Well, now you can find out. The full version of the cartoon (image above is just one panel) is called Archdeacons, and is now available on CartoonChurch.com.

Feel free to send this cartoon to your archdeacon. Click this special link to do so.

Posted by Dave at 7:23 pm on September 30, 2010 and filed under Cartoons, Church, New CartoonChurch cartoons.

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This is one idea of six – see the cartoon Leaving Church for the full list, which has been sensibly filed in the cartoons section.

This drawing is once again from the 2008 book ‘My Pew – Things I have seen from it’. See this and my other books of diagrams on my (newly constructed) Books page.

In-depth comment: These days the emphasis is all on getting people to come to church. There are various initiatives, such as Back of Church Sunday that encourage people to do so. These initiatives are beginning to achieve their goals, with some statistics showing that numbers of people going to church are static. I’m often static when I go to church.

But in the midst of all this success spare a thought for those whose job it is to get people out of church, especially churchwardens and vergers (or ‘virgers’, as people who like to call them that like to call them). They can’t go home and have their Sunday lunch until everyone has gone.

There’s a lesson there for us all. Can’t think what it is though. I’m not quite ready for Thought for the Day yet.

Posted by Dave at 9:43 pm on September 29, 2010 and filed under Cartoons, Church, New CartoonChurch cartoons.

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Click here to see this cartoon in full on the main CartoonChurch site. Once again this is from the last book, My Pew.

In other news: Thanks to everyone who has been buying the new book (sidebar, above left). It has been selling well at Church House Bookshop, where it is No 3 in their top 10 books. At least, I’m assuming that it is No 3, and that No 1 is at the top of the page. No 1 can’t be at the bottom of the page can it? That would make Fresh Expressions more popular than marriage services.

[10% discount on Church House Bookshop purchases until 12 noon UK time tomorrow, Wednesday. Use code BDLPGEBTZ226 ]

Posted by Dave at 6:20 pm on September 28, 2010 and filed under Books, Cartoons, New CartoonChurch cartoons.

2 Comments

I’ve just uploaded my cartoon entitled ‘Appointing a new vicar‘ to the main cartoon area of the website. The image above is one section, click here to see the whole thing.

This, along with all of the cartoons I’m posting this week, is from My Pew: Things I have seen from it, my book from 2008. Click here to see lots more of the cartoons from that book, which is still very much available (just on the off-chance that a cartoon book might be exactly the thing to help you in your everyday life).

In other news, the eagle-eyed might notice that I have added Facebook ‘share this’ buttons to this blog. I don’t want to speak to soon, but as far as I’m aware they actually work too. The idea is that you can share individual cartoons or blog posts with your Facebook friends. I will also add them to the CartoonChurch cartoon pages, but I haven’t quite got around to that yet. While I’m on the subject If you want to follow this blog on Facebook then there’s a Cartoonchurch Facebook page, which enables you to do just that.

Posted by Dave at 4:56 pm on September 27, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Cartoons, New CartoonChurch cartoons.

5 Comments

This is one frame of a four frame cartoon- click the word ‘bishops‘ to see this cartoon in full on CartoonChurch.com.

It is taken from the last book, My Pew, things I have seen from it. I’ve got a load of ‘My pew’ cartoons to post this week, before I get on to posting some ‘Exciting world of churchgoing’ ones.

Posted by Dave at 7:14 pm on September 26, 2010 and filed under Anglican goings-on, Cartooning, Cartoons, New CartoonChurch cartoons.

2 Comments

This image is a small extract from my cartoon ‘The ecclesiastical research labs’, more of which can be seen as the background to my Twitter page.

The full version can be found in my 2011 calendar, which is entitled ‘Church HQ’. It shows some of the unseen central workings of the Church, of which the ecclesiastical research labs are a vital component. The cover image is below. At the risk of sounding a bit like a desperate salesperson it is, I think, my favourite out of all of the calendars I have done so far.

The calendar can be ordered through Church House Bookshop, on Amazon, direct from Canterbury Press, or by quoting ISBN 9781848250147 can be ordered through most bookshops.

Posted by Dave at 11:52 am on September 25, 2010 and filed under Cartoons.

4 Comments

A note for readers in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. You can win one of my books by entering the competition in ‘the Door’, which is the diocesan magazine. Failing that it isn’t too late to enter for the Olympics (see lead story, above) if you still have anything in reserve to ‘raise your game’ following my recent demand for 110%.

