Married to the church - being a vicar/pastor/minister's spouse.

[KatyCustard]

I was just wondering if there are any other Mumsnetters out there who are married to a vicar/pastor (like me). I think that living in a vicarage/manse is a unique experience. It has lots of advantages but there are also many challenges that unless you've actually experienced you never really understand.

If there are any of you out there I thought maybe we could support each other?

(Unless of course there is a similar thread already, in which case maybe someone could point me in the right direction! )

aaagh Katy - that would drive me up the wall too, what did you say to him? Maybe you need to say what you thought

Have you all had a good Easter?

That is pretty much what I did say I'm afraid, although I didn't add the Mrs. Vicar bit!

We had a lovely Easter, culminating in our annual Easter Monday Pilgrimage to St. Albans Abbey (#emp2012 in Twitter if you're interested). It was fab!

Oh wonderful - I used to live near St Albans and spent many happy days at the lake and the abbey with my dc when they were tiny. Lovely place :)

Hi-this is my first ever post! I am married to a vicar in a med-large church in the SW. The big change is swopping to Vicar from curate- curates definately have a bit more protection from parish life. Have often experienced the 'no notice sheet' issue and it doesn't get better! If it's any help, here are some of the practical things you could try. Only I open the door on my husband's day off (and though friendly, I only take messages if it's important), we don't give out food or money on the door but do give details of the local Foodbank, only the church secretary knows my husband's mobile in the church (so she can contact us in an emergency on his day off but we don't answer the study phone ) and our diocese agreed to fund an alarm system with police linked panic button (after we offered to part fund it ourselves, which they declined). Hope that's useful!

Hello Piratefriend. Brilliant thread for your first post!! That's a good idea about the foodbank, we've had one just open near us. I never knew my husband when he was a curate, and we haven't got one in this team. We've been here seven years now, and there are still one or two people who think that DH's day off does not include them!
I know I have moaned quite bit on this thread but I would miss not living in a vicarage for all it's faults. Today some of us spent the afternoon on our drive repainting the cart for the May Queen to ride in for the May Festival and it was a lovely.

piratefriend -ditto re not giving out money and food. My dh has on occasion taken them to top up their gas/electric card as that is what they are saying they need the money for...... he also directs them to somoene who can refer them to the Foodbank!

katycustard - no, no family connection. Dh went over there on a mission a couple of years ago and had the best time and just came to the conclusion that that was where he wanted to spend his sabbatical. he had a much harder working sabbatical than ,any others (we know this now as people keep commenting) but it was far more relaxing than parish life here as a) he was not in charge, b) is was so different that it just a big learning curve and just a break form routine.

your day sounds lovely btw:)