Monday 9 March 2009

Bad tech day!

Technology malfunction day in Falkirk today. Virgin phone barred due to the flat phone being used more than the credit limit is set for!!!! Office e-mail being stupid - bring back the carrier pigeons!

Saturday 7 March 2009

Annoyances!

Well, the bleeding door being shut when you turn up slightly late for a Lent group is one! (The Church of Scotland welcomes you - as long as it doesn't increase the Insurance premium!)

Another is ecumenical services - now, I am a highly committed ecumenist BUT!!! This is the 4th boring godly drivel session I have attended recently and I am getting fed up with it. Hymns no one knew, tunes no one could sing, execution of the service best described as LBA (Led By Amatuers). I am somewhat inclined to opt out of Holy Week this year, as it is joint and the local standard is dire!!

And finally - the provincial Committee on Canons having the gall to send an imperfectly drafted 2nd reading to Diocesan Synods. Edinburgh amended it back to the original text - boys and girls, do us the courtesy of drafting the stuff properly, or not presenting it until it has been drafted properly. Send us drool, and we'll vote it down!

Thursday 5 March 2009

Admin etc

Well, that's the parish roll edited! The dead removed etc. Still, at least a live one appeared at the 10am service which was nice. Ex pisky convert to RC church looking to return to his spiritual mother!! Nice to know the traffic isn't all one way!

Tonight is the 1st Lent Group - dealing with "temptations"!! Could be fun! Especially given that at the ministry team meeting the other day, I used the phrase "LGBT" and then had to explain to my Presby colleagues that I wasn't talking about a sandwich!!

And tomorrow? The World Day of Prayer at the Sally Ann where the worship and food are derived from Papua New Guinea. Which slightly worries me, as it's not so long ago that they gave up cannibalism! Perhaps I'll avoid the Shepherd's Pie?

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Variety is the spice of life!

As they say! Sunday took me to Erskine Parish Church on a pulpit swap - though for me it involved celebrating communion in a sort of funny, hybrid C of S/SEC way. Blue book EP for Lent, preceded by the Collect of the Day, the penitential intro to Evening Prayer from the 1990 Daily Office, readings, sermon, affirmation of Faith (based on the Decalogue) and the odd experience of having bread a cup on the Holy Table but the punters with those silly wee thimble things and diced mothers pride in their pews! The Evening was enlivened by by discussion (again Ecumenical) on Philosophy of Religion. I was mightily staggered by 18 appearing to talk about the Ontological and Teleological arguments (plus Pascal's Wager) on a cold March evening!!

The 2 funerals went pretty well with decent turnouts at both. And the Blue Brazil are no worse off having played Stenhousemuir twice in a week! Not a bad run! And spellcheck to my amusement thinks Stenhousemuir ought to be spelled Satanism!!