Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

Cool Choirs, Clappy Choruses, Cringy Coffee: Religion Chat Thread No 5

999 replies

madhairday · 09/09/2012 16:16

I thought seeing as our other thread has gone somewhere into the oblivion that is old MN pages, I would start us up again anew for a new term. This is a place for those who are Christians (and anyone who's not, we're not an exclusive little club) Grin to chat about life, theology, church, any other stuff and of course Graham Kendrick, as nickel would not forgive me if I forgot to mention him Grin

So all welcome, old and new, it would be fun to chat and chew over anything that comes to mind. Lurkers say hello!

Anyone got a nice juicy topic to get the ball rolling then? Or if not come say hi anyway and tell us how you are doing. :)

OP posts:
Bluetinkerbell · 19/01/2013 09:56

Good luck niminy have you got a date for your BAP already?
My forms to be referred to the DDO have been sent before Christmas and to date I haven't heard anything... Why are they do slow? :(

niminypiminy · 19/01/2013 11:05

I think it's built into the process, Blue. Partly they move slowly because they are busy, and partly because your vocation is tested by being made to wait, and partly because the spiritual and emotional stuff that happens while you are waiting is a really important part of the whole discernment process. It's really, really hard, I know. God is there in the waiting, and the frustration, and he is walking with you in your discernment, and has his hand on you. As you get to the end of it, it does begin to speed up, though! And as you get towards the latter stages you do begin to see why the apparently senseless and endless waits at the beginning of the process were worth going through.

I haven't got an actual date yet but have a rough date of end May/early June. If that happens, and if they say yes, then the whole process will have been almost exactly two years - which is not at all unusually long as these things go.

Praying for you as you wait. It must be extra frustrating as you had such a positive response from your vocations adviser.

Original poster
MadHairDay · 19/01/2013 12:25

Oh niminy, you are not 'rubbish' at all on those threads, you speak a lot of sense, I always like it when you're on one with me as I don't feel so alone!! Don't think like that. There will always be good arguments against - I kind of take the whole view that I'm not a scientist, not a natural apologist really, but I'm so desperate to share experience of the God I know, and do enjoy discussing it all as well, it helps me re-examine my beliefs which can only be healthy.

Good luck with the essays!

Kay, you're more than welcome on here :)

OP posts:
Original poster
MadHairDay · 19/01/2013 12:27

And yes TUO that's great! (and you should join in too, you say a lot of brilliant things) Grin

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 12:58

'afternoon all! :)

that's really interesting about the length of time it takes to process your application.

there's a funny cartoon church cartoon on the discernment process.

reproduced with my licence

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 13:02

talking of which.

our new vicar is licensed next Monday evening and it's getting really exciting in our churches waiting for it.
his wife is being installed as a curate of holy trinity on the following Friday.

and she's pregnant - so we'll have to see which church gets the baby Wink
it'll probably be HT because they get everyone, even though they don't need them (i am fully accepting that the baby can be HT for the first couple of years)
but in a way, it's a shame that she's going to be allied to that church, because I have been using DD as a symbol to congregation/guests that children are welcome in the church, and it would have been nice to follow that with the vicar's new child, when it arrives.

i've been offered a "introduction" piece on the two of them - it's something that will be published in the licensing service and I've been told I can put it in the magazine too.

thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts · 19/01/2013 13:14

Hello there. I thougth I'd pop in and say hello. I've been posting a bit on mumsnet but as new clergy it has been a bit mad at Christmas as everything is done differently to how it was done at my last place. Now the funeral season has started up with a vengence but it would be good to get to know people here.

I also post on a large Nautically themed Christian website Smile

For those going through the discernment process it took me around 2 years to get through the vocations advisor, DDO and BAP process. It feels like a long time but when you look at the 5-7 years to train (2-3 at college and 3-4 as a curate) it isn't. On the other hand the days after the BAP and before the phone call do feel as if they last at least 5 years. Horrid.

So many ['] for all here and if you can spare one for me and my boss as we do a funeral visit with a very confused widow it would be much appreciated.

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 13:26

yes, the funeral season.
It does appear that not so many funerals are held in church anymore - it used to be that an organist could make a living by having funerals on top of normal services, but so far this year we've only had 2 at our church.

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 13:27

there are a couple of members of the Ship of Fools on this thread too Wink

Original poster
MadHairDay · 19/01/2013 14:01

I lurk on the Nautically Themed website at times but have never become a shipmate Grin Some interesting stuff on there, but some of it annoys me somewhat too...

nickel I love the cartoon, esp the snake saying 'express dislike of vestements' pmsl. Grin

It's good to see you greenheart, we often end up on a thread together so it's nice to see you here.

nickel so exciting about the installation! I'm sure the new vicars wife will consider both places and she where she feels she needs to be - I'm sure she'll feel a welcome from both. It would be nice for you to have her with you though :)

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 14:15

yes, i am hoping that the curacy is fluid for the Team rather than just being HT - it might just be that she's being done there because it's the head of the Team.

