There's a trustee conference at Asbury/Orlando this week. So all of these are trustees are hanging around campus, going to meetings and whatnot.
A classmate and I sat down to lunch on the patio. Two guys with trustee nametags came over and asked to join us. So we sat and talked, mostly about why we had chosen Asbury over other seminaries. The two trustees asked various questions about our backgrounds, so out of politeness, I reciprocated. "So, what do you two do for a living?"
"I'm the Bishop of North Carolina."
Oh. Gulp.
The other guy: "I'm President of the Judicial Council." [for you non-Methodists, that's like Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.]
Double gulp.
They didn't like revealing who they were because, they said, it tended to change the way people interacted with them. Particularly the JC fellow, who has been the target of much -- ahem -- disparagement of late. So my classmate and I did them the courtesy of not treating them like the extremely powerful people that they were. We've both kind of outgrown that sort of behavior anyway.
Friday, January 20, 2006
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LOL. This was hilarious. "What do you two do for a living?" LOL. I'm crying.
Yeah, but the bright gold stripes on the PotJC's shoulders should have been a dead giveaway. Same with the bishops post-hole digger hat.
"So my classmate and I did them the courtesy of not treating them like the extremely powerful people that they were."
So how many noogies did you give each of them anyway? Or did you let them off with a mere pantsing...
Wow, a bishop and a president of the Judicial Counsel, eh? All that's left is a Jedi master and captain of the Enterprise.
I loved this :)
Did either of them later head into a bar with a Rabi and a Catholic Priest?
Just curious.
On another level, this story is about how bishops and judicial council presidents are just folks who can sit down and have lunch with a couple of students. (But you only get to that level after you're done laughing hysterically!)
I have little patience for the holy, high, and mighty treatment. It must be simply nauseating for the "famous". I go to a conference, see an author or presenter I enjoy at lunch, and pull up the seat beside. I've met some great and real folks that way.
I'm so glad you were the gift of yourself, nothing more or less.
Does Wilmore have any bars?
or rabbis and catholic priests for that matter?
(grin)
I'm glad we've got folk like that on the trustees.
I don't think I would have been able not to prod them for prognostications on the direction and future of the UMC.
"So this bishop walks in to a bar...." There are so many joke possibilities here that I don't know where to begin.
They did talk about trying to change the time frames on candidacy to reflect modern trends in ministry.
The bishop noted that a lot of people were self-selecting out of candidacy not because they were washing out, but because they were good enough to have extradenominational options.
John,
What sort of thoughts did they share about time frames? Or do you choose not to share out of respect? If so, I understand.
Well done. Now, tell me you at least shook their hands.......
I did indeed shake their hands, and mine glowed afterwards....
Michael: there was talk about shortening the probationary period for elders and deacons. In the Bishop's youth, it was apparently common for people to graduate from seminaries directly as elders.
Pizza, salad, and soda.
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