Back in the days when I was a relatively normal 'person in a pew', I used to wonder what ministers did apart from writing services and visiting sick people! At one stage when I was reflecting with my mentor I commented that I still don't know what ministers do - I know what I do, but whether or not that is what ministers in general do, I have not a clue!
Whilst I was in my first year of training I realised that it is a role that requires the ability to 'flip' from mood to mood, siutation to situation, often with minimal notice - the day I realised this I'd spent the morning working in the kitchen of a drop in for people with learning disabilities, run straight to a funeral and then joined some people celebrating a big zero birthday. It is a job of contrasts - and this week has already seen a lot with more still to come...!
Monday morning I wrote the service for a 40 year's marriage thanksgiving and renewal of wedding vows service then met with two 70-somethings to talk through the plans for their marriage service due to to take place in January. Then it was off on a 15 mile jaunt to look at chairs for our less mobile members - and two trips to bring them back to Dibley manse where they will sit for 4 weeks until we are back at school.
Yesterday after some admin, I raced into town to bank my stipend (so that there was enough in the bank to cover the cost of the chairs which I'd had to lay out as we bought them on Ebay) and to get the props for the carol service. Then it was back home for lunch time prayers before a trek to the far side of Leicester to see three people in hospital, one of whom is 'very poorly', and then back to the joys of the Girls' Brigade Christmas play.
Today after producing a poster for the Anglican church hosting the carol event and putting it up for them, a flying visit to Manchetser University Library to return a book that had been recalled before I'd even opened it, before joining my old colleagues for their Christmas Lunch (that's not work of course, even though I still sometimes act as father confessor to one or two of them...). I was particularly struck by the contrast bewteen trolling round my old stamping grounds in Hulme and Knutsford respectively. I parked outside a heavily armoured pentecostal church in a side street in Hulme to go to the library - all the car parks were full or had mega queues - and passed people of many ethnic and religious groups on my way to the library; in Knutsford I parked on 'bottom street' car park - miraculously finding a space straight away - before joining a group of predominantly white professionals (though not all) in a restaurant for some very pretty but not very large portions of food at high prices, where my old boss told me about his wife's new jaguar! Two very different worlds, but two I value greatly as part of my experience (even if I only ever got paid enough to buy a metro once every 10-12 years!).
Tomorrow I have a first aid course all day and a deacons meeting in the evening. Friday is allegedly free - but who knows? Saturday the wedding vows renewal and a concert, Sunday the carol event... Then start over again on Monday!
Yup, seven years from the realisation that this job was one of immense contrasts, nothing has changed. Seeing my old colleagues was good and I have to confess to sometimes missing the 'concrete' aspects of the job I used to do, but it could never in a lifetime match this one for variety which is, after all, the spice of life.