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Of the Arrival of Bishop David, Reader day and a poser about Communion.... Chaplain’s blog Stardate 17- 05-2025I write this while watching the installation of Bishop David, and feeling rather glad it is being live steamed so that I can sit in my study in relative comfort and protect my dodgy hips and knees!Watching online has a few downsides, like getting distracted by writing a blog, interruptions by Mr Dog wanting attention or he possibility of the phone ringing on the other hand the different camera angles allow seeing much more of the wondrous goings-on!  The Anglican church really does do a wonderful ceremonial service on these occasions- the good folk of the cathedral staff will be exhausted afterwards!Of course, as Readers we got a privileged preview of Bishop David’s ministry last week in St Petroc’s in Bodmin for Reader Day when those of us listened to his views on Lay Ministry and took part in a question and answer session.  For those of you who missed it.. Reader Tim Symons said it was, “an interesting and encouraging day last Saturday. It was great to hear from such a range of speakers from such a wide variety of ministries, especially the bishop, and the refreshments were excellent too!” Which just about sums up the mood of the room I think!   Claire Salzmann- deserves a huge vote of thanks for all the work she put in to organising the event.But back to the cathedral…A full cathedral and 206 people online listened to  Bishop David’s first sermon in the Cathedral beginning with thanks to Bishop Hugh, our warden to Readers which received well deserved warm applause from the congregation. It looks like Truro, for the moment, has a wonderful team at the top! We will indeed pray for Bishop David, and indeed Bishop Hugh as they pray for us.My prayer is that as Readers we will be inspired, motivated and warmed by the fire of their faith.Readers and Communion…. Or one sort and another. In various conversations with Readers I have gleaned a variety of opinions and practices from across the diocese.Reader involvement in the Eucharist falls into three categoriesThe service of the word part of the communion service up to the ‘Peace’Taking communion to those who are unable to leave home or to groups in Care Homes.Communion by Extension.Personally I am reluctant to do communion by extensionI feel my ministry is distinctive to that of a priest and somehow communion by extension seems a second-class option.The diocesan rules; (links below) are clear and quite specific about wat must or must not be done.  https://trurodiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CbE-in-DoT-policy.pdf  https://trurodiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Training-liturgy.pdfGoing to a service early on a Sunday to collect the blessed sacraments and then going on to take a service of extension makes for a very long morning which, as I plough on into my 70s is more than I want to do.I was going to quote some bits of these two documents but instead I will put them at the bottom of this article as well as…

Chaplain’s Blog -4th April 2025 – Encouragement, challenge and support.  Spiritual Direction mattersWork agreements and Ministerial ReviewReaders Hanging up their scarves- or taking a breakSafeguarding in the News.... and in the Parishes.   I wonder how many Readers have a spiritual director...... and how many have filled in a form asking for one and not been successful?  Spiritual Direction / accompaniment is such an important part of ministry- to have someone walk beside you who can challenge, question and encourage. It makes a time when we can take stock and focus on our own spiritual lives in space apart from all our other ministerial duties.  If you still need a director and have not been able to find one, please do let me know and I will enquire. Work agreements, ministerial review and the three-year cycle of relicensing.  Here are the links on the Diocesan website for the documents you need: Application-for-Renewal-of-Reader-LLM-License.docx Reader-LLM-Annual-Ministry-Review-Process-summary.docx   Reader-LLM-Annual-Ministry-Review-template.docx Reader-LLM-Annual-Ministry-Review-Preparation-template.docx   Closely linked to direction is our opportunity for annual ministerial review, although most folk probably make a perfunctory stab at it once every three years before re-licensing. As I need to be relicensed in October and we have a new rector it was very helpful to meet with my Rector yesterday to reflect on my role in the parish, my work load, things to take on and things to give up and what fed me spiritually. If you are wondering what I might give up - it is safeguarding administration and the parish dashboard - hopefully someone with a more organised brain will take that on. I will still be co-ordinating and training however! One of the questions asks how often I will meet with my incumbent / ministry team to which I replied “at least weekly.”  The weekly ministry team meetings which were instituted by Caspar, our last Rector are incredibly useful and, in many ways, vital to building a team that can encourage and support. We usually begin with a check-in to ee how everyone is doing followed by looking at the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday. Business includes the rota, but also looks at projects, coming events, strategy, the needs of individuals and individual churches. Once a month we include the administrator who updates us on marriages and so on.   As I write it is still four days to the one year anniversary of the post stroke seizure that curtailed my driving for 12 months. Having filled in forms in February and submitted them, only to be sent another medical form 3  weeks ago which I returned by return of post- I still have not received an envelope with my new driving license from the DVLA. That curtails my activities somewhat! I leave you to imagine my frustration at having to reply on lifts!  I need to remind myself that I am lucky to be here and writing and walking 5 miles a day rather than moaning about the lack of motoring independence. It is too easy to get into a cycle of negativity….  We have a few readers who have hung up their scarves…

