Tuesday, October 23, 2007

the post about parish ministry

i had one of those days that made me think, wow. my job is really, really weird.

8:30 a.m.: coffee w/ rector; talked about burn-out and thank you notes
9:30 a.m.: breakfast w/ parishioner, mother of two children under the age of 4, former advertising exec at ralph lauren (not rachel green from friends)
10:30 a.m.: emails, phone calls, wrote bulletin/newsletter announcements, wrote letter to judge on behalf of a mother in a custody battle
11:15 a.m.: debriefed w/ youth/young adult minister re: frustrations
12:00 p.m.: conversation w/ lay leader/rector about vestry elections; asked that they consult DRE before trying to cancel any adult education
12:30 p.m.: lunch in DRE's office; talked about Advent/life
1:30 p.m.: impromptu pastoral conversation w/ self-described drunk bipolar cocaine addict lesbian prostitute poet
2:15 p.m.: proofread/edited this sunday's requiem evensong bulletin; phone conversation with musician for said evensong; searched for appropriate nonbiblical reading (decided to choose poem from mary olivier's thirst)
3:30 p.m.: email to engaged couple telling them no, they could not have their deposit back, since they decided to get married elsewhere since the FOB doesn't want a woman officiant
4 p.m.: hospital visit to 11 year old who had emergency appendectomy; confused parking attendant with clergy badge because, and i quote, "you're not a man." <-- i can't make this s**t up.

and yet somehow i feel like i didn't get much done. i think that's the problem with having an amorphous job that doesn't have tangible results most of the time.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

For real?drunk maniac cocaine addict bipolar lesbian prostitute

No, you can't make that stuff up.
I'm thinking of making candidates for ministry read this post (I won't, though.)

Pastor Peters said...

ironically, i was not the least bit surprised by your 2:15 appt -- instead i was shocked and angry by your 3:30. why? why are being so narrow? grr. and than the 4 pm. you can't make this up. but you testify well.

reverendmother said...

See, that's why I'll never make it as a poet. I don't have nearly enough adjectives.

"You're not a man." Bloody brilliant.

apbs said...

ppb, i have this image of all these seminary students getting this, and going, "this is so not what i thought i would be doing!" leave it outside your office... see what happens.

pastor peters, the 3:30 thing was a long time coming. i feel lots of ways about it, but i mostly feel relieved.

revmother, it's funny how you get used to the man comments. the parking attendant was genuinely surprised and immediately apologized after his inappropriate comment.

apbs said...

also, revmother, i liked your poem on FS last month. you have lots of descriptors, too! they were in the poem :)

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way: today I--met with someone who wanted to tell me what other people were saying about me; replied to e-mails; cleaned my desk; made and printed handouts for SUnday School teachers related to thanksgiving; spent 20 minutes on the phone with UNICEF because they didn't send enough boxes for our trick or treaters; talked to the secy about office conflicts; spent 1 hour in the basement of a parishoner with 3 kids under 3 1/2 on a play-date/church visit; and actually, that doesn;t even cover it. We have the wierdest job in the world. Which is why I'm drinking wine and watching bad TV right now.

Unknown said...

(((apbs))) We have the weirdest jobs ever.

apbs said...

ahhh..!!! this week is supposedly going to be less nuts, but, as we all know, can't plan these things.