And so the year commences...

Yes, I know, we are almost two full months into 2007, but the 'year'; ie the academic year, has just officially commenced for me, and my fellow ministerial candidates.

On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, all faculty and candidates from the Uniting Church Theological College had our annual Commencement Camp at the lovely Pallotti College in the Yarra Valley.

(Don't ask me where that is. Those of you who know me well will understand that I am directionally challenged, and even though I drove my car to the camp, I only got there thanks to the directions of one of my fellow travellers, who seemed to enjoy taking me up on the invitation to "tell me where to go".)

The Commencement Camp was a special time especially for the new candidates joining us this year, to get to know the rest of us candidates and the faculty who will be teaching us and travelling with us socially and pastorally on the journey of ministerial formation. At last year's camp, I was very excited ("what a surprise!" I hear you say- you cheeky thing!) I had just arrived in Melbourne from Hobart, and was still getting used to the idea of being on the Big Island again... as well as the excitement at the newness of the whole Theological College experience, and wondering what the year would hold for me.

This year, there was still a strong element of excitement, but it was tempered with the knowledge that I am no longer a wet-behind-the-ears-first-year candidate, but a big-grown-up-second-year, and so this carries with it some responsibilities. Firstly, to empathise with the newcomers to our community, to try to help them feel welcome, to understand the bewildering jargon and TLAs* that seem to be bandied around at every turn (and of course, to help them understand the arcane and complex mysteries of how the UCATC relates to the UFT, which relates to the MCD (see what I mean about TLAs?!)

I also experienced a sense of grief (albeit a mild one), that some of the key people who were present at Commencement Camp last year weren't there this time round, as they had exited from the college during 2006 (in fact the rest of my carload of fellow-travellers from last year: Avril, Sally and Kylie, were all absent from this year's camp). But I suppose that just highlights the fact that life is full of changes, and whilst we need to value and honour the past, we also need to live in the present, embracing the change, and also looking ahead to the future.

Academic classes start for me on Tuesday, and my semester is looking interesting and a little busy although the timetable itself is reasonably civilised:
Tuesday morning: Making, Housing & Feeding Christians
Tuesday evening: Contemporary Christian Ethics
Thursday afternoon: Christology
Intensive unit over 4 full Saturdays: Educating and Ministering Through Life Passages
Friday all day: our usual Friday Program, which in first semester includes the 2nd year Worship and Preaching unit.

I am also hoping to keep my Hebrew language from atrophying by doing weekly informal reading sessions (1hr per week with Prof Howard Wallace and a couple of other students)

During first semester, I am also exercising the other side of my brain by taking a Story telling course which runs on Thursday evenings during March and May. This will be a very practical and creative course, so hopefully will also be fun (and help me in my continuing journey to become more proficient and confident at giving children's talks in church).

So, my timetable will be full, but hopefully manageable, and of course, very exciting.... I can't wait to get stuck into the reading and study (yes, I know, I am a sick, twisted puppy)

So- bring it on! I can't wait! :-)

*TLAs = Three-Letter Acronyms