Hallelujah He is Here - Chataway

[DutchOma]

Well here you are then I don't post often, but just to save Nickel a job...

Not all CWs of course....

Of corse :)

Ah I appear to have forgotten how to spell....

Hello :)

Morning :)

Morning all.
Please pray that this morning goes well!
Not sure how many children we will have....we never know so have to prep stuf for all ages.
Thanks x

Waves to CY :)

I've not been to church in so long, but just logged onto FB and Amberlights friend has posted a 'service for those not in church' - has really blessed me, the thought that we are doing church, sat in different houses hooked up to the wonderful internet! :)

My last day of IVs....hallelujah

glad we can do church wherever we are MHD, not just in specific buildings. I am glad that you guys online are part of my church, as we worship and share together.

Praying you will soar on wings like eagles Mary.

Blue - big hugs. Praying that you can really rest up over the next couple of weeks.

Fantastic service this morning - 10 baptised including 2 of DD's friends and one of DS's. At the start of the service we said a creed that talked about us being brothers and sisters in Christ, and DD stood with a bunch of her mates, arms round each other as they said it, 'because we are sisters in Christ' Brought a tear to my eye, and I sobbed my way through the rest of the service. THe testimonies of the candidates were so moving, and the Dads of the youth were in the baptismal pool with their kids helping to baptise them, really moving. There were pieces of paper available for people to write encouraging words and pictures on for the baptismal candidates, and DD asked if she could fgo and write on them for her friends. At 10 she is comfortable to listen to God and write down what she hears...praying that this gift increases and she (and DS) goes further and higher than DH and I do...I had no idea at 10 that I could possibly directly hear from God.

Happy Sunday all.

Wow Panda, that sounds like an awesome service. What an experience for your DD and DS.

We've been setting up today for a holiday club that starts tomorrow. We've got a team of 7 here from the UK to work with a team from the local church. We're expecting up to 180 children so it will be a bit mad.

Wow Panda - fantastic stuff. Lovely that your dd so naturally hears from God. My dd is the same - really sees interacting with God as a normal part of life. She is highly excited about New wine (as am I!)

milly, wow, 180? That will be ermm....fun!! Will pray for a fantastic time for you all.

Ha yes, fun would be one way of describing it . It probably won't be 180 all the time as they tend to drift in and out a bit - no signing in from the parents here! Hopefully it will be engaging and they'll all settle nicely

180 - that sounds pretty busy milly! I'll be helping pastor the team who will be leading 450 5-7 yos in a cowshed at New Wine again this summer. Praying that your team gel and the kids meet with God.

yes the service was awesome, as was tonight's. A friend's son who babysits for us reaffirmed his infant baptismal vows tonight - he's 18 and off to serve God abroad for a year in September. His dad was in the pool to help dunk him, and started off his prayer by saying 'this is my son xxx with whom I am well pleased' - really set me off! It was fab to see the young man I have known for 10 years publicly state his faith before his friends and family. He's been a great role model for DS, and DH and I regularly look to his parents for role models for our parenting. Love being part of the family of God.

So much for Sunday...got to live it out on Monday too...

Oooh lovely Panda

ds is sad he won't be in Groundbreakers anymore but I've assured him he'll love Rock Solid just as much. I get a bit teary every time they move up a group because they've both been through all groups from Gems onwards. DD will be in Club One next year which is v scary.

Maybe I'll make it to New Wine one year, I know one of our bishops goes, but I'm not sure if its incognito or not!

ugh, feel very disappointed...
Been on the phone to HR to ask about maternity leave and maternity pay.
In my contract it states I get 6 weeks at 90% of my salary and after that SMP.
But when you're a clergywoman or licensed lay worker, you get that as well, and on top of that the diocese offers 39 weeks paid maternity leave on full stipend...

Now who can explain to me the fairness in this?
Basically because I'm not licensed by the bishop I have to miss out on this...
Which means, that I will only be able to take 8 weeks off, as we just can't afford for me to take off any longer, as I'm the main earner in the family :(

The lady on the phone was very lovely though and said she'd be offered the same as me. I said that was very sad. We're all employed by the same diocese, why do they make such a difference.
She did say that my church could offer to pay me more, as they pay the diocese and the diocese pays me...
But what is the likelihood of that? I mean I would have to ask them, please pay me more... ridiculous!

that's pants Blue - but it is the official payment structure. :(
it's annoying though that you'd be paid in full if you were licensed.

