This morning I took my Sunday morning run early, since tomorrow I’m leaving early for Ripon, where the Rt Revd Helen-Ann Hartley will be installed as Bishop. Helen-Ann took a class or two with me back at Princeton Seminary lo these many years ago; I was pleased to attend her being made an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College a couple of years ago, and now I’ll go — proudly — to see her installed as Bishop of Ripon.
But today, this morning, I took my weekend run. I pushed my ‘not break stride’ point till the spot I was reaching before the Christmas holiday, which felt good cognitively (though not so good in the running). I didn’t feel really limber till about half way, but by then I was so winded that the limber-ness didn’t really matter.
Anyway, I shaved my time down to 11:29, so that’s good.
We will miss Helen-Ann over here. I enjoyed our conversations (which tended to be yearly at the annual national Youth Ministry event we co-sponsor). You would also have seen two of my former students, Ngira Simmonds and Chris Huriwai, there to accompany and support her. Two young men growing in stature in the church.
We visiting clergy were stationed behind a choir on risers, so I was lucky to catch a glimpse of the peak of someone’s miter (there were about ten bishops present, so I couldn’t be sure whose miter-tips were whose). So the choir was between me and Ngira and Chris, and I missed the chance to watch them bid Helen-Ann farewell. I did hear much of the service, and was touched by the affection Helen-Ann has inspired in her relatively short stay in Waikato Diocese. She’s an extraordinary leader; Ripon has done well for itself.