Becoming a Deacon After 35 Years | Trinity Talks Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode

of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla and I am so

glad that you are joining us today and I'm so

glad to be joined by Bill. Hey, Kyla. I'm so

glad to be here. I'm really glad to be anywhere.

Yeah, yes. You had an eventful couple of weeks.

Do you want to tell us a little bit about that?

I certainly can. On June 6, Saturday, June 6,

I was involved in a single vehicle motorcycle

accident, meaning just me and my bike. But I

was on a group charity ride called the Ride for

Dad in Ottawa. And so there were lots of bikes

in front of me and lots of bikes behind me. And

I basically kind of long story short, just failed

to navigate a left curve properly and went onto

the side of the road. And unfortunately, instead

of it being a hard shoulder and me being able

to correct and get back on the road, it was it

was very much a soft shoulder. And it was actually

round river rock that my bike went onto, which

is like riding on marbles. And so as soon as

I as soon as I kind of went off the road a little

bit to try and correct myself and get back. The

bike just slipped out from under me and I knew

that the bike and I were going down hard. So

I had multiple fractures to my left wrist and

my right ankle. I had surgeries to repair the

damage on June 10th and the staff... nurses,

doctors, surgeons at the Ottawa Civic Hospital

were incredible. It was an amazing experience.

It was so well taken care of by the staff there.

And I got visits all through my time there from

friends and people from the ride. The co -chairs

of the ride came and some other people who were

on the ride came to visit me. People I didn't

know that became friends, which was really cool.

And then on June 15th, I was released from the

hospital, discharged, and Natalie came the night

before, and then we rode, not rode, sorry, I'm

not riding any time soon. We drove home on the

15th, and so I've been home recovering since

then. Okay, yeah. So that's the accident. Yes,

so we're very glad that you're here. We're also

very glad that in about a week and a half, something

really exciting. is happening in your life. You're

being ordained as a deacon. I am right now. Right

now I'm still a dit, a deacon in training, or

a candidate of the diaconate, which is how the

diocese prefers me to refer to myself. They're

not a big fan of dit, but no, maybe it's catching

on. They're warming up to it. But yeah, on Wednesday,

July 8th, 730 p .m. right here at Trinity is

is my ordination service. And I'm just so, I

mean, I can't even begin to express. I'm sure,

Kyla, you're going to hope that I can express

exactly how I feel about that. But it's just

it's just incredible to the culmination of so

many, well, decades of, you know, kind of getting

to this point. And and and, you know, we're planning

this the service now. And it's just I'm just.

It's just amazing the different elements of the

service and how meaningful I'm realizing that

that whole thing is. I mean, it's not just, OK,

let's stamp them, get them done. There's a powerful

meaning throughout the service, in the liturgy,

in the different parts and the roles that people

play to present me to the bishop and all that

kind of stuff. So I'm super pumped. for that.

And it's definitely the end of a journey that

we'll talk about, flesh out a little bit, I'm

guessing. But it's also the beginning of a whole

new journey. So it really is a cruxus or a nexus

for myself personally and for my ministry. Yeah.

So yeah, we want to get into all of the bits

of the story. But before we jump into that, we

probably have some folks who don't actually know

what it means to be a deacon in the Anglican

Church. So you want to explain to us, what is

a deacon? is their job. Sure. Yeah. OK, so we

can do that. Yeah. So there are three ordained

orders in the Anglican Church. OK. Bishop, priest

and deacon. OK. So a priest generally. And these

are generalizations. And we're not getting into

specifics. Their whole role is super big and

stuff. Priest and bishop. But the main role of

the priest is to take care of the members of

the church, members of the congregation. So they're

the shepherd. Church is the flock. Right. And

that's the main role. The bishop, their job is

to take care of a whole bunch of churches in

a geographical area. So the bishop of the diocese

takes care of hundreds of churches. He's responsible

for the administration of those churches. And

then the deacon. Is brought up from within a

parish? Whereas a priest gets ordained and gets

moved from parish to parish over the time of

his or her ministry, right? The deacon is brought

up within the parish is trained and formed through

the diocese But also still connected with his

or her home parish and then and then at the end

of that training and formation process is ordained

in the church for ministry in the community.

