I heard a story last evening told by a poet. She had entered a competition to write a poem about Cheese.
The poem was rejected because she had eulogised the cold storage which helped preserve the cheese but left customers chilled.
Management wanted customers not cheese to come first.
A clear cut case of Fromagism.
The church tends on the whole to be more concerned about bread and wine than cheese, I haven't heard too many sermons about cheese, although I have heard some cheesy sermons!
What the church is not too bothered about is satisfying current legislation especially employment legislation, although the treatment of majorities, minorities, children, vulnerable adults or people with disabilities is poor, it's employment practices are fairly slack too.
Of course you will be told about safeguarding, the courses that are run, the safe guarding officers appointed and the concerns stemming from recent events, accusations and enquiries.
I have attended two safeguarding events neither were very well presented and really did not help individual course members to accept their responsibilities confidently.
In one course the question of how individuals could be abused was turned into a game show a la Bruce Forsyth. How something so serious could be turned into 'laugh a minute' was unreal. In the second course with a recently bereaved man in the room, which the presenter knew but had clearly forgotten, the story was told about the man who committed suicide on the first anniversary of his wife's death, I continue to be troubled by the image.
Since the death of the indoor critic I have wondered about moving back into ministry, I have seen a number of house for duty jobs advertised and applied for a couple without success.
What has become clear from this process is exactly how lightly the church sits to legislation of any kind. The historic lists by which people were approached about jobs apparently no longer exist, (AS IF!) and applications are invited by advertisement.
However a quick survey of the Church of England website for employment resulted in no contact names, no email contact, no telephone contact and eventually a list of secular lay appointments via an independent recruitment agency.
Even in a diocese where I am told Recruitment is a real problem attempting to pursue an opportunity to find a House for Duty appointment became all but impossible because of the failure to follow due process in a courteous or informative manner.
There was certainly no evidence of anyone involved in the process reflecting: 'current good practise and expectations for work in a modern world. ibid. Church of England National HR Department.
Of course it may be that I am just too old. But when asked this perfectly straight question I simply receive imperfect and crooked answers.
Obviously no-one wishes to be accused of Fromagism or is that too cheesy?
Some of the House for Duty posts currently advertised are, it seems to me, good examples of Christina Rees' comments about the church of the future, where she describes the Church holding on to its self image with a priest in every parish, even though in some areas it is a case of a priest in every thirteen parishes. One advert I saw recently was for a house for duty priest to cover a huge geographical area where there were once three full time clergy.
Christina is calling for a radical re-think reflecting the early church or as I experienced in the USA the rethinking of the parish system built around gathered communities of Christian men and women, children and young people.
On retirement I moved to an area where I had once worked. At that time there were thirteen clergy in the Deanery, now there are are five, it is a similar picture across the Church of England, yet as the staffing levels literally collapse, the number of Bishops and Archdeacons remains constant for why is a question that is impossible to answer.
It cannot be because they are managing a successful forward strategy, numbers continue to fall, there are fewer bums on seats and as one commentator observes for every mission outreach programme that attracts one new convert about twenty leave.
It cannot be because they are necessary, when you ask around it would seem that for the most part the hierarchy spend more time on Virgin Trains than in the Diocese. So people muddle along as best they can.
I recently bumped into a clergyman in the rest room at a Jeremy Corbyn meeting, he had recently moved to become what is known as a Community Mission Leader, his comment: 'I haven't a clue what I should be doing'. A recent advert for a similar titled post suggested that the job was to work out what the job title actually meant.
Given that I am now exiled to Gehenna, too old, too stale, too useless and not worth interviewing, all that is left for me I guess is to:
LOVE JUSTICE AND WALK HUMBLY WITH MY GOD. AMEN
The poem was rejected because she had eulogised the cold storage which helped preserve the cheese but left customers chilled.
Management wanted customers not cheese to come first.
A clear cut case of Fromagism.
The church tends on the whole to be more concerned about bread and wine than cheese, I haven't heard too many sermons about cheese, although I have heard some cheesy sermons!
What the church is not too bothered about is satisfying current legislation especially employment legislation, although the treatment of majorities, minorities, children, vulnerable adults or people with disabilities is poor, it's employment practices are fairly slack too.
Of course you will be told about safeguarding, the courses that are run, the safe guarding officers appointed and the concerns stemming from recent events, accusations and enquiries.
I have attended two safeguarding events neither were very well presented and really did not help individual course members to accept their responsibilities confidently.
In one course the question of how individuals could be abused was turned into a game show a la Bruce Forsyth. How something so serious could be turned into 'laugh a minute' was unreal. In the second course with a recently bereaved man in the room, which the presenter knew but had clearly forgotten, the story was told about the man who committed suicide on the first anniversary of his wife's death, I continue to be troubled by the image.
Since the death of the indoor critic I have wondered about moving back into ministry, I have seen a number of house for duty jobs advertised and applied for a couple without success.
What has become clear from this process is exactly how lightly the church sits to legislation of any kind. The historic lists by which people were approached about jobs apparently no longer exist, (AS IF!) and applications are invited by advertisement.
However a quick survey of the Church of England website for employment resulted in no contact names, no email contact, no telephone contact and eventually a list of secular lay appointments via an independent recruitment agency.
Even in a diocese where I am told Recruitment is a real problem attempting to pursue an opportunity to find a House for Duty appointment became all but impossible because of the failure to follow due process in a courteous or informative manner.
There was certainly no evidence of anyone involved in the process reflecting: 'current good practise and expectations for work in a modern world. ibid. Church of England National HR Department.
Of course it may be that I am just too old. But when asked this perfectly straight question I simply receive imperfect and crooked answers.
Obviously no-one wishes to be accused of Fromagism or is that too cheesy?
Some of the House for Duty posts currently advertised are, it seems to me, good examples of Christina Rees' comments about the church of the future, where she describes the Church holding on to its self image with a priest in every parish, even though in some areas it is a case of a priest in every thirteen parishes. One advert I saw recently was for a house for duty priest to cover a huge geographical area where there were once three full time clergy.
Christina is calling for a radical re-think reflecting the early church or as I experienced in the USA the rethinking of the parish system built around gathered communities of Christian men and women, children and young people.
On retirement I moved to an area where I had once worked. At that time there were thirteen clergy in the Deanery, now there are are five, it is a similar picture across the Church of England, yet as the staffing levels literally collapse, the number of Bishops and Archdeacons remains constant for why is a question that is impossible to answer.
It cannot be because they are managing a successful forward strategy, numbers continue to fall, there are fewer bums on seats and as one commentator observes for every mission outreach programme that attracts one new convert about twenty leave.
It cannot be because they are necessary, when you ask around it would seem that for the most part the hierarchy spend more time on Virgin Trains than in the Diocese. So people muddle along as best they can.
I recently bumped into a clergyman in the rest room at a Jeremy Corbyn meeting, he had recently moved to become what is known as a Community Mission Leader, his comment: 'I haven't a clue what I should be doing'. A recent advert for a similar titled post suggested that the job was to work out what the job title actually meant.
Given that I am now exiled to Gehenna, too old, too stale, too useless and not worth interviewing, all that is left for me I guess is to:
LOVE JUSTICE AND WALK HUMBLY WITH MY GOD. AMEN
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