diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b9bac19..a68ca59 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 dart_config
 ===========
 
+## Testing integration with slack
+
 ## Config files for the client and server.
 
 Do you have code that looks like this?
@@ -149,4 +151,4 @@ a failing unit test or even a fix?
 
 StackOverflow is a great place for that.  Make sure you use the 
 [dart](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/dart) tag, and it will find 
-its way to me, or others that are very knowledgeable.
\ No newline at end of file
+its way to me, or others that are very knowledgeable.
diff --git a/lib/config.dart b/lib/config.dart
index 83390ab..20e3abc 100644
--- a/lib/config.dart
+++ b/lib/config.dart
@@ -52,7 +52,16 @@ class Config  {
     
     return completer.future;
   }
-  
+
+  /**
+  * Same as readConfig but synchronously
+  */
+  Map readConfigSync() {
+    // load, then parse, then complete
+    configValues = _configParser.parseSync(_configLoader.loadConfigSync(_configPathOrUrl));
+    return configValues;
+  }
+
 }
 
 /**
@@ -68,6 +77,10 @@ abstract class ConfigLoader {
    */
   Future<String> loadConfig(pathOrUrl);
 
+  /**
+  * Similar but synchronous
+  */
+  String loadConfigSync(pathOrUrl);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -77,9 +90,21 @@ abstract class ConfigLoader {
  * `int`, `num`, `double`, `String`, `bool`, `null`.
  */
 abstract class ConfigParser {
-  
+
   /**
    * Returns a Config object from the parsed config file.
    */
-  Future<Map<String,Object>> parse(String configText);
+  Future<Map<String,Object>> parse(String configText) {
+    var completer = new Completer<Map>();
+
+    var map = parseSync(configText);
+    completer.complete(map);
+
+    return completer.future;
+  }
+
+  /**
+  * Similar but synchronously
+  */
+  Map<String,Object> parseSync(String configText);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/default_browser.dart b/lib/default_browser.dart
index f2afb4c..916b01d 100644
--- a/lib/default_browser.dart
+++ b/lib/default_browser.dart
@@ -11,4 +11,12 @@ Future<Map> loadConfig([String filename="config.yaml"]) {
       new YamlConfigParser());
   
   return config.readConfig();
+}
+
+Map loadConfigSync([String filename="config.yaml"]) {
+  var config = new Config(filename,
+      new ConfigHttpRequestLoader(),
+      new YamlConfigParser());
+
+  return config.readConfigSync();
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/loaders/config_loader_httprequest.dart b/lib/loaders/config_loader_httprequest.dart
index 62bf9f1..736f724 100644
--- a/lib/loaders/config_loader_httprequest.dart
+++ b/lib/loaders/config_loader_httprequest.dart
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@ class ConfigHttpRequestLoader extends ConfigLoader {
     
     return completer.future;
   }
-  
-  
+
+  String loadConfigSync(String path) {
+    String result = "";
+
+    HttpRequest request = new HttpRequest();
+    request.open('GET', path, async : false);
+    request.send();
+    result = request.responseText;
+
+    if (request.statusText != "OK") {
+      print("Synchronous config load of $path was not possible");
+    }
+
+    return result;
+  }
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/parsers/config_parser_json.dart b/lib/parsers/config_parser_json.dart
index 4b6efc5..073ced7 100644
--- a/lib/parsers/config_parser_json.dart
+++ b/lib/parsers/config_parser_json.dart
@@ -1,18 +1,14 @@
 library config_parser_json;
 
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:json' as JSON;
+import 'dart:convert';
 
 import '../config.dart';
 
-class JsonConfigParser implements ConfigParser {
-  
-  Future<Map> parse(String configText) {
-    var completer = new Completer<Map>();
-    
-    var map = JSON.parse(configText);
-    completer.complete(map);
-    
-    return completer.future;
+class JsonConfigParser extends ConfigParser {
+
+  Map parseSync(String configText) {
+    return JSON.decode(configText);
   }
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/parsers/config_parser_yaml.dart b/lib/parsers/config_parser_yaml.dart
index d0529ae..cf08652 100644
--- a/lib/parsers/config_parser_yaml.dart
+++ b/lib/parsers/config_parser_yaml.dart
@@ -5,14 +5,10 @@ import 'package:yaml/yaml.dart' as YAML;
 
 import '../config.dart';
 
-class YamlConfigParser implements ConfigParser {
-  
-  Future<Map> parse(String configText) {
-    var completer = new Completer<Map>();
-    
-    var map = YAML.loadYaml(configText);
-    completer.complete(map);
-    
-    return completer.future;
+class YamlConfigParser extends ConfigParser {
+
+  Map parseSync(String configText) {
+    return YAML.loadYaml(configText);
   }
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file