Viewing all items in Resource Category: St James The Least of All
The elderly Anglo-Catholic vicar, Eustace, continues his correspondence to Darren, his nephew, a low-church curate recently ordained…
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Since you were the one to ask this parishioner of yours to act as PCC secretary, you have no reason to complain about the minutes of meetings she produces. You should never let anyone act as a secretary unless they cannot speak English or are...On the importance of NOT keeping accurate minutes
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren So, you are excited about being invited to plan your first Carol Service. The dangers involved are only slightly less than being invited to judge the best cake made by the Ladies’ Group. You seem to have no idea of the lifelong offence you will...On why Carol Services are so dangerous
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I suppose it had to come, but combining parishes is now firmly on the agenda for our villages. I had always wondered what the first Earl of Stowe was trying to prove, building a church here in 1347 to accommodate 800 people when the total...On why the C of E should never combine parishes
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I was interested to hear that from this academic year, your vicar has asked you to take his place as a school governor. A whole new world of exciting meetings is about to open up to you. Naturally, you will have been told that the...On the perils of being a school governor
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I am surprised you are considering buying a new set of hymn books for your church. I had assumed everything you sang would be projected on to one of those screens which are invariably placed to obscure the altar. In my – fortunately limited –...On why you should never replace your hymn books
- The Rectory, St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren Well, at least you tried. Filling in for another colleague who was away on holiday was kind of you; that it was somewhere with a high church tradition was adventurous of you. But just because something is worth doing, must you do it...On the perils of swinging incense
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren You should not complain about doing duty in other churches when their clergy are on holiday. It is only in other churches that you will be appreciated. Beatification only comes from your own church on the day you leave – which is a way of...On the perils of ‘standing in’ for another vicar
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your remark that you rather liked the silence we keep before starting Services gave me pause for thought. I suppose all things are relative. I know that the noise your congregation makes before worship resembles a packed stand on the football terraces any Saturday afternoon,...On the impossibility of keeping silence in church
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren It never fails to amaze me how, in church life, an issue can suddenly become an Issue. In the last month, we have acquired an Issue: a proposal to convert a space at the back of church into a kitchen. Inevitably, battle lines have been...On the perils of building a kitchen in church
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I am not the least surprised you have got yourself into trouble; innovation is never to be encouraged. New ideas tend to cause revolutions. The move from incandescent lightbulbs to energy saving ones may ultimately change the Church of England. Change is something everyone claims...On why a church should always resist change
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Visits from your parishioners to our church are always welcome. But I did not expect them to return to you complaining because our pews are uncomfortable. Pews are meant to be uncomfortable. The unshakeable belief of our congregation is that the more uncomfortable the pew,...On why pews SHOULD be uncomfortable
- The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Winter certainly exposes the difference between those of you who live in cities and us rural folk. While you bask in your centrally heated flat, and complain about the half an inch of slush outside, we country folk wear overcoats in our houses, open all...On why rural church-goers like to freeze in church