Is there any help from elsewhere?
I do think you really really should talk to your church/PCC about it and see if they can help - they're christians, so they should be able to see your predicament. It's just wrong that you'll have to go back to work so soon - I never could have done that if DD hadn't been here with me in the shop (could you take her with you? is that a possibility? or have someone bring her to you when she needs to be fed?
they do have to (by law) provide facilities for you to express and store milk, and they have to give you adequate rest periods/somewhere to rest whilst you're still BFing, so maybe you could use that as leverage? You'd be pretty useless most of your working day, so surely it would make more sense for you to be paid in full for a proper break...
or ask for 6 months rather than the full year?

You're the main earner - does your DP work at all, and would he be there to do the child care?

Apparently, according to our Reader, the Vicar post was only advertised for 2 weeks this time round
and he's been delegated the job of "tidying up the noticeboards at the fronts of the churches", which is crap, because they need replacing, not tidying!
(and ours doesn't look so bad)

he also said they've made a bigger deal of our financial situation this time - the last person said that they "weren't called to Sittingbourne" - which he thought was awful because priests are supposed to go where they are needed not where they want to go (ie: we're a parish in huge huge trouble - we should be taking precedence over a lovely little parish with HC music etc)

Oh I am planning on taking the baby with me everywhere! :) and I do work from home a lot, like planning and organising stuff, so it's not too bad. I don't have an office, I work from on the sofa

I could ask the parish/PCC for more, but not sure how to.
It's just with everything we've been through last year and losing DD2, I would really like to stay home a bit longer and enjoy this little one while I can and not having to be stressed by work.
The problem for them will be, the longer I take off, the longer they're without me and will need to replace me, which means spending more money...

DH works 4 days a week, but hopefully he'll be offered some more days soon as we could do with the money.

And I know I signed my contract with those terms in it, but back then, I was just happy to have a job and being able to move to England. I didn't know they would make such a big difference between a youth & families worker and a licensed person with regards to maternity pay.

I can totally see where you're coming from - you want to spend as much time with the new baby as you can - I think I would become totally obsessively possessive if I were in your shoes.

you don't know what's coming up in the future or how you'll feel about it, so I can see why you'd sign that - you would probably have hoped to have a bit more family financial security by now, too.

If you're not sure how to approach the PCC, then approach a CW or the Treasurer separately, and ask them to help you at the PCC meeting. draft what you want to say to the meeting and read it from a script if you have to.
you've got a priest, too, haven;t you? get them in on it too. :)

Oh Blue - that does seem so unfair :(

I would challenge it, at least in the church - as nickel says, write it all out so it's all on paper. My friend challenged the maternity policy in her diocese (she's a curate) and managed to change it so it was much better for many women - I know that's clergy, but no reason why this diocese shouldn't look at their procedures. Seems failry crap that although you are employed by them you don't get the same maternity benefits as others :(

Hope you can get it sorted.

nickel, so are they not advertising any more? Have to say though I'm sympathetic with those saying they're not called - it's a different word to 'don't want to.' People are called to all sorts of very difficult situations, and I'm sure the right person will be 'called' to you - so the last one saying they weren't called is fair enough imo :)

I don't know.
I assume that the closing date has passed and the advert will be pulled.
He said that the next lot of candidates were coming round next Thursday...
I think "don't want to" can play a large part in the "not called" decision
It really can - our lady curate/minister had a pick of 3 parishes, and she was "called" to the one she likes best.

I phoned my vocations adviser again, to tell her what HR said, and she suggest speaking to my rural dean.
nickel our vicar retires on Saturday, so not much use

If they can explain to me why a priest has more right to 39 weeks paid maternity leave and why I'm not, and those reasons are valid, fair enough, but I just can't see why me and the lady working in the office as a PA to the bishop for example aren't allowed the same as a licensed person.

I know it can nickel, I've seen it enough

It's just not always the case :)

Blue, hope you can have a good talk with the rural dean. It seems so unfair :(

Eeek! the DDO is doing the service on Sunday and I'm supposed to be preaching as I've organised the Sea Sunday service! Talking about being thrown back into work

If you can swim it doesn't matter how deep the water is underneath you.