Chaplain’s Blog for Christian Unity   As I led Zoom morning prayer this morning which marked the first day of the week for Christian Unity I was rather struck by the 1 Corinthians 5 reading set by the lectionary for the day that called for Christians not to associate with the greedy, the idolaters, the sexually immoral, the drunkards or the robbers and to drive out the wicked. My first thought was that that requires a lot of judgement of just who those folk might be and how we might actually think about ourselves. How can we hope for Christian Unity if we can’t actually get on with our neighbours who might be struggling with addiction, poverty or some other difficult situation that labels them for being ‘driven out?’ As for the greedy, we look at the richest in society who have far more than they could ever need, who can afford day trips to space, huge yachts, vast mansions and own social media platforms that perpetrate their views or stir up the sort of unrest that keeps them in power… should we stop talking to them in the hope that they might actually turn to altruism and do some work for God? Perhaps building hospitals, battling the effects of climate change, researching cures for cancer… the list is endless! So Christian Unity. We have a simple common purpose I think…. I wonder what creed would have to be constructed to that could be agreed upon by all Christians? Now there is a challenge. Here are a few of my favourite illustrations…. I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off.  So I ran over and said "Stop, don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!" He said "Like what?" I said "Well...are you religious or atheist?" He said "Religious."  said "Me too! Are you Christian or Bhuddist?" He said "Christian." I said "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?" He said "Protestant." I said "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or baptist?" He said "Baptist!" I said "Wow! Me too! Are you baptist church of God or baptist church of the lord?"  He said "Baptist church of God!" I said "Me too! Are you original baptist church of God or reformed bapist church of God?" He said "Reformed baptist church of God!" I said "Me too! Are you reformed baptist church of God, reformation of 1879, or reformed baptist church of God, reformation of 1915?"  He said, "Reformed baptist church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said "Die heretic scum," and pushed him off. Emo Philips All Purpose Late 20th Century Creed – Simon Rae I believe in my beliefs. it's my belief that my beliefs Are truer far than your beliefs, And I believe that your beliefs Are threatening to my beliefs, So I'm defending my beliefs And all who hold the same beliefs Against your dangerous beliefs And who share your false beliefs Or what I think are your beliefs. And…

A New Year Blog for 2025On New Year’s Eve we drank tea and were in bed by 10:30 waking briefly for the nearby fireworks at midnight. Mr. Dog the collie was mildly interested but not enough to get out of bed and he soon went back to munching through his night-time biscuits.Facebook reminded me of a decade earlier when the family gathered and at midnight and after toasting the New Year with a wee dram of single malt, we sang Aul Lang syne and then set about the annual tradition of egg hurling. This involved those who could throw going out to the front of the house armed with a raw egg with their name written on it and taking it in turns to launch them over the house with the aim of getting them to land without breaking on the back lawn.We never had a year when at least one egg was successful but there were many casualties from wayward throwers who hit the front of the house, the car on the front drive, the pond (we found one in the pond late one summer….. still whole but very very soft and squidgy) and various stones or paths in the back garden. These eggs were not wated as the dogs charged around gleefully licking up the wounded eggs.Back another two decades and that gathered family as children acted as spotters racing from one side of the house, indoors, to the other to announce when an egg was coming over. In the back-garden, those who did not want to throw donned hard hats and carried torches scanning the night sky for the next missile.  Often new year was in fancy dress with a theme. The year of children’s literature saw Jasmine and Aladin accompanied by a very tall methodist lay preacher dressed in a tutu as Tinkerbell trying to reach any whole eggs before the dogs could get them.Another year the police stopped in a patrol car outside the house to see the strange gathering standing in the road, eggs in hand, dressed in kilts waiting to hear the news of the latest landing. It gave them a laugh in their long shift…. We offered an egg but they thought they had better not join in.I do not regret my early night this year, although I would love the throwing arm of my prime,  the memories of those past events are enough and that we could give people those joyful occasions playing silly games.  ( I will save tales of “Are you there Moriaty?” and “bottle Walking” for another occasion.As every year for the last four decades we had a house guest for a couple of weeks who has somewhat different tastes to us in watching TV so we avoid the uplifting Rom-com and try any find a compromise. This proved to be Jumanji, University Challenge and The Big Bang Theory.  If you have not come across the latter on Netflix, there are countless clips on YouTube so I won’t…

