The Sat Nav of life .......
Today I took the long way home.
I defied the Sat Nav because I was bored with the A69/A68.
Halfway home I began to suspect that the Sat Nav knows best.
I had been to a Chapter Meeting (the Diocese is divided into smaller groupings of parishes known as Deaneries and the Clergy in the Deaneries gather from time to time in Chapter).
The conversation was interesting. I was particularly interested in the discussion about older clergy (those past retirement age with what is called Permission to Officiate) given that not only am I older, but I have a licence to officiate which makes me, if anything, younger?
Not sure what the Sat Nav of life would have to say about my life journey and the choices I have made?
But, following the meeting this morning and yesterdays meeting with the Archdeacon, it seems that the decision, encouraged by my Occupational Therapist, aka my wife Elizabeth, is that the best therapy I could have, is it seems, an occupation.
I am constantly told that I bring years of experience, knowledge and wisdom to the job.
My own feeling is that I just bring years.
But then again to quote St George, aka Georgie Fame: if I can still get up on the stage and if I can still remember the words, then I might as well carry on.
After all what else am I going to do?
And the rewards are very real, an active and welcoming church community, a very clear expression that the ministry to which I am invited is very much a 'shared ministry', lively responsive worship, shared lunches and film shows.
It is all good.
The other big concern at the meeting was money.
Some things, of course, never change, when I started full time ministry fifty years ago, the big concern at a similar meeting would have been, money.
During the time that I worked in this Diocese previously the big concern was money.
What has changed a bit I suppose is that I no longer lie awake at night worrying about my own money, these days there is usually money at the end of the month rather than month at the end of the money.
But balancing organisational budgets is never easy, the number of times I have heard the ocean liner analogy being used to explain, excuse or justify the slowness of the Diocesan response to a financial problem now which can only be adjusted, by raising more or spending less, in the future.
Like taxes however the parish share is raised by parishes and in parishes and then remitted to the Diocese to fund activities ranging from full time stipendiary ministry to the specialist support services, including my own specialism in a previous existence, socialist irresponsibility as it was sometimes called.
I have sometimes wondered whether a form of Direct Grant could be introduced whereby all the monies raised by the churches in a diocese could be forwarded to the central exchequer and then grants made for greater or lesser amounts to individual parishes on the basis of need or the parishes outreach and missionary vision. The basic domestic budgeting responsibility for e.g. the bread and the wine would remain a local responsibility.
Whatever solution is found the Church of England remains a hand to mouth organisation without the alternative, European solution of a Church Tax raised from individuals via HMRC.
So the Sat Nav, easily the most patient passenger in the car, continues to guide the journey from home to final destination and back, unless 'she' is switched off or ignored.
The life Sat Nav continues to make more or less helpful suggestions when faced with an obstacle, usually of course: 'turn around when possible' although when challenged to be socially responsible the instruction that I find the easiest to accept is: 'Turn Left'.
The final item of note that the meeting considered was: 'the well being of clergy'.
I can only hope to continue being well.
I defied the Sat Nav because I was bored with the A69/A68.
Halfway home I began to suspect that the Sat Nav knows best.
I had been to a Chapter Meeting (the Diocese is divided into smaller groupings of parishes known as Deaneries and the Clergy in the Deaneries gather from time to time in Chapter).
The conversation was interesting. I was particularly interested in the discussion about older clergy (those past retirement age with what is called Permission to Officiate) given that not only am I older, but I have a licence to officiate which makes me, if anything, younger?
Not sure what the Sat Nav of life would have to say about my life journey and the choices I have made?
But, following the meeting this morning and yesterdays meeting with the Archdeacon, it seems that the decision, encouraged by my Occupational Therapist, aka my wife Elizabeth, is that the best therapy I could have, is it seems, an occupation.
I am constantly told that I bring years of experience, knowledge and wisdom to the job.
My own feeling is that I just bring years.
But then again to quote St George, aka Georgie Fame: if I can still get up on the stage and if I can still remember the words, then I might as well carry on.
After all what else am I going to do?
And the rewards are very real, an active and welcoming church community, a very clear expression that the ministry to which I am invited is very much a 'shared ministry', lively responsive worship, shared lunches and film shows.
It is all good.
The other big concern at the meeting was money.
Some things, of course, never change, when I started full time ministry fifty years ago, the big concern at a similar meeting would have been, money.
During the time that I worked in this Diocese previously the big concern was money.
What has changed a bit I suppose is that I no longer lie awake at night worrying about my own money, these days there is usually money at the end of the month rather than month at the end of the money.
But balancing organisational budgets is never easy, the number of times I have heard the ocean liner analogy being used to explain, excuse or justify the slowness of the Diocesan response to a financial problem now which can only be adjusted, by raising more or spending less, in the future.
Like taxes however the parish share is raised by parishes and in parishes and then remitted to the Diocese to fund activities ranging from full time stipendiary ministry to the specialist support services, including my own specialism in a previous existence, socialist irresponsibility as it was sometimes called.
I have sometimes wondered whether a form of Direct Grant could be introduced whereby all the monies raised by the churches in a diocese could be forwarded to the central exchequer and then grants made for greater or lesser amounts to individual parishes on the basis of need or the parishes outreach and missionary vision. The basic domestic budgeting responsibility for e.g. the bread and the wine would remain a local responsibility.
Whatever solution is found the Church of England remains a hand to mouth organisation without the alternative, European solution of a Church Tax raised from individuals via HMRC.
So the Sat Nav, easily the most patient passenger in the car, continues to guide the journey from home to final destination and back, unless 'she' is switched off or ignored.
The life Sat Nav continues to make more or less helpful suggestions when faced with an obstacle, usually of course: 'turn around when possible' although when challenged to be socially responsible the instruction that I find the easiest to accept is: 'Turn Left'.
The final item of note that the meeting considered was: 'the well being of clergy'.
I can only hope to continue being well.
Comments
Post a Comment