Belly Dancing in the Chapel!

There are moments in ministry where it is just absurd. Absurd, I tell you!

Now, I often find absurdity in life, but sometimes, for whatever reason, I find more absurdity in ministry, probably because the reality can veer so far from the expectations.

Today's example is mostly silly, of course.

I began at my new call on Monday of this week. We have quite a few members (proportionally) in a nearby retirement community/assisted living facility. So today, I went to visit there, thinking that I would get to visit a WHOLE bunch of people since they're all in the same unit. And you know where they were? In their rooms? Nooooo....they were in the chapel. Watching belly dancers. In the chapel! Absurdity!

So I went to visit the one woman who was in the dementia unit. There, they were having their monthly birthday party. So I got to sit with her and chat, but I left before the cupcakes were served. Didn't want to be seen as a mooch.

When I walked back past the chapel, I asked if the chaplain was around (because I know him.) They said he wasn't in his office, but since the belly dancers were being televised (!) on the closed-circuit channel (!), he had seen it and had called in to complain that a banner with the phrase "My cup runneth over" was included in the shot.

Hilarity, I tell you! Hilarity and absurdity!

And all this on my third day...