Greetings from Flintstone, GA

As those who were at Church last Sunday know, my family and I are out of town this week. We are staying at Jennifer's sister's house in Georgia, 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Tennesse. We will be out of town, and mostly out of touch, until late Friday evening.

Jennifer and I were Godparents to my nephew Seth at Sunday's baptism at St. Paul's Chattanooga - a parish made famous by the great love for it by our own parishioner Henry Aldridge (who will tell you he is technically and emotionally still a parishioner at St. Paul's). It was a very handsome building and the liturgy pretty well done (for Rite II in the new prayer book), and my brother-in-law even convinced them to use incense - a rarity here apparently. There were 3 baptism taking place, bringing lots of guests and filling up the Church so that there were people in the balcony! The Nave is a little more than half the size of St. John's, and I look forward to the days in the near future when St. John's is so full!

I also had a chance to return for Evensong (no where nearly as full), and in chatting with the organist found out he is an acquiantance and great admirer of our own Dr. Huw Lewis! They have a nice Cassavant Organ, the same company that built our organs at St. John's.

But as nice as it was to be there and to worship with family (many were in town for the baptism), I spent the morning glancing at my watch and saying to myself, "the 8am serive must be finishing up now at St. John's", or "I wonder that costumes the kids are wearing for I sing a song of the saints of God", or "they are probably receiving communion at the 10am Service now at St. John's" and of course longing to be home with you all!