Dear One and AllFirst, a bit of context for part 2 of this blog- there may well be a part 3!Why did the subject come up and why would I, as chaplain, write about it?I trained as a Reader back in 1986, beginning a two-year (ish) course with a designated local tutor and with lectures and courses in Truro occasionally with such folk as the wonderful Canon Peter Boyd. I was in my late 30s, a deputy head in a primary school and with two young children.  I was able, thankfully to do the work in chunks, not doing any of the work  at really busy times at school but ticking off the study and essays in holiday times.  My last blog questioned really whether it would have been possible for me to complete Reader training with the requirements of the course today and that, along with many conversations with experienced Readers was the premise.  I meant no criticism of the current course; it does a wonderful job for those who attend it who have the time, stamina and motivation to complete it. There are some inspirational tutors who go out of their way to support students with all sorts of issues from dyslexia to periods of bereavement. But still the question remains, is it a course better suited for those nearing retirement, or those who are not in full time paid employment?  As a journal tutor for a number of years, contributor to the post licensing days and chaplain to the training course before that, I am in a position to hear about how readers feel from all sides and I have pondered these problems for the past decade.When I meet with Readers, as I often do, at events, in telephone conversations and the Zoom Monday morning chats it is often commented that Reader numbers are decreasing, the numbers being licensed are decreasing and more and more readers are moving across to the path of ordination, feeling called to plug the gaps left by decreasing clergy numbers and reorganisation within the deaneries.So………  I still think it fair to ask whether we are a dying breed.I am Reader and licensed Lay Ministry is what I do, teaching, preaching and encouraging every-day faith and I do think we need a solid grounding academically to do that job. However, Readers in our patch have a wide range of training experiences, many of which are certainly not as rigorous as the current model- which is not a criticism of the current model, merely an observation.Anthony White contributed the following reflection which I think is a helpful addition to the debate.Chaplains Blog  Re: Are Readers a Dying Breed?Your thoughts about Reader training certainly got me thinking, particularly as a newly-licensed Reader.  So, after some reflection, here are my thoughts and musings……In terms of context, I am a father of two teenage boys. I also worked full-time whilst studying with SWMTC.  I found the course demanding and challenging; yet also vibrant, exciting and fulfilling. And…

Are Readers a Dying Breed? Some thoughts to get you thinking and discussing! Do let me know what YOU think and I will post the responses.  At the annual Reader service, now renamed ‘A celebration of Licensed Lay Ministries’ so that it reflects the inclusion of pioneers, I had several conversations with Readers reflecting on the number present and the demographic.  One was surprised when I told him that there were only just over a hundred readers in the diocese if we included those in training. ((Link to the Diocesan Website report and pictures of the Annual service 2024  Recognition for Licensed Lay Ministers - Truro Diocese : Truro Diocese )) https://trurodiocese.org.uk/2024/10/recognition-for-licensed-lay-ministers/  So what is the future for readers or licenced lay ministers are we a dying breed? Are we the dinosaurs of the church? With ageing congregations there are fewer folk to train of any age let alone those in the first half of life. Worship leader courses enable people to take services and give talks. (The latter often being very close to a sermon!) The training model, in order to comply with C of E church assessors must beat the criteria of a common awards which is why it formed an alliance with the SWMTC. The knock-on has been an Exeter-centric approach and a very long heavy training burden which, have seen a not-insignificant dropout rate. I was 36 when I began training as a reader; I was a deputy head teacher and father of two young children. There was no way on earth I could have trained on the current course given that burden, so I do wonder whether current training is fit for purpose. If we are to call ourselves readers and licenced lay ministers, those who teach, preach and encourage everyday faith do we really need a common award certificate or would a slimmer local course with a Bishop’s certificate of some sort suffice? When I first got involved in reader training as chaplain to readers and part of the discernment team, the course was with Saint Johns. It was held locally, staffed by excellent teachers from around the diocese, was collegiate and built up a very special team of people. Interspersed with the teaching were Saturdays of practical work which seemed to make sense of all the theology that they learned along the way. Following inspection by the national Ministry however the Saint Johns course materials were thought of as being not strong enough and so things had to change even though the assessors agreed that the local teaching was of a very high standard. The current course involves seven weekends in Plymouth, reflective practice groups online or in person in Truro and also requires a huge commitment to placement. For anybody working over the young family this burden goes beyond sacrifice and put such stress on people that I do wonder its efficacy. My father once gave me a quotation which he attributed to Walter Lipmann but I can't find anywhere but I…