And so what that ministry is typically for a

deacon is a couple of two main things. One is

a role within the church to help lead the service.

Not as big of a concern here at Trinity because

there's so many amazing people that do all those

roles. But typical role for a deacon is to read

the gospel, prepare the table, the Eucharist

table for communion, do the prayers, and then

do a dismissal at the end of the service. So

those are like the four key things. And so in

a lot of churches where it's just the priest,

just the minister doing all of it. When they

can bring up a deacon, that helps. They can take

care of like four or five major elements of the

service and just kind of pass so they can share

the work of the service that way. But again,

because here at Trinity, there really isn't any

reason to artificially insert myself any more

than I've already been participating in and meeting

different aspects. I help assist with communion

and and other things, right? So I can continue

to do that. I mean, I might get put on the roster

for reading, which I haven't done for a while,

or on the roster for leading prayers. I'm happy

to do that. But again, I don't want to take the

spot of, you know, the volunteers and ministry

leaders or service leaders that are already helping

out. The dismissal though is something that's

really important to me personally, so I'm hoping

that I might have the opportunity to do that

on a somewhat regular basis, but we're still

working that stuff out. And so that's the inside

of the church stuff. And then we'll get to what

my specific ministry stuff will be when I start

in September. But typically the role of a deacon

inside the church is that. And then the outside

of the church... is looking into the community,

identifying what the needs of the community are,

volunteering themselves in the community, helping

the hungry, the lonely, the sick, the naked,

the stranger, and then also creating a bridge

and encouraging and facilitating the members

of the church. to then also kind of follow his

or her lead. Yep. And serve in the community

as well, either on their own or in groups or

with the deacon or like, you know, or and and

that so that there's a huge service element.

Sure. And in fact, the the root word, Greek word

for deacon, I'm going to butcher the Greek, but

diaconia or diaconis. Something like that. That

is which. which is the word we get for, which

is how we get deacon is to serve. Okay. So it's

that, I mean, it's that, it's that much into

the, is that built into the meaning. Deacon equals

serve. So, I mean, if that's all you remember,

then you get it. So, but the important element

again, is that the role of the deacon differing

from bishop and priest as one of the three. ordained

orders of clergy is that the deacon is outward

facing and is figuring out what the needs are

in the community and trying to facilitate the

members of the church to get out of the pew and

onto the streets. Yeah, so kind of like creating

that bridge between the community and the church

and Facilitating hopefully a two way bridge.

Yeah, exactly. The community can come into the

church and the church can go out into the community

and serve and love and all of those good things.

Yeah. And the community meal here at Trinity

over the last year and a half has been a good

example of that. It is the development of identifying

the needs, figuring out how we could respond

and facilitating members of the church to act,

to serve and then developing a community of people

from both outside of the church that come to

receive the meal and the community and the fellowship.

And then, you know, and we have seen people from

our Community Meal come and become members, attend

worship services, and even become members and

get baptized, which is amazing. Yeah, that's

awesome. Since the start of the Community Meal.

Yeah. So you mentioned earlier, you know, this

journey towards Deaconning, I don't know what

the verb is. Deaconship. Deaconship. Yes, there

we go. The diaconate. Yes. Began decades ago.

So yeah, when did it really start for you? Like

what prompted this? Well, it really goes as far

back as when I was a teen and being mentored

by an Anglican priest named the Reverend Brett

Kane. He took me under his wing and for about

four or five years was a very important mentor

in my life and father figure because my parents

separated and I didn't have a dad or at least

not one very close. And so Brett was my spiritual

mentor, was a father figure and just really helped

me. with a whole bunch of stuff during those

years, right? Everything from learning to drive

to how to behave politely on a date with a girl.

Well, I don't know if I ever figured out how

the shave part, but hopefully he taught me how

to behave properly on dates. I hope so. But also

kind of birthed in me a sense of calling. Uh,

and I mean, Brett saw me as a, as a sonly figure,

like I saw him as a fatherly figure. So he, I'm

guessing wanted me to follow in his footsteps

as well. So he was, so he was definitely encouraging

me to, uh, to ordained ministry and on, and his,

his sense of that was to the priesthood. Um,

and I, and I went to Das and, uh, uh, college

days. That's the, uh, that's the theological

college in Montreal where I grew up. So every

year there would be a Diocesan Day where prospective

students, normally students who are graduating

university, not high school students like me.

