Is five years that long?

 I found out this week that Sunday will be my 5th anniversary as a retired, part-time priest at Trinity, Milton.

That actually ties Milton with the other two churches I served as I began my ministry.

Five years as St. James in Charleston, WV, a Black church though while I was there it became integrated, much to the members delight.

It was near a historically Black College so lots of Ph.D.'s in the congregaton. Both our children were born in Charleston, so they started their lives in a mostly African-American and very educated environment.

Good for them.

Next, I was as St. Paul's in New Haven for 5 more years. A very liberal, racially diverse parish with more Ph.D's from Yale. It's the only time we lived in a Rectory and my father lived with us for a while, before nursing home--where he tried to escape. He died at Yale Hospital.

But Milton won't ever catch up with my longest ministry at St. John's, Waterbury. At one point we had members from 18 different towns. I always had a full-time assistant and an Hispanic minister for the Hispanic Congregation, which was large. Plus lots of seminarians from Yale who went on to have great careers in the church.

But Milton will never match that 21 years, but will go into second place in a month or so, if I live that long.

I love the folks at Trinity--they do so much good for a tiny congregation.

It's hard to believe I've been there 5 years.

It doesn't seem that long.

But it has been a ministerial BLAST!

Thank you Trinity--I love you.....