Choirs, worship songs, after service coffee - the all new religion chat thread

[niminypiminy]

A new place for us to share the lovely, silly and annoying things that happen in church life and share our great love of Graham Kendrick.

There should have been a paragraph space there...

I haven't put tthe name of the cchurch here bbecause it's one if us and i ddon't want to out her.
The mugs feel like china and they're the perfect size for holding a ssmall easter egg, and they'refor sale

Nice mug nickel :)

Love that house blessing, we do that every new year on our lintels, in fact you've reminded me we've forgotten this year with all the stress and illness so we'll do that later. Dh run off his feet with work and I'm still getting over this infection.

Welcome tiggles :)

Ooh. Another email from the vicar. She's arranged for me to be trained in leading intercessions sometime soon.

Good news, Edd!

Good news indeed Edith

Go Edd! You'll do it fab-ly.

Woohoo! Edd that's great news!

I forgot to say, dh and I met with the team rector last Thursday and explained everything that's happened at church. He was not happy. He's also very concerned, but being lovely and wanting to resolve it all.
As NV is leaving in Feb anyway, and they want a new vicar in place by Sept, and the apcm is end of March, he gave us sone options to think about, and we have concluded by agreeing to have an official Sabbatical untill at least Easter, when we'll review.
We've been instructed to use the time to recharge and rediscover our faith (mine's okay but dh is wobbly because he's been unhappy quite a while)
However, there appear to be conspiracy theories going round some friends in the congregation that this whole thing was undertaken by the one who came to see me, and that no one else seems to know about it (or there'sa huuuuuge coverup going oon now they've realized what a mess they've made.)
I still haven't had the pcc minutes, and there is a strong feeling that nothing will be mentioned in the minutes about the discussion over my position.

So, does that leave you feeling better or worse? How confusing. Do you feel the team rector is the kind of person who would manipulate behind the scenes?

Or do you think someone else is and is blaming the team rector? Sorry, just trying to understand.

That sounds rubbish nickel :-( and still no minutes!!!

Congrats Eddon your intercessions training!

Is that something you wanted to do and asked for training in or has your vicar just spotted you'd be good at it?

Either way, great news :-)

Congrats on the intercession training Edd. I can recommend reading Neil Pritchard's books on creative intercessions.

nickel Either you are a bit too cryptic for me or more likely I think I must have missed a key post earlier because I don't really understand what is going on, but it all sounds very annoying and stressful. Really sorry you're going through that. Perhaps the sabbatical will give you and DH time and space to focus on something completely different that brings you happiness? Sounds like you need a break from it all!

DoubleG She asked me to help her devise prayer stations, and the convo about intercessions came out of that. So I think it was a bit of both probably!

And in rota news, the current person has begged for another chance, so I'm in the felicitous position of having gained brownie points for agreeing to do it, without actually having to do it .

I can only find John Pritchard with that title. I don't know this book, but I have read several of his other ones. He was the bishop that led our retreat to Israel in 2015 and he is one of the most spiritual and loveliest people I know

Oops sorry I meant John Pritchard. I know a Neil Pritchard...

Thanks Tiggles and oma. I will take a look at that. And Sam Wells' one if I can lay hands on it (v. expensive on Amazon, must be out of print).

Sam Well's book on intercessions is great. John Pritchard is fine as a workbook but what I love about Wells's book is that it really makes you think about what intercessions are for, why we do them and what the theology is. It completely changed the way I think about intercessory prayer (even if I don't always do them his way).

Ps I have a copy of you want to borrow it.

Well I wasn't fishing or anything... but I'll message you about that! Thanks Niminy.

The Sam Wells book is a lot cheaper from Eden.co.uk than Amazon (£12.99 inc delivery)

That's great, Edd! You'll be brilliant.

Nickel so sorry this is dragging on. When will they be advertising for a new vicar? I might know someone who'd be good there and might be looking soon. How do you feel about taking the time out as suggested?

I have no idea where I am going to fit into my new church. There are so many things going on and so many people. It all feels so odd because before I was leading with dh and now it's not like that, we knew it wouldn't be and I did want to take more time to focus on my writing as well as my part time online job but I still feel kind of lost and not needed. That sounds daft I know. I just don't know if I'll ever fit... I was starting to get to know people then along came a month long infection and now I feel all intimidated again. Grrrr! Everyone is so lovely so I'm being silly but it's strange how you can feel lonely in a church of hundreds
Early days though I know.

Morning MHD. That sounds tough. Not at all strange to feel lonely in those circumstances. It's like a new school, or university, where everyone else seems to have a gang and you are yet to find yours. But a bit more tricky because you can't really just hook one with one clique given your position, but have to try and get along with everyone, or many at least. Of course that is daunting! I don't have any experience of course of your position, but if were you I would think I would focus on finding one or two kindred spirits on the new side of town to be supportive mates first. They may only be loosely connected to DH's church (or not at all), but the important thing is that the connection with them has to be as friends, not a pastoral one iyswim. Then you'll have local people to talk to and moan at and bounce off as you are finding your feet in the bigger group, and who will stick around anyway when you're stuck at home. I know it's easier said than done, but it just might be a way of breaking down the lost feeling. With church itself, perhaps just pick the one thing you like best (you are needed where you will be happiest), whether that is music, or children's church, or serving or whatever, and get involved in that. Don't do too much at once, and don't take on the thing that no-one wants to do. You are lovely. And you say they are lovely. So of course it is going to work out. You are in my prayers.

pickleme no, the team.rector isNV's boss and I had meetings with him when my church was being idiots before. He put a lot of time into getting talks going with the leadership team to get me back to church, but once he'd "let go" , it all went sour again.
So, after this latest debacle, we decided we needed him again.
And he'sbeen great, but I can imagine he's frustrated because he's given lots if space to NV and the leadership team and they've not been up to the job

Sorry, Edd , i didn't mean to be cryptic! I was just wary of taking too much thread space explaining again.
mhd I like the sabbatical idea. Dh is currently nnot convinced it'll work, but he's happy to see what happens.
They want to advertise around easter with hope that the position will be filled by september. Team Rector has a very good picture of what the church needs as a vicar, and I trust him.

Ooh, mhd I missed the bit about you knowing someone!
I'm sure that they'd be happy tto talk to your friend - it's not a secret that NV is leaving, and there'sno harm in being proactive about a role - maybe even just visiting the church to see what they're about and exploring ttheir needs.
(I keep having to stop myself putting "us" and "our")