Self-indulgent today, because 6th December is my anniversary of ordination, and today I become a teenage minister, as it was thirteen years ago that I made my ordination vows. The photo is the ring I bought for myself to commemorate the moment, to serve as a visible reminder of the vows I had made. Whilst I no onger wear the ring (due to lymphoedema) the symbolsim remains.
It was a cold, dank December day, and people had travelled up specially from Dibley to Warrington to participate in the service. My former boss (who had travelled down from East Kilbride with a former colleague from Stirling) read the lessons. Children from each of the churches I worked with during my training led the intercessions. Guests included Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, URC, Baptists and 'nothings'. One of my tutors preached. I met my Mum from a train and put her back on another later that evening. A South African exchange student attended as part of his experience of Britsh Baptist life. A pianist from a placement church accompanied the hymns, and the music group from Warrington played for the songs. Maybe it was prophetic that the minister of WBC at the time was a Scot, who knew! Sincere vows were made. Sandwiches were eaten (by everyone else anyway!). Tea was drunk. Gifts and cards were given.
Thirteen years on, and a lot has changed. Dibley has left the building. The Gatherers have (temporarily) left the building. Warrington will soon leave the building. My theology continues to evolve and change. Ministry is still definitely an experiment and I still don't know what proper ministers actually do. As I said at my end of probation/NAM interview, the good bits have been so much better, and the bad bits so much worse, than I could ever have imagined.
Perhaps it's fitting that today is a training day for the BUS Board of Ministry, and will be looking at the whole process of exploring call with candidates.
For me, there is the mischievous thought that as a teenager minister, I am allowed to be even more stroppy and angsty, and the sober one that God has entrusted to me the "cure of souls" (as our Anglican friends would put it), than which there there is no greater privilege or responsibility.