Ministry.

I was up in the dark again to get to church to do the eight o'clock communion.
It was a select little group.
The BCP service is the one I remember from my youth and sometimes I hear the stentorian tones of Bill Vanstone speaking the familiar words with me as I go.
He would I know be astonished if not actually dismayed to find me presiding over this service. Towards the end of his life he had acknowledged that their were some things that women could do if not better then as well as a man.
When I told him that the person conducting the funeral service of my husband was female he was clearly disconcerted but then went on to say that she would have been a great comfort to another woman recently bereaved.
He had just about accepted that women were probably better at the nurturing side of ministry than males..
When I started out after ordination there was a solid group of men refusing to take communion from women here, who used to travel between the churches on occasion.
We are now down to one man...who I'm actually quite fond of...
The one church which has held out against accepting female priests has recently signified that they are ready to give it a try.....
Our lovely young new curate has never experienced any of this strange prejudice and hopefully never will.....the times they are a changing.
Alleluia!




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