#vicarschool

I’m not sure I ever wanted to be ordained, in fact I’m pretty certain I wanted precisely the opposite. The call out of a youthwork organisation I love dearly was one with many tears along the way, and the journey of academic training has had it’s frustrations to say the least. But here I am, 4 months from that very event happening, and I’m reminded once again how and why I’m at that point.

As part of vicar school we’ve been out this weekend with teams from across the North made up of bishops, vicars and local people to spend a bit of focussed time in different community settings with the simple remit of ‘Talking Jesus’. Its had me in schools, youth clubs, pubs and rural town halls, speaking, listening and just being with people. It’s been a joy. 

Its reminded me of the power of community and local history. Its shown me just how deep that communal memory runs in some places where populations are less transient than in some of the more urban contexts I can be used to. Its reminded me of the joy of a story. Whether that be the glorious @storytellerross’ gift for telling stories to groups of all ages; or the gift of the chance to listen to the stories of others and help them think about how their story might intertwine with Jesus; or the (surprise) gift of a slide show telling the story of a community now feeling the despair of the loss of all their industry, but the togetherness that that offers them; it’s been amazing. Add to that the chance to see local volunteers spurred on to more and more of their own activities to help draw others to listen to God’s story, and energised to get on with stuff and Talk Jesus with or without the constant presence of stipendary clergy (as the consistent experience of churches in the North East, like lots of the country is that they share their vicar), and it gets all the more so.

The story that I’ve most connected with personally though came from the opportunity on Friday to spend some of the day driving round Weardale with the Bishop of Durham listening to elbow (as you do) and then visiting primary schools where children were asking whatever awkward questions they thought they’d get away with. Seeing a man who we heard gets to speak with everyone from the Queen to the homeless, yet who clearly found such joy being out in the communities he’s called to serve, and then hearing of his own journey of reluctant acceptance first of ordination in the Church of England and then to the Bishop’s seat he now occupies was a powerful reminder that it’s not always about what I want, Its about the story we’re all called to be a part of. 

All this though, was then followed up by some amazing experiences of being invited to listen to and join in with more and more other stories, even if just for a fleeting moment. This weekend I’ve chatted with Bishops, Doctors and teachers, children, retired professionals, builders refusing to retire, those with  dementia and those whose story is to support them. Be it nattering with a retired headteacher over his fourth pint, or conspiring with a 10 year old to help her swipe her 7th sausage roll off the church buffet, life with and amongst people is a priviledge, and sharing in theirs and in Jesus’ story is an honour. Not to mention sometimes it’s a whole lot of fun. Helping us all to see how the two stories match up, and how we work together to to involve more and more people in the faith, hope and love of God’s eternal story is the very root of the smile that’s so often plastered on my face. I’m still not always certain if I want to be ordained on July 1st, but it keeps looking more and more like its part of God’s unfolding story for me to be such, and with the joy of this weekend’s installment of that story ringing in my ears it definitely helps me look forward to it more and more. Lets face it, I wouldn’t have it any other way than an chasing the opportunity to spend more and more time helping people find out that God’s already found them.......

God is faithful, and I’m grateful that God doesn’t ask anything of me that he (or she) won't be right alongside me for....