So every year for four or five years I went to

the Diocesan Day through my high school years

and was able to explore what that would look

like. And from those days I realized... I didn't

want to be ordained as a priest. I felt that

my calling was more into the community to as

far as outreach, responding to the needs of the

poor and the disadvantaged of our community through

the years. That is that my focus has changed

from youth at risk to hungry families to different

things. Right. But it's always been that focus.

And and I also didn't like the fact that if you're

a priest, then the bishop could move you around

every three years. Sure. And I thought, no, I

want to, I want to, I want to be, I want to be

part of, I want to live. I want to work. I want

to, I want to really root yourself. I want to

ruin myself somewhere. I don't want to think,

okay, well, you know, potentially in three years,

I'm going to have to start over somewhere. So,

you know, I'm not going to do, I'm not going

to dive deep, right? Yeah. So, um, uh, so yeah,

so I, uh, I didn't. I didn't I didn't go to theological

college right after university. I got a job working

in the Christian ministry and and then I eventually

started working at Youngstreet Mission's Evergreen

for a few years and then and then moved to Mississauga

and started up the the Dam Eithropen with my

with my partner. So we co -founded the dam and

ran it for 15 years. But all of that was kind

of my fulfilling my calling to outreach and ministry

to those in need in the community. And during

that time too, I and how I how I can identify

When my calling as a deacon formalized because

I didn't really understand the whole deacon part

of things in Montreal, but when I moved to Mississauga

and got involved with the Diocese of Toronto

I realized that there was there was this thing

called Deacon and and it just seemed to really

fit with my own sense of calling in ministry

and philosophy of ministry and the And so I began

to explore that as an idea through Trinity. And

for a number of reasons, it didn't work out.

I was always told it didn't have anything to

do with me. It was always something else. But

each succession of ministers I would ask and

was turned down and stuff like that. So that's

over a 35 -year period. But I can go back to

when I started my Masters of Theological Studies

at Wycliffe College, which was 94. it for 10

years because I was in full -time ministry at

the time. So it took me 10 years to do my MTS

from 1994 to 2004. And I enrolled in the MTS

program because that educational component was

necessary in the formation process of becoming

a deacon. So I didn't realize that it would take

me 10 years to do it. And then once I got it,

I didn't realize that it would take me another

20 years before I actually you know, utilized

it in terms of the formation and training to

become to actually officially become a deacon.

Right. So, yeah, thirty five years of being patient.

Yeah. And and actually seven years ago, I gave

it up. Yeah. I I realized after so many years,

I thought maybe it's God is maybe I have this

calling, but maybe. I'm not meant to actually

fulfill it. Maybe I'm or maybe I'm fulfilling

it in what I'm doing without actually without

the ordination without the ordinate. Yeah, without

being, you know, ordained clergy. And and so

I just kind of came to came to terms with that

and said, OK, I guess I'm never going to be a

deacon. And that's when we fostered and adopted

our dog. Yeah. And I named him Deacon. And that

was the rebellious quirk in me. I said, well.

gosh darn it if i'm not going to be a deacon

there's going to be a deacon in my house so i'm

naming my dog deacon and now it's just going

to be confusing at home in a couple in a week

and a half yeah yeah yeah when natalie calls

out deacon for dinner i'm going to come running

and the dog is going to come running well i'm

going to come wheeling or sure at the moment

but But yeah, so that's the process over my calling

or my sense of calling over 35 years and just

feel like number one, I'm a much more patient

person in my whole life because of this process.

And I'm just very thankful for that. And then

there's also the thing of like, don't give up

on your dreams. Sure. And even though I kind

of struggled with that seven years ago. It kind

of feels more like now, you know, if you really

want something, you know, let it go. Yeah. And

if it's meant to happen, it'll come back to you.

