This morning, I attended my second Clericus Meeting since coming to south Florida, which was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Oakland Parkway in Fort Lauderdale, about a 30 minute drive from my office, depending on traffic. I hosted my first Clericus Meeting at Holy Sacrament, about two months ago in April. It was the first time visiting St. Mark’s and though I did not see inside of the building, its campus is rather extensive and beautiful. There is also a school.

About fifteen or so members of the clergy from Broward Deanery attended the meeting. Fr. Mark Sims, the Dean of the Deanery chaired the meeting, while our host Rector was Fr. Robert Trache of St. Mark’s.  Archdeacon for Congregational Development, The Ven. Bryan Hobbs, also attended. After introductions, each clergy gave a synopsis of what is taking place in his or her parish. It was noteworthy to hear the various ministries, programs and activities that are happening in the parishes in our deanery. I mentioned that the activity level at Holy Sacrament is high and spoke about three areas of ministry, particularly about the upcoming missions to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

One program that peaked my interest was the Young Adult Ministry at All Saints’, Fort Lauderdale. They are developing a number of ways for persons between the ages of 20 and 40 years to come together for fellowship, and edification. The group is particularly interested in the Theology on the Tap program, where they meet at a bar, have a couple of drinks and chat about things theological or topical. I remember this program being offered by a Presbyterian clergy friend of mine in Illinois who did it in his congregation. Having a Young Adult Ministry at Holy Sacrament, this topic was particularly interested to me.

We also learned of a new ministry called “Take Them A Meal” (www.takethemameal.com), which is apparently useful for taking meals for others and for ensuring that events like potlucks in our parishes are well-organized.

The meeting lasted in excess of two hours. After leaving the church, I journeyed back to the office while chatting on the phone with my Senior Warden, who had earlier left a message for me.