Following on from the last post, and the comments it raised, I wondered what the stereotypical Baptist manse is... not least as unlike other Christian denominations we have no minimum specification on size or facilities. So, if you want to add your thoughts, positive or negative, based on experience, personal or otherwise, please do.
But for starters....
The sterotypical Baptist manse is:
- cold, damp and draughty with never quite the right number or configuration of rooms
- probably Victorian, and was probably last rewired when Eddison was a boy
- a repository for spare green hymnbooks (or red ones, or old editions of Songs of Fellowship or Spring Harvest Praise or OHP acetates or whatever hymns/songs your brand of Baptist hoards)
- a place whose occupants will be thrilled to have your cast off kitchen units, carpets and, if they are really blessed, curtains, especially those faded, frayed ones that were rescued from great auntie Maud's house after the great flood of 1923.
More positively...
- a place where the kettle is always freshly boiled and tea/coffee and biscuits/cakes await
- a place where you can be sure to be listened to - and your darkest secrets never get out of the four (crumbling) walls
- a place where laughter and love abound
- a place where gospel is lived by flawed and failing disciples in the fish-bowl glare of every knowing who you are.
Over to you...
Comments
Catriona, I think you have it pretty much covered. Ours is not so cold or damp, but did come with some interesting artefacts, handed down through generations of ministers.
Mine is not old or damp - but modern large semi - that the church had new carpets put down through out and redecorated before we came - and just as an extra new windows!
However, it is a place where the gospel is lived by flawed and failing individuals, where as a family we laugh, love and fight together like any other family but under that spotlight glare of supposedly being the perfect family!
Oh dear, I am sorry you have this image of the 'stereotypical' manse. I have counted 11 Manses as home in over 50 years and have been incredibly blessed - apart from two brief periods - once as a child, and once as Pastor's wife - our Manses have been lovely homes. And those two spells were both temporary because the church concerned was in process of buying and equipping a much better property.
The only problems have been caused by the untidy, ridiculously busy, but very happy people living there!!
Praying your new place is absolutely fabulous!!
Hi Angela, I am not claiming to have experienced all of the negatives personally (though many of them I have)... and the new one will superb when we get it, that's why we're taking time to get it right.