And have just sent out for pizza, Sunday or not, I don't care!

We had a good service, despite bitter cold and high winds most people made the effort to come out.  The communion preparer who does first Sunday is seriously ill, no one had arranged to cover for her, so my treasurer went home to fetch some bread and two other ladies offered to set up as none of the communion ladies had arrived.  All went well.

After the service, the two communion ladies, who were present by now, went off for a cup of tea, leaving the used glasses unwashed.  Eventually one of my lovely deacons took them away and washed them.  My pianist cleared the table, my treasurer put the banners away.  And after I'd chatted to a few peple I hadn't seen for over a week, I started to pack away the projection equipment.

Then one dear lady chose to come and tell me that I hadn't been to speak to speak to some of the people (true, I'd spoken to them last week).  I wasn't impressed and pointed out that they could come to speak to me.  No, not feeling at all holy now!

I thought back over the years when I was an ordinary church member.  At one time, the minister stood at the door and we all dutifully filed past, thanked him (as it was then) for his service and went home.  Then came the invention of after service coffee, so the minister moved to a location en route to coffee and we continued the ritual.  Then came the minister tries to juggle coffee cup in one hand and shake hands with the other, and most people simply go to coffee unless they want to speak to her/him.  Never, until I came to this neck of the woods did I encounter 'we sit in our seats and you must come to us every week.'

A small number of my people are frail, and I do try to get to speak to them regularly on Sundays.  Another small number have big stuff that they need to update me on.  Most though, like any church, have life that plods on, and whilst it is nice to be spoken to, it isn't essential.

Times have changed for sure, and cultures vary, but only here have I encountered this approach to 'after service' conversations.

OK, rant over, my pizza is here, so I can (finally) relax a bit.