Category Archives: faith

A Day in the life of a Vicar….

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Since my sabbatical in 2015 I have tried to live a work differently. Two full days off a week and a starting point of forty hours a week. One of the days off is creativity focused and the other just resting. I find this kind of pace means that I can be fully engaged in both my family life and working life. But I still often get asked, “so what do you vicars do during the week”. So I thought I would give a snapshot of what has be a busy day.
5.45am I get woken up by our barking chocolate lab who has decide she wants a to go out. In my experience she should not be ignored other wise the consequences can be messy. I watch her in the garden and stare at the coffee machine. Expresso wins and so to work on the summer rota – yes I am a bit behind as it is July.

7.30am Rota finished and emailed to the 25 people who will be helping to make Sunday’s happen over the summer. Few more emails sent to try and start the the day as clear as possible. Updated a new webpage that a number of the team are working on.

7.45am Made tea for Meg and woke up the kids up late. Usual family prep for the day, all hands on deck.

8.15am Bit of work on family accounts as trying to be better with budgeting.

8.30am Running shoes on. We leave the house a bit late with one 10 year old on scooter and two dogs. School drop. 6.5 miles later and very tired dogs, my run it complete. Prayed for for a few other churches and leaders on the way (Ian – Rivera Life, John St Matthias) as well as stopping to talk to a couple of people from church on the way round.

9.30 Finish getting ready for the day and called a company to chase delivery of new church doors.

10am Time with two leaders at St Mags, looking at an outreach project and a way to review another key part of church life – small groups. Important leadership lessons on the way.

11.30 (35 as I was late) Coffee in Neros with another key leader for supervision and coaching. Asked at iPhone repair shop if they could fix sons phone that was run over by a car yesterday.

12.45pm Back to church to fix my dyslexic error on the poster for Sunday. Tried to find old keys for two doors at church – nope, they are lost.

1.30pm Grabbed lunch and ensured backup happened on computer that is starting to run slow.

2pm Funeral visit. What a privilege to hear the story of a couple who found love again in later life. These are sacred moments. Stayed an extra half hour as it was so precious.

3.45pm To town to get iPhone fixed. On the way stop to chat to a friend of St Mags about the painful stuff of life. Spent five mins with a guy that is high and scared. Talked to a girl in her early twenties who has recently come to faith and is struggling to make drug free friends. Chatted in passing to one of the guys who was baptised last year and is busking. Back to phone…. First shop unhelpful, second sorted. Coffee and planning at Costa while they get it fixed. Pinging church administrator on Trello (who should not be responding to messages as she is not working this afternoon) re current projects, funeral, wedding and new church bank account. Also exchanging so texts and returning some calls from people growing in faith. Bumped into Meg and the kids. Back past church, someone is asleep round the side. Try to wake him up, he is off his face with his big dog on guard. He wakes eventually and we have a good chat. I leave him there as he is alive and does not seem to been in danger or a danger to others. Sleep is prob the best option.

5pm Delivered fixed phone to son – he was sort of grateful (joy of being Dad)

5.25pm Few more texts and asked one of the Mags team to take the lead tomorrow night.

5.30pm Drove to Exeter for a meeting on a difficult subject but in very good company. Amazingly I am ten mins early. Just about managed to behave with three Bishops and an Archdeacon in the room. Good food and then heavy focused conversation. Finish at 8.45, very drained but it was healthy and life giving.

9.30 Back in Torquay, few texts and emails. Called Mum and Dad to check they are alright – they are carrying so big stuff very graciously.

10pm Sofa and decide to write day in life of a Vicar – Gin and Tonic.

Marathon Double, Brighton and London 2016

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At some point in the past this seemed like a good idea. But now I have to move from idea to reality. Bags are packed. Training done. Just got to complete 26.2 miles… twice in 8 days! But how did I get here?

This will be my fourth and fifth marathons (2008/12/15). I had entered the ballot for the London Marathon 2016 but did not get in. Disappointed but still determined to run in 2016 I secured a place in the Brighton Marathon. A few weeks later I got the offer of running for Exeter Cathedral in the London Marathon. A choice needed to be made, which one to do? Then I had this idea. What if I did both. Brighton for The Living Room, the community Cafe that is run by St Mags (the Church I lead). London for Exeter Cathedral, the city that I grew up in the Mother Church for Devon. Double Marathon for churches old and new. So I said yes to both.

Each person runs for different reason, for me it is often a way to process anger prayerfully. This is why I run. 

The charities I am running for are very close to my heart.

The Living Room is five years old this month. We give coffee, cake and bacon baps to anyone who needs it for no charge. We welcome in people from every walk of life and are seeing many people find faith and turn their lives around. It is also run by St Mags the church that I lead in Torquay.  

 

The Living Room Chistmas dinner in a bap, 



The Cathedral is the mother church for the place a work – Church of England in Devon. I grew up around this place, spend   far to many evenings the worst for wears on the green. But I was always engaging with conversations of faith and the presence of such a great building inspired me. It is over 900 years old and in need of a bit of TLC. The community is also deeply engage in caring for people the town centre and my Mum and Dad are also not part of this lively Christian community. 

 

Me at the Cathedral with Dad on the day he became a Cathedral Canon

You can support me in the following ways:

1. Like this post (or comment) this will encourage me loads (yes this is an occasion to be that shallow)

2. Donate to one of the causes below (you are a hero!)

3. Donate to both of the causes below (you are a super hero and you have my permission to make a special costume and wear it in public just because you can!)

Marathon one: Brighton 17th of April for The Living Room, the community cafe that is run in my church. We have 80-100 people in each day we open, give away the coffee and bacon baps and make no charge… https://my.give.net/thelivingroommarathon

Marathon two: London 24th April for Exeter Cathedral. It has been open for over 900 years and with your help it will be there in another 900… http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=mark-searle-551d055939dbd2-84598541&pageUrl=3

Thanks Loads, Mark

  

Goodness at Tesco’s

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Standing in the queue at Tesco’s late one night.

Normal routine, self check out or real person at the till? I was tired to the point of hardly being able to stand, seriously, I had almost fallen over twice that day, so opt for the real person.

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We have meet many times before, he is a friendly bloke with a good sense of humour. We don’t know each others names, sure he could look at my card and I at his badge but it has not happened. The anonymity is part of what makes this passing relationship work.

All scanned and go to get my wallet out to pay. There is nothing there.

Normal set of questions, have I been robbed, did I drop it by the car, did I just leave it at home. Self doubt is right there. “I was sure I left the house with it. I checked!”

Seeing what had happened, the funny bloke from Tesco’s then says,

“don’t worry, you’re a local aren’t you? I’ll pay and you bring the money in the morning”.

Before I know it he has his card in the machine.

We must have meet 50 or 100 times, but we don’t know each other and here he is about to pay for my shopping. There is a goodness in people that is truly God inspired.

Whatever systems are in place to make us fit a clinical and cold system of being profitable for others, sometimes, somehow the prophetic voice of God comes through all that and goodness is revealed,even at Tecso’s.