Sitting in the conference hotel dining room, I noticed another delegate who was also eating alone and asked her to join me. Reverend Barbara Lovelace, United Methodist minister, told me that she had been a career foster parent for several years after retiring. We discovered we had much in common as I had once worked as a therapist with a therapeutic foster care program; we had a lively conversation.
Some time after her retirement, the district superintendent in her area called her and asked if she would pick up the ministry again with two small churches and she agreed. We talked about social problems in rural areas and shared thoughts about how churches might be able to meet the needs. She and I both enjoyed the variety of music and worship styles of the conference worship services and discussed how these ideas might fit into our home churches.
One of the pleasures of participating in a large conference gathering is the people whom you meet and from whom you learn. Before we parted, Barbara told me that she is 87 years old.
