To Be or Not To Be

As a clergy spouse I try not to get too involved,  especially since we have small congregations.  I don't want anyone to have the expectations that the Rev's wife will do it, after all it takes everyone to make the church run.  That having been said my motto has always been that I will get involved only with what I want to get involved.  

This last weekend we were at Diocesan Convention.  My favorite part of convention is when all of the spouses get together and have lunch with the bishop's wife.  It is a great time to catch up with people that I don't see nearly enough as well as a time to just relax.  This year was no different.   Several of the spouses were missing but all in all we had 15 there for lunch.  Some of the spouses had to leave lunch early due to the fact that they were delegates but other than that lunch was a great success.

My second favorite part of the convention is when the resolutions are presented.  This year was no different.  There were more resolutions this year than normal.  I enjoyed listening to all of the discussion from both sides of the issues.  I didn't agree with all of the resolutions and I was surprised that all of the resolutions passed.  

The other part of the convention that I enjoy is that time at the end of the day when we gather together, sharing wine and stories of what have gone on in our lives over the past year or talk about what is going on in the world.  Its a time to kick back and enjoy time together, something we don't get to do very often.  

This year one of our churches didn't have a delegate at convention.  I used to think that being a delegate would be something that I would want to do.  Now that I am the rev's wife, I don't want to have to do it.  I also want the members of the church to want to be involved, to want to be the delegate.  For me being a delegate would mean that not only would I get a chance to listen to the discussion on the resolutions but I would also get to have an opinion and a vote. 

When you weigh the pros and the cons, the cons win.  Basically the pros for being a delegate are stated above.  On the opposite side of the coin there is the fact that it would take me away from extended gathering with the spouses during the day.  It would also keep me from spouting off at the budget meetings when people do things like suggest changing the rev's insurance package to a "less expensive" policy or suggest anything else with his salary.  As far as I know currently I have no enemies in the diocese, however sit me down in a budget meeting with people who want to mess with the rev's salary or benefit package and we may shortly have to move to a new diocese.  

I guess it is best that I enjoy convention from the sidelines, enjoying lunch with the bishop's wife and other spouses and wine in the evening with friends and listening to the resolutions like a fly on the wall.   For me the wall is a good place to be.