Back in a crumpled heap from the Open Group meeting. The ladies (yes, quite definitely all "ladies"...and all of a certain age,- almost indistinguishable from mainstream MU now!) were friendly and interested, as might have been predicted. Less predictable was the realisation that I really enjoyed the experience of putting the talk together, once I'd worked out what I was trying to do. Thanks so much for all your tips, suggestions and inspired stories...most of them found their way in somewhere, and I was encouraged by the discovery that more of my past life was actively involved in Kathryn the Curate than I had noticed before. It's fun looking at the course of the journey and seeing what God was up to at earlier stages, when you were too busy living it to notice!
A particular "hit" was showing my stoles, and using those as launch pad for discussion of differing ministries of priest and deacon...A particular "low", for me, was talking them through my diary for next week. Just reading about it exhausted me...but I guess there's no fear of it being one of those weeks when I wonder what I'm for. Overall, I was cheered too by how much I do actually do...regular readers will know that I tend to agonise over not giving value for stipend, but when I considered the activities of a typical week, I have to concede that I must be spending some time doing what I should be.
Apparently the parish had no idea of the burgeoning relationships with our schools here, so it was lovely to be able to share some good news, at the end of a day that included Assembly at the Infants, after-school club at one of the primaries, and a planning meeting with the Reception teacher at the other one, whose class is visiting church on Monday. Funnily enough, all this has started happening in the months since July last year. Did I ever wonder if I'd got things wrong by training initially as a Reader for Children's Ministry???
The Open Group kindly said that they'd learned things tonight. Not half as much as the Curate, I'll bet :-)
Pleased to hear that it was a useful experience in both directions. I remember when I was a curate I finally realised how much I did when I has an ordinand shadow me for a month.
ReplyDeleteIf the chance of anything like that comes up - take it!