Another milestone

Today in the Parish of St Mary Magdalene in Clitheroe, an announcement was made which referred to me.

I was named as the new curate of the parish, who will be taking up his post after ordination as a Deacon at the end of June next year (all being well).

Of course, this wasn't a surprise for me. We've been moving towards today's announcement for some time, and just had to wait for certain formalities before announcements could be made.

The church building (pictured above) is the Parish Church for the town (pictured below as seen from the slopes of Pendle (see the picture at the bottom for a view of Pendle from a neighbouring church)). Rather than tell you what I think about it (from a relatively short visit), you should probably take a look at the website I've linked in the first paragraph.

Both DrLanky and I are very happy about the news. Clitheroe is a lovely town, and the parish seems like a perfect fit for us. The Priest in charge of the parish is a former student of Westcott House, and we seem to get on very well. The only slightly troublesome thing is that he and I share Christian names, as do our wives! I suspect there will be a degree of confusion in PCC minutes, magazines, newspapers etc... All good fun!

One thing we don't know about yet concerns housing. As the parish has not had a curate in the last couple of years, there is no house for us yet. The Diocese plans to buy something for us, and we'll have to wait and see what they suggest. At least this way we know that a house will be bought with our needs in mind.

Today feels like a significant step to me. Of course coming away to theological college was a fairly significant step on a personal level, but until today I've been fairly anonymous. Today marks a significant milestone in my life and vocation as what our Principal would call a 'public Christian' - someone who represents Christ and the Church. Of course, that journey will have more significant steps to come (not least ordination), but today still feels significant. In a small market town in Lancashire, a number of people now know that we'll be there in the summer. I hope they're excited; I am.

Why are finance forms always the same?

My current job is in a context where finance forms abound. I'm well used to the various formats and the different ways of thinking about money, and I'm accustomed to the tendency to use shorthand phrases and acronyms which mean nothing to most of the population. It shouldn't surprise me, therefore, that I have a number of questions to ask the DDO about how one is meant to fill in the 'family budget for ordinands' form which is due this Friday. Having not been an ordinand before, this is all new to me! I'm also not familiar with the various benefits and tax credits for which we may be eligible. One of the problems is that if I apply for any benefits or credits now, the assessment would be based on my current salary, and not my impending student status. If I don't get actual figures based on an actual application, I can't really put anything on the form.

My job for this evening is to do a bit more internet research. After that, if I still have questions, I'll give the DDO a call. I'm sure this could be simpler!
91 days

Thinking about September

As some of you will know, the Lanky tribe will be moving south (and East) in the autumn for a major change in our lives. I've accepted a place at Westcott House (Cambridge) to train for the priesthood, and we'll be moving down there in September.

I've spent some time this week lining up a meeting with our potential landlord, and it occurred to me the other day that we will have to give notice on our current house this month! That means we have to start deciding moving dates and end dates for my current work. It really is starting to become very real! 

At the same time, though, both MrsLanky and I are excited by the opportunity to start something new when many of our peers are settling down. We're daunted by the move away from our home of 10 years (we're going to miss Lancaster), but also energised by the leap of faith we have chosen to make. We have no real idea where we'll be in 5 or 10 years time, and it feels great!

My key reservations about Cambridge are as follows:

• No hills in Cambridge - mountain biking a bit dull
• Lake District very far away
• I will be a proper offcomer (northern terminology) for the first time in my life (MrsLanky knows all about this, being a Southerner in the north)
• Less rain than the Northwest of England; possible withdrawal symptoms from the damp
• Distance from my family (again, MrsLanky knows all about this one)
• Probable unavailability of 'Lancaster Blonde' in Cambridge pubs

If you can think of any more, please add them to the comments...