And that seems to be what happened to me. So

I think even the letting go part of it was a

helpful part of my process. So it's not this

like chip on my shoulder. You know, why can't

I be a DK? I've been wanting so long. Yeah. You

know, and I just I let that go. And then it came

back to me. I was just like, and I was like,

I still remember the meeting in Rob's office

when I said, I said, I'm not sure if we ever

talked about this, but I've been wanting to be

a deacon for a long time. And for a lot of reasons,

it just wasn't able to happen. And I've asked

each minister as they came and they said no and

blah, blah, blah. And so have we ever had that

conversation? And Rob said, no, we haven't had

that conversation. I said. Would you be willing

to have a conversation with me? I'm going to

start crying and just tell the story. And I asked

him if he'd be interested in engaging in that

conversation. He said, Bill, if that's your calling,

I think that would be incredible. I think we

definitely should investigate this, right? I

mean, it wasn't like, yes, let's make it happen.

It was like, let's figure out what the start

of the process is and let's talk about it. And

I just immediately, I just like. faucet water

like I'm just crying after 30 plus years of being

turned away and not and not fulfilling my calling

just the idea that it could eventually happen

was just so amazing yeah and so that was the

start nine months it took nine months to officially

enter into the training formation process. And

that process is a minimum of two years. And for

me, because I had done my educational part, my

MTS years ago, I was able to go through the formation

process in that minimum of two years. And just

last month or thereabouts, the final piece was

to be approved by the College of Bishops for

ordination. And that happened. And then we started

planning the service. Now, here we are. Yeah.

Yeah. So cool. And I remember also part of maybe

one of the initial parts of that process was

approval from the congregation. Yes. Right. We

had a vestry meeting and you sort of stood up

and said, OK, this is the dream that I have.

And I was at that meeting. And I remember folks

being like, well, if this is Bill's dream and.

This so clearly fits with who we see Bill as,

as a person, right? This fits so clearly with

all of your gifts and the things that you're

already doing. It was like a no brainer, right?

We were all, all on board, you know? Yeah. That's

so amazing. Yeah. And just so excited that like,

yeah, this is a piece that you get to sort of

step into. Yeah. Yeah. And that, and that was

the end of a process in itself because Part of

the discernment process was for me to discern

my calling, which again, you know, through the

decades was that that was that was definitely

there. But the process that we needed to start

or that Rob needed to start was to put a small

group of people together that would discern.

Do we need a deacon in the parish? Sure. Is this

what's right for Trinity? And at first, it wasn't

even attached to my name. Sure. That conversation

happened without, as far as I know, without me,

without my name attached. And then and then when

it's when they said, yes, this would be a valuable

role for for, you know, benefit the church and

our ministry in the community. Then it was said,

OK, well, this is Bill feels a calling to to

be in this role to be brought up through the

through the parish. through Trinity to play that,

to perform that role in the ministry team of

the church. And then it was like, oh yeah, check,

check. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All the pieces fit so

beautifully. So amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So then

as you step into this new role at Trinity, what

do you sort of anticipate that looking like?

So you talk about, you know, broadly, this is

generally what deacons do, but. Specifically

here, do you have a sense of what you might be

up to? Yeah, we're I mean, we're still putting

together, but but Rob and I have have talked

and I'm assuming Rob's talked with the other

people, the extended ministry team and and leaders

in the church and stuff of how I would fit in.

But so what we've talked about and where he feels

there's a need is is around care and outreach.

So the the particular need is is is is to have

someone as the supporter and booster of all of

our care ministries at Trinity, which, I mean,

to have the opportunity to support. so many ministry

leaders who are so caring and compassionate and

have so many skills and gifts in this area is

just a is just a is just an honor. And my take

on it is not to come in as to direct those those

programs, supervise those people. My my thing

is to let's let's put together a team where we

could support and encourage one another and and

just. And for me, just to be there as their boosters

and just to find out what they need to do, what

they're there to do, and just to provide them

every resource and everything that they need

to get that done. care and outreach coordinator.

One focus will be on the care ministry of the

church. And it's just, I mean, there's so many

incredible things already going on. I'm just

happy to kind of learn and get to know all the

different things. I'm experiencing right now,

for myself, the ministry of the meal train. We're

getting meals brought to an amazing... tasting

great, nutritious meals that are brought that

just just takes a load off for Natalie and I,

primarily Natalie, because I'm sitting on a couch

with my foot up. But the but it's just, you know,

she's working full time here at the church and

then she comes home to take care of me and, you

know, cleaning and cooking and stuff just takes.

