Maybe someone can shed some light on this thought process that this office seems more important than any other I've ever had.  Here I am, blogging about an office in a building in the middle of Easley SC and somehow it seems important.

This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Greg

I was thinking...

...that it seems it has been almost 2 years since my last post.  Much has changed since that post so here is a brief recap.  Almost 1 1/2 years ago we moved from Columbia to Greenville to be closer to the congregation of Emmanuel that I serve in Easley (about 15 miles away).  I started a part time job at Target about a year ago as a sales floor associate in the Hardlines department (most things that are not clothing) and enjoy the job for what it is.  I continue to take courses to finish my PMC (Pastoral Ministry Certification) and look forward to taking additional coursework to keep up with my studies when that is completed in June.  Judy has finally settled into a new job recently that is with an embroidery/print shop called Print Specialty Inc.  So far she enjoys he work and heads off to start her day at 6:30 am.  I think it's the first time in our 30+ years of marriage that she is up and moving (and sometimes out the door) before I am up and moving.

Kate is engaged to a nice young man named Frank Johnson and will be married June 1st.  She will then move up to Hallock where he is Pastor of 2 Lutheran Churches.  She will be an intern, as she finishes up her MDiv coursework, in the very NW corner of MN.  She is excited for all of the changes that are taking place.  Sammy became engaged to a nice young man named Jim Hudson.  They are planning a wedding sometime next summer.  Jim continues to work at UPS and Sammy has just changed jobs and is working for a cleaning company while keeping a Victoria's Secret job on the side.

Emmanuel Lutheran church of Easley (the church I serve) has recently bought a building so we are no longer a "homeless" congregation.  It is a 5000sf building downtown Easley that needed little to no work to move in so we moved in immediately after closing (and a little scrubbing).  We were blessed to be given a gift large enough to purchase the building.  We also are blessed to have a reserve of cash in our bank account as well.  Our membership continues to slowly grow and our baptized membership is about 60 or so.  We are hoping to continue a slow growth trend as we bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those who need to hear it.

In closing, I promise that my next blog won't be 2 years in the waiting.  I have much to bring to this forum and look forward to beginning it to anyone who stumbles across it.

Peace to y'all

Greg