Elsewhere David has written about the weirdness of being a Returner at Ridley and watching many friends leaving as they graduate to ordination and learning how to be a curate. It is indeed, as he writes, why we are at Ridley in the first place – except I wasn’t, as for four terms I was an independent student paying my way, like most students would like to instead of racking up debts. Being freed up and resourced by redundancy enabled me to do whatever I wanted for a few years. And I ended up choosing to study theology in a theological college surrounded by ordinands and priests…adamant that God was not calling me along the path to ordination. Well, yes…
I was thrown on reflecting how I have got to where I am now – to be Revd’ed in a few days – when, by a series of coincidences, I met someone I haven’t seen for about 3 years. Ushered into a room and the door shut, the ‘How are things?’ conversation quickly changed into ‘How did you get to this stage?’ to me. You get quite used to giving your testimony as an ordinand – provides handy sermon illustrations if nothing else – so off I went. But by return came back the surprising statement ‘I am a Christian now.’ My history was described as ‘more dramatic than many’ by the Bishops’ Advisory Panel (why, oh why, choose a title with the acronym BAP?) but the story I was told was truly the work of God. And I indentified with the puzzlement and ‘How have I got here? What is going on? What do I do now my life has been turned upside down but makes so much sense?’ And the ‘I’m going to be put in the Loony category now…’ fear.
At college you are protected to some extent from the Loony label as you are all Loonies together and being Loony is normal. Several Ridley ordinands have commented that a problem with being at a theological college is that you spend nearly all of your time with Christians (and Muslims this past year), all Loonies. In less than a week I will be back in ‘normal’ society but firmly labelled as a Loony by my profession and dress. It helps that during the time at Ridley I still did ‘secular’ things that I had done before and my circle includes many non-Christians – some of whom are coming to the ordination. Moving to the Fens means that I have to find new groups to join – if I have the time. But one thing that I value about the Church of England is precisely that it is the Church of England. The cure of all souls in our parishes is given to me (jointly, of course) whether they are fellow Loonies or not. If I spend all my time with Loonies like me then I will not doing what I will be ordained to do. Quite how I get the balance right and manage to be be a Loony in a really loony world will be interesting to work out…
Please pray for my friend if you are a Loony, and if you are not, well, you can still pray…
I was thrown on reflecting how I have got to where I am now – to be Revd’ed in a few days – when, by a series of coincidences, I met someone I haven’t seen for about 3 years. Ushered into a room and the door shut, the ‘How are things?’ conversation quickly changed into ‘How did you get to this stage?’ to me. You get quite used to giving your testimony as an ordinand – provides handy sermon illustrations if nothing else – so off I went. But by return came back the surprising statement ‘I am a Christian now.’ My history was described as ‘more dramatic than many’ by the Bishops’ Advisory Panel (why, oh why, choose a title with the acronym BAP?) but the story I was told was truly the work of God. And I indentified with the puzzlement and ‘How have I got here? What is going on? What do I do now my life has been turned upside down but makes so much sense?’ And the ‘I’m going to be put in the Loony category now…’ fear.
At college you are protected to some extent from the Loony label as you are all Loonies together and being Loony is normal. Several Ridley ordinands have commented that a problem with being at a theological college is that you spend nearly all of your time with Christians (and Muslims this past year), all Loonies. In less than a week I will be back in ‘normal’ society but firmly labelled as a Loony by my profession and dress. It helps that during the time at Ridley I still did ‘secular’ things that I had done before and my circle includes many non-Christians – some of whom are coming to the ordination. Moving to the Fens means that I have to find new groups to join – if I have the time. But one thing that I value about the Church of England is precisely that it is the Church of England. The cure of all souls in our parishes is given to me (jointly, of course) whether they are fellow Loonies or not. If I spend all my time with Loonies like me then I will not doing what I will be ordained to do. Quite how I get the balance right and manage to be be a Loony in a really loony world will be interesting to work out…
Please pray for my friend if you are a Loony, and if you are not, well, you can still pray…
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