..despite having two elderly parishioners in the Coronary Care Unit, and another in a second hospital, none of them doing really all that well. Much sadness in anticipation.
But I have had e-mails today from members of Vestry and other volunteers in the parish of MH & U, and I am gratified and humbled.
New Vestrywoman who is a librarian has run to earth all the specifics of the permissions we need to purchase in order to play and sing (and, naturally, reprint) certain favourites of our praise band. And she has communicated her findings, LUCIDLY, to the rest of us.
'Nother Vestryman, our IT Guy and Sultan of Scrounge, has located a techie friend willing to do some installation of cables, resuscitating our most unsatisfactory door-monitor-cum-alarm system.
Volunteers are surrounding and assisting our refugee family, who have "issues" -- health, education, language...and reporting their doings, clearly and succinctly.
Youth leader, wrapping up the year's work, has written an excellent report for distribution.
Volunteer parents continue to work BY CONSENSUS, without hierarchy, to put together a teaching schedule for Summer Sunday School.
As of the end of May we are in the black. This is unusual, and VERY comforting.
I have a doozie of a wedding coming up tho' -- the couple are just fine, but the friend-of-the-family clergyman they invited to share the service is going to have some trouble adapting his mind to what we'd like him to do. The bride is saying, "If we had known how much we would like your way of doing it -- we wouldn't have asked him AT ALL--but now we're afraid of hurting his feelings"...I had to phone him last night and tell him we'd like him to read the prefatory harangue, and lead the prayers for the couple. Funny dialogue.
Offsite Clergyman: "And...the talk? the address?"
Rambler: "Actually, the couple have asked ME to preach at their wedding."
OC: "Well, but, I have known the bride since she was just a little girl. Didn't she tell you that?"
Rambler: "As a matter of fact, she did."
OC: (huffing somewhat) " I do hope that there will be some opportunity for me to Say A Few Words to the couple."
Do you suppose I have the 'nads to suggest sweetly that he might well do so -- at the reception???
I am keeping in mind that our INTENT here is not to disconcert the bride. I shall practise winking at her, in case of tense territorial moments.
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I think any priest who has her parish under such lovely and well-functioning control should have the 'nads to say something like "I expect the reception would have the time and space to allow you to be expansive in telling those wonderful stories of the bride as you knew her in her growing-up years. We would hate to have you feel like the service was limiting you." Then it's the bride's family's problem, not yours...
Smiling broadly at how weddings seem to bring out the worst in some folks, sometimes even, or especially, clergyfolk!
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