Comments on: Things clergy carry

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:02:23 +0000

Thanks all – I’ve now printed off a final version of this for my cartoon use. You’re welcome to continue making suggestions for your own enjoyment of course.

By: Brad

Brad — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:11:54 +0000

I carry my Palm (which is a phone,camera, daily organizer, ‘meaningless notes’ keeper, and Mp3 player). The standard empty wallet, and my ring of a thousand keys (which I never use 1/4 of).

Also I have strategically placed Bibles and back up Bibles in my office, home office, 2 cars, classroom, and backpack. All of which are never to be found when you actually need them.

Then there is a backpack, which has things that I could not begin to list without conducting a full inventory, hopefully my laptop is still there…

By: John

John — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:55:53 +0000

I carry my Palm which has my diary, Common Worship lectionary, Morning and Evening Prayer, NRSV Bible, Prayers for the dying, a program to work out the date of Easter until the Second Coming, a spreadsheet to record mileage etc etc and space in the cover to put my visiting cards.

I don’t usually carry a mobile phone. I don’t see the point – if I’m working away from the Vicarage I don’t want to be bothered by phone calls. I deal with the messages and emails when I get back to my desk.

By: Phelim McIntyre

Phelim McIntyre — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:52:11 +0000

Sandra, your priest friend is almost unique. Not for the pipe but for having a sense of humour!!!! (No offence to the clergy on this site but so many vicars I have met seem to have had their sense of humour surgically removed at ordination, either that or beaten out of them at theological college.)

By: Sandra Cook

Sandra Cook — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:01:09 +0000

The priest I work for carries a sense of humour and a pipe!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:19:55 +0000

An eee pc

By: jody

jody — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:10:13 +0000

a pop up tent, in case they meet any unwanted parishioner attention and need it to hide in.

not that i would ever do that….

By: Simon

Simon — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:01:25 +0000

A familiar list of the practical stuff jammed into bulging pockets – keys (amazingly my two church buildings have just one master key for all doors), led torch (for the dark corridor), thumb drive (for “can I have a copy of your presentation?” moments. Pocket PC (with calendar, contacts, email, bible, street map), wallet, receipts, cheques for expenses that should have been cashed months ago, tissues, wallet, mini-pen, business cards, mobile phone set with profiles for “church” (divert all calls), “meeting” (silent) and “normal”, not quite enough change for the car park.

By: Phelim McIntyre

Phelim McIntyre — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:47:15 +0000

One of my clergy friends has admitted to carrying a “sonic screwdriver” in his pockets. Are his church wardens cybermen? Is the church cleaner a dalek?

By: Richard Greatrex

Richard Greatrex — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:55:22 +0000

I tend to always wear a waistcoat which always contains an ‘old’ ipod shuffle, but quite regularly also includes several pencils, bus tickets, notes and phone numbers with no names, a paperclip or two, a fuse, a screw, a shopping list. Sometimes, to my delight, it contains money. These days the waistcoat does not quite contain my stomach.

In my rucksack is my ‘Church Book and Desk Diary’ (now ‘the Canterbury Church Book and Desk Diary’) stuffed full of useful bits if paper – service rotas, parish contact details, etc. It always contains both umbrella and pac-a-mac (clerical black), old carrier bags and a book, which hopefully, one day, I’ll have time to read. It sometimes also contains thurible, vestments, sick communion set and the parish keys. On those days I find several acolytes are a useful resource to help me carry it.