w00t!

Well, today was the first full operation of the new video system at Clarkson Road. I was very nervous about it going into the service, but even with the first hymn I knew right away that this was a good thing. The vocals from the congregation, which were at modest summer numbers were even more robust than when the church is full in the fall. The response from the people who were there was overwhelmingly positive... even from those who might have been leery about the system when it first went in. I'm admittedly breathing a sigh of relief.

Granted, the smoothness of how everything went owes a lot to Rob McGregor's adept handling of the system. It went off without a hitch, and I'd be remiss in thanking him again!

The first Sunday is out of the way... now for the rest of 'em... :)

Early Morning...

It's nice to be back in the office... I'm still trying to get back into the groove of things, which I suppose can be difficult in the midst of July. Everybody's on summer vacation mode even when they're at home or even in the office. Maybe it's a Canadian thing, or a Southern Ontario thing... Anyway, Wednesday mornings are a day that I often find myself in the office much earlier than usual. Today is normally the day when Sarah and I do a "split shift" as our daughter Megan is not in child care that day. So we spend half the day working in the office, and half the day working from home while keeping an eye on Megan. We trade as to what part of the day each of us spend in the office.

More recently, I've been tending to take the morning shift, getting up far earlier than I usually do, and arriving at the office ridiculously early for someone who isn't a morning person. I think the earliest I have arrived has been around 6:45am. Today was less ambitious, being about 7:25. Strangely enough I find the quiet of the morning great to work in, have some good devotional time, and it still allows me to enjoy the day. I think Sarah appreciates it, because it allows both her and Megan to sleep in.

Yes... my 19 month old daughter sleeps in like a teenager... I wonder what she will be like when she really is one!

Homeward Eve

I'm now sitting in front of my Father-in-Law's brand-new computer in Parksville, BC. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, first driving up to Comox, visiting some of Ken & Phyllis' friends, then flying to Toronto with a stopover in Calgary. Assuming everything goes to schedule, we'll be landing at Pearson at nearly 10pm EST. I expect Megan is going to be completely thrown by the time change, and may not sleep well Friday night. I head back to the pulpit on Sunday, but fortunately I'm mostly ready for the service.

All told, it's been a good vacation, albeit the childcare department while in Parksville has been much more intensive than the visit with my parents. There is an amazing difference with one's energy level as to whether or not the home in which we are staying is geared for the presence of a toddler or not.

Church-wise, I had the opportunity to pick the brains of the Tech Team at Knox United Church in Parksville, who also have a video system as part of their worship service. All told, I think we're on the right track, and perhaps in a year or two we might even be able to teach them a thing or two about using visuals in worship!

See you Sunday!