I seem to tick off the days and weeks in pills of one sort or another these days alongside taking regular blood pressure checks- or just waking up each morning with the exciting prospect of discovering if a new bit is hurting. In the midst of all that medical stuff I know I am far from alone in our world of Reader ministry.. we, as a group are getting older and fewer!  (On a divergent note: does anyone have any experience of, or advice for reapplying for a driving license following a stroke? It is amazing how frustrating it is not to be able to jump in the car and pop out to see people or go on a course etc without finding someone to drop what they are doing and drive me!)  The words of Donovan spring to mind from the score of the rather dated film about St Francis by Franco Zeffereli..... "Do few things but do them well, take your time go slowly!"  here is a link to the clip  from the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auoIdVPiqXUWe Readers 0r Licensed Lay Ministers are described as community theologians, preaching, teaching and encouraging everyday faith.  The current course is quite a commitment involving seven weekend courses in Plymouth reflective practice groups in Turro, the expectation of doing the foundations (FICM) course first and of course the post licensing year when there is a god deal of practical work using microphones, hints of preaching, funeral ministry etc etc  (I am grateful to Jane Darlington who has covered the chaplaincy side of the latter this year) A number of Readers have posed questions in discussion and conversation and I add the main issues here for your thoughts rather than try to give any answer which is something well beyond my ((no)) pay grade.Worship Learders have a six week course and although not supposed to preach they can give talks or read reflections- why would anyone need to do reader training?Do Worship Leaders do enough training in half a dozen sessions?Who monitors what Lay ministers (of all sorts) actually do and who calls them to account especially when there are lengthy periods of transition when there is no incumbent? with congregations getting smaller and those in the pews getting older where are we to find younger Licensed Lay Ministers especially if they have young families for example and cannot commit to weekends?Try the Monday Morning Zoom or send in your solutions...... :)  

What an interesting last few weeks! After my time out following my stays in the stroke ward at Treliske Hospital I am now back story telling in a local primary school, church duties and supporting the training of the safeguarding leadership course.  I have included the links to a couple of short videos about how the leader of the Anglican Soul Survivor Church used psychological and spiritual bullying to abuse those in his church who were volunteering to work there. They are well worth watching and give a real insight into just how abiuse need not be sexual or physical and what to look out for. As readers we are in positions of influence and I think of myself in my church role as I did as deputy headteacher - a critical friend to the head in school and the Rector in church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVZkgdt32u8&t=32s "Soul Survivor" - Spiritual / psychological abuse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFLsUceG054 Last weekend I attended the ordination service which was a delight especially as one of those being ordained had come back to faith at one of our parish churches in Redruth.  It is worrying that there are less people being ordained than there are priests who are retiring which makes the paid staffing of Parishes very tricky in some places. My prayers are very much with those who have been testing their vocations for ordained ministry recently  and for those places who are in transition hoping that they will be able to appoint someone suitable. In the meantime Sens Kernewek, local Worship leader Training and Reader Training are all very worthy initiatives attempting to plug the gaps.  In Redruth we use the Service of Holy Communion by Extension very rarely and have relied upon changing the service patterns and on the  hard work of our retired clergy and the curate. Personally, I would be happier with more services that were not communion based (and have to rely upon an ordained service leader) but I completely understand how hard it is for some people to change their preference.  I do not really like doing HCBE and would much rather use the opportunity to be more creative while I still have the motivation and the energy!  A Cartoon found on Facebook. The General ElectionThe last piece on this blog takes me back to the beginning of it with a focus on safeguarding and bullying.  I have never been short of expressing an opinion, hopefully in a fun and gentle way but I was a bit shocked at the strength of verbal attack from someone on Facebook when I posted a cartoon making a dig at the Reform Party's Nigel Farage.  The comments section beneath the post quickly became a battle ground with different people joining in and the Reform supporters using phrases describing migrants as "human detritus."  It just shows what sort of feelings lie just below the surface.  I shall be around from 10 on Zoom on Monday of anyone would like to contribute to any of the issues above! https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86332023762?pwd=dDNlU240UWpiRzlCWE0zL2pTcXdmdz09

