Daryl's Ordination

We spent Wednesday through Saturday of this week at Annual Conference in Lakeland, Florida. Things started off on Wednesday afternoon when we checked into our hotel and Daryl showed up in the Expo Hall to work his shift at the Shade and Fresh Water booth (the conference group he co-chairs). For dinner, we hung out with our clergy couple covenant friends, the Holdens and the Sanders, as well as Christy Holden's mom (who was a lay delegate from her church in Largo).

 Daryl and his covenant group buddies, Chris and James. 

Thursday was a day of meetings. First up was the clergy session where Daryl was officially voted on as an elder in full connection. Then he went to lunch with the guys (and Charissa) while Debbie and Christy went to the clergywomen's lunch. Afterwards it was back for the opening worship session and business meetings until dinner time. The boys spent the day hanging out with friends at First UMC Lakeland in the annual conference childcare. We picked them up in the pouring down rain and headed out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. While waiting for dinner, we had an awesome time playing their trivia game. We did a little window shopping at the mall and headed back to the hotel for the night.







Friday morning dawned very early. Ordination rehearsal was at 6:45am, so we were up at 5:25am. We woke up the boys just in time to dress them and roll them out the door to join us. They were very well behaved entertaining themselves in the nearly empty arena and munching on cereal from the hotel for breakfast. Here's Daryl with our former pastor, Phillip Short at the ordination rehearsal. Phillip was one of Daryl's two sponsors for ordination (the other was Debbie).

After dropping the kids off at childcare, Daryl went to a breakfast meeting with his RIM group for the very last time (district group for provisional pastors). More meetings, lunch with the Sanders and then it was Daryl's turn to serve as a reader of the biographies at the retirement service in front of the entire annual conference.

We took a nap in the afternoon, grabbed the boys for a quick dinner, changed clothes and made it to the arena robed up and ready to go by 6:30pm for the ordination service. It was incredibly moving to see Daryl finally be ordained as an elder in full connection in the Florida Conference!!!!! Afterwards there were lots of pictures with friends and family.

 Druid Hills sent a bus down with over 20 people on it to support Daryl and
celebrate with him!!!

 Daryl with Kay Smith, the lay delegate from Belleview, and the beautiful stole that she made for him. 

Us with our clergy couple covenant group - the Sanders on the left and the Holdens on the right. 

The stole that the covenant group gave Daryl. 

Finally, the whole Allen family ended up at Steak N Shake to celebrate Daryl's ordination. We didn't leave until almost midnight! The cousins enjoyed being up late and getting milkshakes as well!