Yesterday, the congregation I’ve been serving for off and on in various capacities for the last four years voted to extend me a letter of call for what I’m doing for them now (part-time children’s choir director).

This means I can get through the final candidacy step to be officially and fully rostered leader of the ELCA. Basically, they stand behind my credentials (to a point) and will acknowledge that I’ve been prepared, examined and run through the ringer.

Which of course, means that we have to have an official ceremony. For Deaconesses it’s called “Consecration” so that folks don’t get confused by “ordination” which is what Pastors get. Of course, if you look up the words ordination or consecration in the dictionary they are used to define each other. So, that means they’re synonymous, right? Pretty much.

Anyway, the big party is scheduled for March 13.

While this job isn’t big enough to allow me to quit the evil corporate job (which prevents me from not only reflecting but writing here – among other things) it does mean that I don’t need to explain to a new congregation or organization that if they hire me they will need to extend a letter of call and go through all those hoops. Sort of.

And there was much rejoicing.