Dear Parish,
It has been eight months now since I have participated in this new culture. This new culture brings about an alien spirituality, leadership and management. Anyone, if they had to experience such, would say that adjusting and adopting any new customs which challenges (not similar) your own, is extremely difficult and strenuous. Being who you are is where the difficulty lies. Mahatma Gandhi asserts, “a nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” The bible states in Luke 6:45b, “it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” So then if my culture is in my heart then it becomes a part of me, it becomes who I am. My culture is in my heart, but being a part of a new culture calls me to readjust, reshuffle, reform and reconstruct that which I am in order to fit comfortably. The beauty in this challenging process is the construction of oneself. In other words, finding one’s place and determining what one may have to be to work successfully and comfortably.
This month in my journal I choose to take a different approach in its content and structure. This week I am focusing on myself and trying to establish myself in Codrington by creating a business plan.
What am I going to do?
While in Codrington I am going to obtain the best education and formation as I possibly can.
Why am I going to do it?
I am going to do it in order to fulfill my call and because I believe it is what God requires of me.
Who is going to do it?
Me, God being my helper
How does it fit into the overall mission and ministry of the church?
“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
What revenue streams do I have?
The Diocese of the Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands, Family, Friends
What is my budget?
$300.00 a month which includes cell phone obligations, traveling, and personal pleasures.
What is my desired outcome?
To be a good priest in the Church of God.
What are the indicators of my Success?
The indicators of my success would be graduating from Codrington College and the U.W.I.