Of course, no one here knows this historical connection. But the form of the meetings, the design established by our discipline, the Manual, make it that certain things happen. While attention often goes on concerning the formal events of the Assembly, the informal dynamics are probably more important.

Yesterday I just participated in these informal dynamics, very thankfully. One of the effects of living so intensely locally on the west coast has been that my previous "life" in the midwest and here in Indiana means that these long term relationships, though very formative for me, have no continual, daily form. It can tempt me to deny the personal contingency that my life is -- God's providence in enfolding my life in the church when I didn't even know what was going on.

So, there were many conversations, a couple planned, a couple unplanned. There are those who were once my students, no faithful disciples at seminary or in ministry. There were people, like Ed and Carmen Batemen from South Bend First Church. There was Ron and Shirley Lush -- my pastor in college, who counseled Kathy and I in preparation for ministry. There was Joe and Doris Moses, who took me on choir trips from my local congregation to various churches out east. There are friends who work hard for common ecclesial witnesses, such as Brian Postlewaite and Steve Green. I ran into Jerry and Margaret with whom I ministered in Winamac. I was deeply moved by their thanksgiving, a decade later, for some of my time with them, even things at the time that they did not understand that they now have found important. I don't like "schmoozing" -- it's very hard on me. But seeing these friends was very important.

Three particular good conversations were with Randie and Shirley Timpe. Randie was one of the two primary professor that I had in college -- taught me social psychology and my suspicion and therapeutic, Freudian psychology. Randie is now Provost at my alma mater, Mount Vernon Nazarene College. I peppered him with a 100 questions about MVNC and learned different academic administrative structures and what differences it may have. On the whole, MVNC faculty have very little to final say in the shaping of the university.

I had a joyous hour conversation with Ron Benefiel. Ron continues to work faithfully and well as President of the Seminary. We talked about the long term witness of the Church of the Nazarene. Our analyses match very nicely, and I look forward to continuing to work with Ron in solidarity into the future. Very interesting was a NTS based theological forum, in which a theologian from Madagascar talked about the economics of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa -- Kelly Tirril needs to get a hold of the paper and the connection for her MA thesis.

Finally, I met with Rev. Bob Gray and his wife Ardis, and my youth minister growing up, Jerry Duff. Jerry was and is very important to me -- and very good man, although he seems to want to divide the world into the terms of American conservatives and liberals, and seems to think that the neo-conservative world order is divinely inspired. Bob Gray was pastor during some of the most formative commitments to Christ that I made as a teenager. Yet what was most interesting is that Bob Gray and Jerry had worked hard and opened up the Church of the Nazarene on La Dominique, and are well known there. I spoke with him about our 15 Haitian refugees in La Dominique. I was able to later that night, give them Brutus Rolin's email address. If nothing else, I think that they can get some immediate housing for them on the island as we work through the international/national settings. It was a very profound witness to how the church is local and catholic at the same time. There was a meeting this morning of Bob with the La Dominique delegates (2 of them) and a missionary from the island. Let's pray that we can work together to help these friends be recognized and be able to move to a situation where they can have peace and security necessary for human flourishing.

I am very humbled because what I really see here is an extended network of friendship in Christ within the body of Christ, that exceeds the geographic and chronological limitations. It is very bodily -- and thus experienced in gathering. These lines provide webs of witness that sustain the witness of the church in the world through time. Intimes such of this, I can only be thankful that God, by God's mercy, has pulled me into this network, sometimes against my will and choices. Not many learned, not many have status in the eyes of the world, but amidst foiable, idiosyncratic human beings, made in the image of God, redeemed by the Son, and sanctified by the Spirit, they are gifts that have been given me by the Triune God.