Having been asked the question, "how are you?" countless times since my stroke late on the 26th March and my return to the Phoenix stroke ward a fortnight later, I have gone from "I'm ok" to "oh very well thank you, miraculous really!"  At the same time metaphorically touching wood, crossing my fingers and actually offering up prayers of thanksgiving! I am back to attending meetings, training sessions and leading ZOOM services and I am back on the rota to preach from next week. So thank you very much to all who prayed, send cards and messages or asked after me... I am very grateful. I have been very very lucky..... I hesitate to use the word 'blessed' because it implies that friends who have been desperately unlucky with their health have not been blessed and I don't believe that God picks and chooses and nor do I believe that everything 'happens for a reason'. Should anyone want debate that, join us on Zoom ay 10am on a Monday morning :) My specsavers scans showed no deterioration and I await the results of my MRI scan with interest, and being able to re-apply for my driving license late in the Autumn but until then I am enjoing the novelty of my bus pass and wring out how to get to Epiphany Huse for various things.I am looing forward to CMD training in September which I advertise here, not just because you might be interested too but in the hope of cadging a lift :) : SIX HOURS WITH TWELVE PROPHETSThursday 19 September, 9.30am-3.30pm, Epiphany House, TruroLed by Revd Howard PeskettAt the end of the (English) Old Testament are twelve prophetic books, commonly called “The Minor Prophets”, mainly because they are shorter in length than the “major” prophets. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is 272 words and lasted two minutes; but it is doubtful whether many people remember a word from Edward Everett’s two-hour speech which preceded it. In this workshop/retreat we will “helicopter” over these twelve books (were they ever intended as one book?), observing their main themes and reflecting on their relevance for our lives and work today. Rev Howard Peskett was Senior Hebrew Scholar of Cambridge University. He is a Cornish Bard and the Coordinator of the Cornish Bible Project. He has been a teacher in Singapore, Bristol and Rural Dean in Penwith. He has spent a lifetime encouraging believers that they can discover for themselves the meaning and wonder of the Bible as they seek to love and follow Christ.BOOK HEREYou can download the whole CMD programme  for 2024 here 2024-CMD-Programme.pdf  Last week I attended the session with Rev Mark James on AI in the church which was informative, fascinating and worth investigating as well as a great conversation piece.  This is worth a whole blog piece on its own but I would like some more study and conversation first!  

Chaplain’s Blog Stardate May 2024 The last six weeks has been an interesting journey (to put it mildly) beginning with a haemorrhagic stroke in the last week of March and the first of two short stays in phoenix Ward in Treliske Hospital.  The second stay was a little over a week later with a mild seizure apparently caused by the stroke!  The result was an interesting array of pills, a number of scans and tests, a sheaf of paperwork from the DVLA and instructions about surrendering my driving license and how I can re-apply in six months time. On Monday 13th I have to report for an MRI scan which means I will not be hosting Readers in conversation on ZOOM and some time after that a chat with the consultant. In that time praying has been tricky and I have felt carried by the prayer of many others for which I am very grateful. My recovery has been relatively quick as these things go and I am back leading our house group, Morning Prayer on Zoom and seeing various folk for things like spiritual direction….. I am also back to clocking up ten thousand steps a day with the dog although I am a bit slower than before and have to stop every now and then to do some physio!  The prayer time gets longer by the day, as does the desire to be more active and the frustration of discovering that the energy required to do things, including writing things like a blog, is limited! Now I am not a person who thinks that ‘everything happens for a reason’ – rather, I am a person who believes in the philosophy of “stuff or s**t just happens.”  God does not want me to have a stroke- and I could probably have insisted that the doctor should have upped my blood pressure medication. What I do hold onto is that trough the tricky things we face God helps us through. That help might well teach us a lesson or two, it might give us an encouraging healing (as it has for me thus far), but for others it might not! I went for my last MRI scan several years ago – going in worried and very nervous and leaving at the end of 40 minutes of counting clicking magnets calm and spiritually refreshed- I hope the scan next week will go as smoothly! In the meantime, although restricted to lifts and public transport, I am pretty much back to normal and looking forward to being able to contribute more as the weeks go on. In my prayers are the patients and staff on Phoenix ward and the wonderful paramedics I met over the last month. It is ironic that I have been writing "visit the carwash!" on nearly every to-do list through february and March, the car getting ever green with moss and road dirt only to have to wash the beast by hand in the driveway yesterday because I…

