Higher Things - Day 1

Time for my annual chronicling of our trip to the Higher Things youth conference. This year we're in San Antonio, TX, at Trinity University. And yes, it's HOT!

The theme this year is Beyond Reasonable Doubt - an apologetics theme. 

This year is also a bit different for me as I am serving as the conference chaplain here. So lots more work for me to do! I'll also be teaching a breakaway session as usual.

So I arrived on Sunday night and Monday was unloading and set-up day. They have a whole truckload of stuff they bring! My responsibility is the chapel, so that's where I spent most of the day, trying to figure out how to use the space and get everything set up. Not just me - I have three summer vicars helping me, a couple of deaconess interns, and some CCVs - College Conference Volunteers. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. But we got it done, and last night had a service of Evening Prayer to dedicate the space and just take a breather to sit, sing, pray, and hear God's Word.

Today we start in earnest. I'll pray with the staff and then arrivals and registration begins at 9. Pastors will start arriving and bringing their vestments to the chapel. I need to finalize the schedule for the summer vicars with them this morning. At 1:00 I have to be at the Leaders Meeting to give them information on the chapel and how things will work there this week. Then the Opening Divine Service at 2:00 at which I am the celebrant. A little breather after that (I think!). Hopefully I'll get to hear some of the plenary speaker. Then after dinner there's Evening Prayer, followed by Private Absolution for those who want it (I have pastors who volunteered to do that), then Staff Compline at 10:00, and then Compline with my kids in the dorm at 11:00. A full day. ;-)

One of the biggest challenges this year was the travel! Since I had to come down early, I could not travel with the youth. So we linked up with the group from Immanuel, Alexandria. But they had already made all their travel plans! So we had to figure out how to link up with them. Each of our groups drove separately to the airport, so we had to make arrangements for them to find each other there - which they did! And pretty soon their plane will be off. Then, after they arrive in San Antonio, I have a pastor from Houston who is bringing his group in and then he will go up to the airport and get our kids! (Fortunately, the airport here is only about 10 minutes from the campus.) Then we the kids get here (hopefully not too late!), I se them to their dorms and get them settled in before I'm off to the Leaders Meeting. 

So yeah, it's going to be one of those weeks! Good, but tiring.