Off to the US on pisky business.  #pisky

We are off this morning to Cleveland, Ohio, where I am going to preach their Diocesan Convention and do one or two other things.  Interesting time to be there, of course – particularly in Ohio.  It’s rust belt and a bit post-industrial – exactly the sort of place where Donald Trump drew his support.  It will be an interesting time.  The Guardian moodily says that the Democrats got so focused on minorities that they neglected their heartlands.  A warning for churches maybe?

On then to New York for meetings with leadership in TEC and Canada about the evolving story of the Anglican Communion

And finally to Washington to visit Virginia Theological Seminary.  My purpose there is to seal a link which we are establishing between VTS and our own Scottish Episcopal Institute.  We hope that this will make it possible for some exchange of students between us and for VTS staff to contribute to some of our programmes.  As you know, I am a firm believer in partnerships of all kinds – particularly for small-ish churches.  It keeps us outward facing.  But it also enables us to ‘get to the next level’ when we might struggle to find the resources to do it on our own.  It’s also really encouraging that others want to partner with us.  So the list includes – Church Army, St Mellitus and now VTS