I mean, it's stuff that needs to get done. But

I mean, she's spending more of her time taking

care of me than others. Sure. So so, yeah. So

just singling out that one. care ministry of

the church in terms of, you know, experiencing

it now from a recipient, right, has been just

a great learning for me, understanding the incredible

impact that that has on those that are receiving

that ministry, right? And the wonderful volunteers

that put in the time and effort to cook those

meals and get them to the people. And that's

just one example. Yeah, that's one example. So

that's the care side. That's the care part. And

then outreach side. Thank you. Yeah, the outreach

side is, I mean, that's my wheelhouse. Yeah.

All right. So that's been my ministry for 35

years in Christian outreach ministry to to to

address to street youth and then later to address

youth here in Mississauga, Meadowville and Streetsville

and through the dam. and then also caring for

hungry disadvantaged families as the executive

director of a food bank in the western part of

Mississauga. and even care internationally for

people through a short contract I did with World

Vision. So all those experiences, again, kept

me focused on street ministry, on community outreach,

on responding to the needs of families, disadvantaged

families or impoverished families in our community.

And so as a deacon, those are the things that

attract our attention in the community. we look

out for, and I can't get the word exegete out

of my head. Exegete is for the Bible when you're

putting together Bible studies and stuff like

that, but you don't want to have that same level

of depth into the community as you would studying

the Bible to figure out what are the needs, what

is the meaning, what is going on, and then how

can we best help? And then the first thing is

to. I mean, there's generally in any church,

there are a lot of people who have a care and

concern for the community. They just don't know.

what to do. Yeah. Um, and there are, and there

are some, there are a few that are, you know,

are, are, are very content to be in the four

walls of the church or the four walls of their

home. And they're trying not to kind of, uh,

be exposed too much to the evils of the world.

Right. And, uh, and so I wanted to start gently

break people out of that, uh, for those that

are, are, are aware and, and a little, um, anxious

about, uh, you know, what they can do. I want

to be able to, provide some some training and

some encouragement and some options. So yeah

first and foremost as a role model I'm out there

in the community volunteering doing stuff and

then sharing my experiences with the congregation.

The second part is the exhortation part is saying

Hey, guys, lots of opportunities out here. Come

on out and volunteer and serve and, you know,

make a difference in your community. But, you

know, faith into action. Rubber, you know, rubber

on the... Rubber hits the road. Rubber hits the

road. Yes, thank you. Motorcycle imagery. and

just excite the members of our church to want

to serve in the community and help other people.

And then as you say, once you create that bridge,

it's not a one -way bridge. And so often I can

say in terms of how my ministry has kind of panned

out, it's only when you uh, genuinely are able

to show the care and the concern and the love

that you have for others, you know, people that

are outside of the church in the community, uh,

is only when you can, um, uh, and that's usually

shown first by action, right? By showing up to

a community meal and helping to serve a community

meal or, uh, and then later it's, uh, once you've

established relationship, you can do that through,

uh, uh, conversation about, you know, your faith

means to you, inviting them to church, you know,

that kind of stuff. But the best response that

I have realized over the years has been, you

know, You only get a positive response from those

spiritual conversations or for those invitations

to church once you have already proven yourself

to them. Sure. Once you have shown once they

have that human connection first. Exactly. Once

they have realized that it's more than a volunteer

thing or it's more than a job or and that you

actually care. And that you've taken the time

to get to know them and to hear their pain, their

history, their their story that they that what

you then say back to them has has a higher level

of importance to them. Right. So when you're

when you're saying, you know, Jesus helped me

through a bunch of stuff, maybe he can help you.

Yeah. And that rather than them going. you know

forget that they're going oh well if it helped

you yeah right and i know you and i know you

and i trust you yeah yeah and uh same thing with

invitations to church right i mean they're like

and uh but it but if it's but if you have that

relationship with them yeah then then they're

they're gonna think think about it a little bit

more. And so yeah, so it does create that two

-way bridge. So I mean, it would be amazing if

through the ministry, the diagonal ministry that

I'll have starting in the fall, that more people

in the community will come to church. That's

great. I really see that. not as a second goal,

but as a byproduct of the first goal. And the

first goal is to get our butts out there and

to make a positive impact in the lives of people

outside of the church in our community. Yeah,

yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's a beautiful vision.

