I was engaged in conversation with a very nice lady recently and the topic turned to how lucky I was being a Vicar! After all she said, I got a house and was paid to do the services and stuff like that and so was basically on a good little number. I was waiting for it, and it came, "After all, Sunday is your main day!" "Yippee!" I thought, will she get the next two? "And although Easter's probably one of your busy times, apart from that you must have a nice life!" "Yes," there is is, we only have Christmas to go now and she has a full house!
Sadly, the woman didn't manage to mention that my other busy time was Christmas, but she told me of a man who leads a church from free and how he spent his time reading and praying and doing the one service a week and how lucky I was to paid for the same stuff!
Then she moved onto the magazines and posters we have in our building and remarked on how surprising it was for a 'Church of England' church to support missionary organisations, send cows, twin toilets and be fairtrade and the like. She assumed we were all to busy being liberal and supporting the work of the devil!
I must be getting better because I patiently explained that the majority of the 'Church of England' (I can't do it with the sneer) churches were more biblical than that to which she referred. I explained how our liturgy is actually sound and our services focussed and in accord with Christian tradition and standards. That when it came to being cutting edge it was the 'Church of England' where it was to be found rather than many of the other denominations and fellowships and the like! I explained that homosexuality was not the norm and that not all ministers thought couples should be Frank and Ernest (or Betty and Brenda) and had to explain that Sunday was the easy day for most clergy, it was the other nine in the week that took their toll.
If you read this and you are not an Anglican (that means 'Church of England") please realise that the majority of the clergy are engaged and involved with their community, their region and internationally through personal engagement and through support of charities and other organisations.
Please realise that It is not a 'Sunday only' job and pray for those who seek to pastor the many 'Church of England' flocks here and overseas. We are generally a sound and saved bunch, so if you are a member of the wibbly-wobbly celebrating, hands-held-high, Glossolalia, rainbow-guitar strap, fellowship (independent), please realise that it probably you that are the aberration, not us!
And as for an easy life:
07:30 The caretaker vacuumed the building and puts the chairs our, checked the heating and generally tidied up for today's funeral service.
08:15 The printer double-checked the orders of service on the DTP system and then printed and folded them.
09:00 The techie checked the PA/Sound system and checked the CDs for the service.
09:30 The Vicar sat down and had a cup of tea and thought about the deceased and the service before him and prayed for those who would come.
And before that he did the morning office, read his Bible and got the day started as usual.
Not an easy life but a choice that is made and a life that is willingly given. For those who are contemplating the ministry as a calling, be aware that those who lead are called to be and do much.
For those outside the ministry role (regardless of denomination or theological stance) please realise what goes on behind the church doors and if nothing else, pray, and perhaps even offer to be part of the task.
Pax
Continuation:
10:30 The minister greeted people, handed out the sheets, put out more chairs (with the warden) and acted as usher and car park attendant.
11:00 The minister did the funeral service and then went on to the cemetery for the committal.
12:15 Back home, cup of tea (a cold cemetery, heating wasn't working!!), emails, telephone calls, meetings to arrange and the like.
14:30 The techie/music director pops out for guitar strings, replacement leads and a sandwich with pioneer minister (AKA wife) back in time to pick kids up and a hour of reading for Sunday's services.
6 comments:
Add to that the endless phone calls usually at mealtimes,evening meetings,random callers.e.mails to be dealt with,wedding couple visits,pre and post funeral visits,all those with a cause that hope the Vicar (minister) might like to support them and attend their funtion, soup mornings,supper evenings,polite dinners,workshops on various topics,for us,kirk session meetings,presbytery meetings,sermon prep, childrens talk, school visits,hospital visits ,home visits..... thats just what Ive come across in 8 weeks of being the Revs missus.
As one incumbent said to me while I was on a pastoral placement 12 years ago: "And what have they taught you about drains at Ridley [Hall - my theological college]?"
A true picture of the ministerial role and the assumptions of those in non-aligned house churches and independent church groups.
It is interesting that so many have a pastor who spend time at home being spiritual whilst the established church has ministers who are daily engaged with the very same people that others merely seek to pray for and avoid.
Thank you for making the role a little more obvious, something we need for the members and those who are discerning calls.
Ta
It constantly suprises me that some people have no idea at all of the day to day work of a Vicar.
I as a lay member of the Ministry Team in my Benefice of 5 Churches (in a cluster of 9) attend a weekly staff meeting for the allocation of tasks.
The busiest diary needing de-confliction is that of the Vicar, who is in demand most of the time. The art of delegation is need to be fine tuned to stop him becoming truly overloaded.
As it is, even with the Vicar, Priest, Curate, Reader and two lay ministers we are stretched to breaking point. The key skill is saying NO gracefully.
As well as Lay Ministry in the Parish I am in the process of discerning a vocation, which brings additional commitments - if I wasn't retired, I would never have been able to do either Lay Ministry or the discernment process.
There is so much to do and so few available or willing to do it.
At least the warden got a mention!
Of course the Warden got a mention, was there doing the stuff (as wardens often seem to do, and it would have been wrong to exclude this worthy individual, friend and colleague.
:)
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