After my seminar in “Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion,” I will be driving straight to the airport to fly to Los Angeles, CA for the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society. WTS was the first conference that I attended and has become an annual pilgrimage of sorts. This year the conference is being held at Azusa Pacific University.

Saturday, I will be presenting a paper on the antecedents of the early Methodist band meeting called, “Forerunners of the Early Methodist Band Meeting.” In the paper I attempt to map out the background of the early Methodist bands. The short version is that I think the Methodist bands show both important Pietist and Anglican emphases.

Aside from presenting a paper, I am looking forward to seeing several friends who live across the country and I do not get to see often enough. I even hope there will be a gathering of Methodist bloggers , even if it is only between myself and Andrew Thompson! And finally, I am looking forward to my first trip to California. As of this moment, I have not been farther West than the Grand Canyon. Next time you hear from me, my horizons will have broadened… I can already hear Governor Schwarzenegger: “Welcome to California!”