I’m aware, by the way, that most people can’t enter this competition for geographical reasons. I’ll run one myself before too long so that everyone has the chance.

The Door can be obtained from any branch of the C of E in the above counties. I don’t think that the competition is on the web version so you’ll actually have to go to church to get a copy. While you are there please attend a service, put some money in the collection and join a rota. I was formerly employed in the diocese, being a youth worker in one of the parishes until my retirement, hence my interest.

It is tricky coming up with a name for a diocesan magazine. Things seen around the house can be a good source of inspiration, hence the Door, the Window, and (probably) the Lampstand. In time all of the good names will be used up, and so we will have the Dishwasher or perhaps the Recycling Bin.

Do let me know your ideal diocesan magazine name via the comments. If we get a good list of suggestions we could forward it on to the Church authorities who I’m sure would be glad of the help.

Posted by Dave at 8:20 pm on September 23, 2010 and filed under Books, Quizzes and competitions.

7 Comments

Please note: This post may be temporary if it messes up the page for a lot of people.

A little interactive exercise. It would help me to know which of these arrows you can see in its entirety without it impinging on the sidebars of the blog. If you can see all of all of the arrows, write ‘width 4′. If you can see width 2, but not width 3, write ‘width 2′. It would also be interesting to know if it messes up the page. If it does it would be useful to know which browser you are using. In the event of many reports of messed-up pages this post will be short-lived.

All clear? Go!

P. S. Thank you. This is to help me work on the design of my site.

P. P. S. This is not a competition and there are no winners and no prizes. In the event of a tie the Judges’ decision is final.

Interesting supplementary fact: I have found that if you say the word ‘width’ repeatedly it (a) becomes nonsensical, and (b) you sound like an idiot.

Posted by Dave at 10:18 pm on September 22, 2010 and filed under Design, Technical.

97 Comments

This is a bit self-centred, but there again this is my blog, so it is allowable as long I don’t revel in it. Simon Jenkins, the Captain of the Ship of Fools, has written a most positive review of my book of drawings, The Exciting World of Churchgoing, on his blog. See here to look at it on the internet. Thank you Simon!

In other news, there are one or two reasonably exciting developments. My people (ie me) are talking to their people (ie them). I can’t say any more than that. In fact, it would have been best to say nothing than to post something that will only invite idle speculation and tittle tattle. Oh well, too late now.

Posted by Dave at 7:31 pm on September 22, 2010 and filed under Books, CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning.

4 Comments

1) Mowing. It all costs money.
2) Safety, especially in heavily grassed neighbourhoods.
3) Watering concerns. Screen-wash can’t be good for it. And who will water it when we’re away?
4) Animals and the things they do on lawns.
5) Keeping the edges trimmed. I’ve never been good with those lawn-edge-trimming shears. Over-zealous use means lawn gets smaller and smaller until there’s nothing left.
6) Dealing appropriately with requests for sporting fixtures.
7) Mockery.

[Picture from the Essex Country Show, where rural crafts and pursuits like this are showcased.]

#iknow #thisisrubbish #buttheJudgesmightlikeit

Posted by Dave at 8:23 am on September 20, 2010 and filed under Photographs, Utter nonsense.

3 Comments

My cartoon, Pews (the five worst places to sit in church) is now available on the internet. Click that link for a readable version.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to sit on the left in church. Possibly because it is nearer the left hand door. Sitting on the right would make me nearer the right hand door, but for some reason being near that door has never been on my list of priorities.

In some churches people sit on exactly the same pews. We tend not to do that as our chairs (folding, green) are not in precisely the same arrangement every week.

Group discussion: Talk about chairs for a bit.

Posted by Dave at 7:50 am on September 16, 2010 and filed under Cartoons.

12 Comments

On Sunday I am making an appearance at the Southminster art and craft exhibition at St Leonards Church in Southminster, Essex (location). If you would like to see a few of my cartoons or buy a book and you happen to live in that particular part of rural Essex I might be as bold as to say that this is an ideal opportunity. The cartoons on show might be the same ones as I showed at Greenbelt, depending upon the results of my forthcoming trip into the depths of the Church Times basement.

I do enjoy doing this sort of thing (small exhibitions / talks with diagrams). I could occasionally be persuaded to do a bit more. I should warn you though that my green room requirements are fairly demanding.

Posted by Dave at 9:51 am on September 15, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Essex Life, Going out to things.

1 Comment