I got a call this afternoon from the Rev. Cathie Leimenstoll, who is Murfreesboro District superintendent for the United Methodist Church.

There will be a pastoral vacancy, due to retirement, at one of the United Methodist churches here in Shelbyville effective the first of January. Rev. Leimenstoll has a replacement lined up, but not until the first of February. She was calling me in my role as a certified United Methodist layspeaker to ask if I would be willing to preach at that church three Sundays in January. (She is taking the other Sunday herself.)

As best I can recall, this is the first time I’ve ever been called to layspeak by a D.S. Whenever I’ve spoken in the past, the pastor of a church has called me directly and asked if I could fill in on such-and-such a date. I started to say it’s the first time I’ve ever been called to preach more than one Sunday at a time, but then I remembered that my father had me preach for him twice when he and my mother went on an extended trip out west in 2005.

It’s nice having several weeks to prepare. I just printed off the Revised Common Lectionary for those weeks.

Anyway, I will be at Cannon UMC in Shelbyville on January 7, 21 and 28. If you’re within hollering distance and want to stop by on one of those dates, let me know and I’ll give you the particulars.