And I think a vision that you are well. suited

to sort of help us live out, right, between your

gifts. And, you know, I think at one point, Rob

described you as like a really great builder

of teams, right? Yeah. Yeah. That meant a lot

to me when he said that. Yeah. Yeah. But just

someone who is able to sort of rally people together

and get them to understand what we're about and

how to work together. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very, from

the very beginning of my, of my ministry, not

just at Trinity, but my, my whole career in,

in, in Christian ministries and nonprofits and

charities. I've never wanted to do anything alone.

It's always been about building a team. I coordinate

the men's ministry here at Trinity, but I don't

do it alone. I have an amazing team of guys and

they're all in charge of a different men's ministry

program and I have the honor of coordinating

and facilitating them and making sure that they

have all that they need to do to do their role

well. Same thing with the with the community

meal. You know, I was, I was voluntold to do

it when the, thank you, Kayla, for your neighborhood

assessment. And based on that neighborhood assessment,

I was strongly encouraged to take up the, to

put together a community meal for Trinity to

offer to the neighborhood. And I said, okay,

well, I'll put a team together. four, five of

us total and we each play a different role and

each of the members of our community meal team

are spectacular and they make it and they're

a very large part of why the community meal has

been successful for the last year and a half

is the amount of time and effort and true care

and compassion that they put into that role,

whether it's... Oliver, you know, heading up

the cook team and planning all that, or Sylvia

coordinating all the volunteers or Heather doing

the promotion in the community or Pradeep, who's

takes care of all the physical stuff, the setup

and the takedown and stuff. And and, you know,

they're they're they do all their jobs so well

that I just I I some months I struggle to figure

out what I. can do to help. So that but that's

just part of an amazing team. And I'm happy to

I'm happy to continue to, to be their cheerleaders

as and, and that's so much better than than having

to be on top of people and kind of pulling them

struggle with, you know, kicking and screaming

to do what they're doing. So, so, and that I

just hope to replicate that. Yeah, yeah, continue

mobilizing people in those ways, for sure. Yeah,

so as you look ahead to this new role, what are

some of the sort of joys that you anticipate

and what are some of the challenges that you

are anticipating? Well, I just, I can't wait

to get out in the community as a deacon and to

kind of identify what the needs are and where

as a church we can help and respond. And I volunteer

on my own with a number of things in Georgetown,

where Natalie and I live, but also here in Streetsville,

in Mississauga. And more of that will come. you

know, in the fall when I start that part of my

ministry. And so I'm really looking forward to

that. That'll be great. But again, that's...

that's my, that's my wheelhouse, right? I mean,

that's, those are, that's no brainer. That's

the eye close. That's, you know, with my eyes

closed or I was going to say one hand tied by

my back or maybe with a, with a cast on my wrist

and an ankle. No problem. I can, I can do that.

No problem. And the, the, the area that caused

me a little bit of anxiety was the whole, you

know, the whole care, as ministry part of the

pastoral care, the hospital visits and the home

visits. And, and, and I remember, you know, Rob

telling me that this was an area of need for

us to have some leadership in. And I'm like,

you know, Rob, whatever you need, whatever the

church needs, however I can help, you just let

me know, we'll figure it out. And so I was 100

% for it, but in my... in my in my head or like

I'm going oh my god, I hate hospitals and I don't

like icky and and and and they going into people's

houses, you know, I don't know how I feel about

that and and and so yeah, so that whole area

was was was a bit of a question mark for me and

but Even before the accident Natalie helped put

my head at heart at ease because I've owned I'm

a volunteer driver with the local cancer Assistance

program in Georgetown. And so one or two times

a week. I'm picking up cancer patient I'm taking

them to their hospital appointment and and We

spent a lot of time talking on the way there

on our way back and Natalie very wisely. Yes

Aren't those kind of like visits. Yeah, I mean

they're in your car Pastoral care isn't that

pastoral care? Isn't that like a you know a visit

to someone who you need support and encouragement

and I'm like and it kind of hit me like a bag

of rocks Oh, oh, yeah that That that is that's

certainly yeah part of that. They have mm -hmm.

