I am the Vicar, I am

I am the vicar,


I am.


I am the pastor, the carer, the listener


the one with the time to drop everything and


I also understand global politics and immigration


and


I am the one who knows about Afghanistan


and cares about ‘our boys’


and I care about speed-humps


graffiti

litter

and the positioning of zebra crossings near schools.


I am passionate


about school assemblies


council meetings

mums and toddlers and also


I am good at one-to-one and small groups and


I listen and empathise and at the same time


I am the one who plans and strategizes and


I am the one who understands budgets and decides if we can buy


any staples


or replace the heating system.



I am the vicar, I am.


I am the quiet reflective


prayer and


I am the speaker, the enthuser, the motivator, the learned teacher


and


I can engage a room of 10, 50, 300 people with no problem


because

I am the one who relates particularly well to children


older people


the middle-aged


the jobless


the employed


the doctors


teenagers and


I am the one who is always one step ahead and


I am the one who is endearingly disorganised.




I am the vicar, I am.


I care passionately


about church politics


I care passionately about domestic abuse


I care passionately about the plight of Anglo Catholics


women priests


gay clergy


evangelicals and


I listen to the pope


the archbishop and


Rob Bell.


I am up-to-date with


theological developments.


I understand the history of the reformation


the armed forces


the war

the government


the deanery


the Jewish background of Jesus and


I care about the excluded and


I manage my admin and


I know how to access children’s services.




I am the vicar, I am.


I am the one in whom


trust is placed


I am the one in whom grumbles are placed


I am the one who is always talking to everyone else


I am the one who models worship


marriage


family


gardening


conversation


baking


prayer


listening


talking


planning.



I often get it wrong.


I am the one who has to keep my doubts under wraps and


I am also the one who is vulnerable and


dependable

stable

trustworthy.


I am the one who chairs


meetings


I am the one who manages group discussions


I am the manager of an organisation that employs only me


I am the volunteer co-ordinator


the opinion co-ordinator


the trespasser on the territory of people who have


been around a lot longer than me


and will be there after me.


I understand the heating system


the financial system


the rota system.


I love committees.


I drink tea with


older people


And coffee with younger people


I listen to stories of bus routes and hospital visits


and


I believe in transforming our community through the power of


Jesus.


I am the one


who is very tired.


I am the one who hates wearing dresses but


still smiles


and would love to be muddy all the time.


I am the one who only


works one day a week.


I am the one


who loves this job.


I am the one who is making it up as I go along.


I am the one who would not swap this for anything.




I am the vicar, I am.






With thanks to Janet Chapman of Birmingham Cathedral for this delightful and perceptive piece. It is from http://theblogofkevin.wordpress.com