Reader RecruitmentDiscernment of vocation is important all year round but it is high on the list of priorities at this time of year with deadlines looming for applications and tutors wondering if courses will be running.More about Sens Kernewek further down the page!FICM Foundations in Christian Ministry  is the starting point for many types of ministry and a great place at which to point people who are exploring, or should be exploring the possibilities of Reader ministry, ordained ministry, Pioneers, parish nurses, worship leaders and so on. The link is the title in this paragraph will take you to starting pointsAs Readers/ Licensed Lay ministers we are well placed to spot those folk in our churches who might need some encouragement to take another step! People often need encouragement  and someone saying, “have you thought about…… “ and “you know you have a real talent for that have you thought about…….” Gives them the nudge that sends on the next stage of their faith journey.The Parish of Redruth has a new rector. In Redruth, now five churches, six settings and one parish, we have a new Rector, Rev’d Becca Bell and we await her arrival with enthusiasm. I await the arrival with a sense of relied that I don’t have to collate any more parish profiles, consult any more committees of position and border any more photographs!!  The licensing is not until September so in the meantime the Ministry team is  working hard and not only keeping the show on the road but also making sure that our new priest will have some space to discern the skills and qualities in her team and to get to know the congregations and spot talent that is as yet hidden! Across the diocese we have many long serving Readers / LLMs who have seen many incumbents come and go.... what three pieces of advice would you give to a new incumbent? Sens KernewekPart of the preparation for the new incumbent is for our two readers (Jason and me) to enrol on the Sens Kernewek course with the aim of providing greater flexibility and capacity should it be required.  Having said that, my main motive for doing the course was so that I could talk about and answer questions about it!For the official information and application form click here: Sens Kernewek Archives - Truro Diocese : Truro Diocesee:Last Monday evening was the last session of what has been an uplifting course with an eclectic group of people that somewhat miraculously managed to please everyone and send them away looking forward to the reflective practice groups.When Sens Kernewek was first recruiting I was reluctant to take part thinking that as  Reader, and an experienced one at that, that I would learn little and that it was not for me because I had no intentions of leading a particular church. Our Parish is not set up that way! Over time, however, I have spoken to people who have been in the other cohorts who were invariably positive…

Chaplains blog Stardate 02-03-24Incumbents come and go like the tide but us Readers / Licensed Lay Ministers remain on the shore.I got that far with the metaphor but after that my thoughts went a little astray as always... but I wonder if some readers are like King Cnut/Canute attempting helplessness to hold back the tide. Others might be wandering the tide line picking up flotsam and jetsam deciding what might be useful and what needs to be put away in a black sack for the refuse collection.Others might have their feet up in their deck chairs, a drink in their hand or cradling their thermos of tea watching the incoming tide from a safe distance. Then there will be the ones who push the paddle board out onto the waters ready to drag casualties from the waves of change.Can you think of some others?The transition period between incumbents is always a cross between limbo land and the relentless string of extra things to do and as I have become more experienced in parish life, the tasks get more rather than less.  Although making sure every member of our six worship settings (five Anglican churches and a Methodist church) had the opportunity to, not only voice their opinions, but also to make sure their opinions were represented in anything published proved a large but largely satisfying and worthwhile task.  Thankfully that task is over for now as we wait out the period before the next leader is announced!Does anyone else remember the I-Spy books which encouraged children to spot and collect sightings of anything from Aircraft to ZOOs. For the adult range, I have often thought that the I-Spy book of NHS medical equipment I have experienced might be ‘fun,’ from the aerosol nose spray to the x-ray machine… now I am wondering about the I-spy book of Priests- which are becoming an increasingly rare breed.  I am not sure that categorisation would be simple apart from the obvious, curate, deacon, vicar, padre, archdeacon, rural dean and so on but even those are a confused jumble. Then  you might think of evangelical, charismatic, liberal Anglo-Catholic, Catholic….  Er...... traditional, experimental, heretical…… it must be totally confusing to non-church folk!My first Rector of Redruth back in the late 1970s was Canon Harold Hosking who was formally Anglo-Catholic and for whom a nave altar would have been sacrilegious and the thought of anyone reading the Gospel other than the priest would have been equally problematic. It says much when my five-year-old daughter had to stop being boat-girl because that was the upper limit for her gender to be in the sanctuary. Girls had to leave the choir at the age of 14 back then- I am not even going to speculate or say something funny about the reasons.Following Canon Harold’s retirement, the next rector was Fr Graeme Elmore who arrived from Newlyn in 1984 and was altogether different  in his approach but Anglo-Catholic with an evangelical flavour!  He encouraged the house group we had…