Learning to swim

So I've officially been in post for two weeks. One week spent mainly on a course and then this week.
Time to try to get out and about in the town and among the church folk. A visit to the Scrabble group on Monday afternoon & Small Talk on Thursday afternoon - good opportunities to let my face be seen and hopefully let those who don't see me on Sundays realise that I'm fairly human and that a dog collar doesn't make me unapproachable. Both groups consist mainly of non-Sunday attenders and I don't think either group would consider themselves 'Church'. But both meet on Church premises and both are listed as church activities. They also both at first glance appear to be communities with people who support each other outside of the meeting place. Interesting.
I've also visited three sets of people at home. One housebound elderly lady with early Alzheimer's and have arranged to take her Home Communion - along with her Pastoral visitor.
I dropped in on a family whose husband/granddad had been to hospital for tests, and also had a great evening meal & conversation with a couple who are feeling God is calling them to use their many gifts for something other than youth work which they have been doing for many years.. Exciting times!
I've also prepared Sunday worship, and something for a Harvest 'service' for an old folk's club next week.. I've been invited to go to that with the organist who was already booked to be there.

But perhaps the most testing thing this week has been that my colleague's son has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and has had to have emergency surgery. I can't begin to imagine the stress he and his wife have been under. The operation has gone well and scans have been encouraging so hopefully the prognosis is good. Communication by text message with someone I don't know terribly well has been challenging - getting the 'tone' right is so hard.
Nothing quite beats face to face encounters and hopefully that can be a major part of my ministry here - even though I don't always find it easy - I  must try to,remember it's a whole load easier than texting!