It's one of those things that brings my annoyance to the fore - St Michael's is the town's Parish Church (historically), but because HT is more popular/financially better off/had a vicar already, they got to be the Team Head, and everything now seems to default to them. They don't really deserve it (IMO), they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It really is unfair.
all of the other churches in the town were created because the population was too big for us, but they've taken over now :(

They even got the High's Service last year - the memorial service that's held by one of the funeral directors every year for the families of people who have used them that year. We have always held it, and it's a big big big money maker for us (over £100 in collection). HT got it last year, I assume because of them being the head of the Team, and so they got all the money too. We need that money, and they really don't.
we had it this year, but I can see it being one of those alternate year things, and we can't afford to keep losing that kind of money.

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 14:16

don't get me wrong, I'm happy that we have a Team, but I wish it didn't seem to manifest itself in such a way that HT gets everything and we're just pushed to one side :(

niminypiminy · 19/01/2013 14:32

Hello greenheart!

nickel do you have your spreadsheet at the ready so we can get greenheart's view on GK?

I also post sporadically on SofF - read more than I post over there.

Nickel that's an excellent cartoon. And a pretty good representation of what the process feels like. I've printed out the one on the Five Marks of Mission to inspire me for my essay on mission and evangelism.

It must be really difficult to reconcile those kinds of issues about larger/smaller/richer/poorer churches when you have a team ministry - and really hard for an incumbent coming into a situation like that as well, because it's so hard, perhaps impossible, to please both sides. Anyway very exciting news about the installation! Yippee!

Tuo · 19/01/2013 14:34

Very excited... have just booked hotel for the first two nights of our holiday in the US. Going back to see old friends and hopefully some new places too. Bit stalled after the first two nights, though, as DH wants to go to Detroit (Detroit??!?!) to see an old friend, and I really don't (said old friend of DH's once lost my dog after I asked him not to take it for a walk without a lead on and he went ahead and did it anyway... not that I hold a grudge or anything WinkBlushGrin). Further discussion on this will doubtless ensue before I will back down. IABU, and I know that IABU... DH has a right to see his friend. But... [sulks].

Nickel... I think you need to befriend the new vicar's wife, show her around, talk babies with her... and then ... err ... "persuade" her to lend you her support! I know you can do it!

Shall I share my dubious "claim to fame"? I was on IOT a few years ago. I'm not saying here what I was talking about or it'll out me totally (those few who know what I do will be able to guess)! Suffice to say that it was the scariest thing I've ever done, and I made a total balls-up of it. I still have palpitations thinking about it!

Tuo · 19/01/2013 14:35

[waves vigorously at greenheart]

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 14:41

oh, yes, I forgot the newbie questions!
Shock

I'll let Kay off for now Wink
but
greenheart -
happy clappy or traditional?
choir or singing group?
organ or keyboards/bands?
hymn books or screens?
and the important one: do you like Graham Kendrick?

we won't judge no matter your answers.

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 14:43

TUO - that is an excellent idea - hopefully she'll think we have something in common, as she's in her early 30s (so not that different in age from me)

I don't do overly religious, though. it took me aaaages not to snigger at you lot talking about god in the way you do Wink

Dutchoma · 19/01/2013 14:49

Very impressive TUO but what is IOT?

Tuo · 19/01/2013 14:59

IOT = In Our Time (I mentioned it back on the previous page...)

Original poster
MadHairDay · 19/01/2013 15:11

I can only imagine you did it really well, TUO :)

Great idea about befriending new mum, nickel, I'm sure she'll really appreciate that, take her out for a coffee with the babies - being a clergy spouse can be fairly lonely!

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 15:47

:(

I can't take anyone out for coffee! I can't leave the shop :(

I will make time to talk to her though, get her to come to Busy Bees (as much for parents as for the kids) and invite her to the shop for tea/coffee :)

KayHarker · 19/01/2013 15:48

I don't mind answering questions, they're fun!

happy clappy or traditional? Personally, bit of both. Church - trad.

choir or singing group? Our church has neither

organ or keyboards/bands? Organ

hymn books or screens? Hymnbooks

and the important one: do you like Graham Kendrick? He's a personable chap. I do own one of his albums where he did a duet with St Matt of Redman

Dutchoma · 19/01/2013 15:49

Do you mind sharing why you became ex-Christian? Don't mind me if you do...

thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts · 19/01/2013 16:52

happy clappy or traditional? Traditional

choir or singing group? Either as long as the are good as I have almost perfect pitch. I was in one church where those that could turned off their hearing aids when the choir started up.

organ or keyboards/bands? As above

hymn books or screens? Screens. Can't be doing with juggling books

and the important one: do you like Graham Kendrick? Hmm. Probably not but that is because there was a time when his songs were overused. Matt Redman is suffering the same fate...

nickelbabe · 19/01/2013 16:57

ooh, sitting on the fence, there greenie Wink

Kay - you seem to be more on my side Grin (apart from owning a GK album Shock)

Swipe left for the next trending thread