Okay Yeah, and then that helped immediately kind

of reframed my my thinking and stuff But even

then, you know the idea of hanging out in hospitals

or showing, you know visiting someone who's in

the hospital and they're like, you know, they're

in a gown and they're you know, and they've got

a you know, they've got something wrapped up

or they share their leg is something right and

I just like but My experience being in the hospital

has just turned that around 100 % or 360 degrees

or whatever number we're going to use. as a patient,

as a recipient of care, I had a lot of visitors

and an overabundance of visitors. It was so extremely

overwhelming, you know, very positive, not complaining,

but just like kind of over the head kind of abundance

of visitors and care and concern expressed online

and all this kind of stuff. But through that,

What I've said to people is that in that week

or week and a half, I experienced a master class

of pastoral care training. I can't imagine a

better education than lying or sitting in the

hospital bed as a patient receiving. Pastoral

care from people that care about you and and

love you and and and want to check in on you

and And and they're and they come just to spend

some time with you. Yeah, right. They don't have

they don't have any you know, special gift. I

mean, I'm sure they have spiritual gifts that,

that, that there's no secret wisdom. There's

no secret. Yeah. There's no magic spell. Right.

That the, you know, there's no, yeah, there's

no secret. There's no secret knowledge to, you

know, uh, it's just, it's just about showing

up. Yeah. And it's about being present and, uh,

and, and, and being able to convey you know,

your love and concern for that person and and

the and and give them an opportunity to, you

know, kind of share their story or vent their

their issues, their concerns and to pray, pray,

pray with them. Yeah. And I'm like, it seems

so simple. Sure. In my thinking. But before,

it was like this anxiety rising, a raising thing

in my head. And now I'm just like, I know the

value. of a person coming to visit you in the

hospital. Sure. I know the positive impact that

that has in that person's life because it had

that impact for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think,

yeah, it's so sort of it's a God thing. Right.

There's not really a better word. It very much

is a God thing. And I there's a few very specific

God moments throughout this. whole process. I

mean, the accident and, and what, and my learnings,

uh, personal reflections and spiritual reflections.

I mean, first of all, I am just so grateful that,

uh, considering, uh, the accident and the condition,

the bike it was in the bikes are right off. It's

done. Um, and, uh, and people who saw the accident

were very surprised that my only injuries were

multiple fractures to my ankle and wrist. They

thought I would be, you know, they were expecting

far worse. So I am so grateful. And I, I attribute

that to God, who had protected me on the ride.

And I've said to people that he surrounded me

with spiritual bubble wrap. And I just had that

very strong sense of like... uh god going oh

uh bill looks like he's going off the road let's

get him wrapped up uh and and then and then and

then it was like bounce bounce off the bike and

bounce bounce off the ground and then uh and

then and then i was and i didn't i didn't have

the injuries everyone expected and i think that's

a god thing for sure and then uh then definitely

um uh having a sense of uh a renewed or invigorated

sense of pastoral care, you know, and having

that anxiety, God didn't want me to have, it

wasn't his plan for me to have an accident, but

he definitely stepped up when it did happen and

made a lot of good come out of it. For sure.

Pastoral care stuff is part of that. And the

impact that it's going to have in my future ministry

as a deacon is, I mean, I can't even comprehend

at this point. More processing will have to take

place. But I just feel so much more comfortable

with that whole side of it now than I did before.

Yeah, this is a really exciting journey that

you're on, Bill. And I think exciting for you,

but exciting for our church family and all of

the different things that we're going to get

to see you do. Yeah, so you're getting ordained

July 8th, 730. So folks are watching. I think

we're going to be live streaming that service

as well. So you can watch on YouTube or, of course,

join us here in person. We'd love to have you

support us, support Bill as he steps into this

new ministry. And of course, we will continue

praying for you well beyond that day as well.

Bill, there's also one very special part of this

Deacon job that you are particularly fond of,

which is our closing blessing. So do you want

to close us out with a Deaconly blessing? Sure.

First of all, I have to make sure I remember

it. And then do you want me to look into a particular

camera? Yeah, go right ahead. All right. So,

followers of Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy

Spirit, go and serve the world God loves. Amen.