In my previous life - before I was ordained – I worked in a number of different jobs in the civil service. All of the job descriptions for those positions had a final entry of “other related duties.” I have always enjoyed how this is applied to being a priest in parish life.
Last Sunday, I found myself in a role which I had not contemplated when I was studying theology. Lorna and I spend our summers at our cottage in Prince Edward Island – the Island province of Canada. While here, we are part of the small (tiny actually) congregation of St. Alban the Martyr in Souris. I volunteer by presiding at Sunday worship most Sundays. One of the traditions in this part of the Anglican world is a fundraiser called the Bakery Bingo. In my experience as a parish priest, I have been involved in many different activities including bazaars, which can on occasion be a bit bizarre – depending on the local custom.
The bakery bingo is an entirely different kettle of fish – or I could say lobsters given P.E.I. fame for seafood. Now I have attended a few of these during our times at the cottage held by different groups for fundraisers, but I have never been at one in a semi-official capacity. The premise of the bakery bingo is that volunteers donate baked goods of all sorts which are then used as prizes for the winners of each bingo game. Now, I have never been much of a fan of bingo, and it may be on a bit of shaky ground theologically as it could be considered a mild form of gambling which is frowned upon by some in religious circles – but is acceptable in many others.
In the case of the St. Alban’s bakery bingo, it is very much a community activity and even an ecumenical one, as the majority of the baked goods are donated by the ladies of the community, many of whom are members of the Roman Catholic Church.
In any case, I found myself immersed in the event. I was involved in the set up and take down of the tables and chairs – not unusual for clergy in events of a small congregation. I was also involved in distribution of the bakery prizes to the winners working with Lorna – we make a very good team in these circumstances as we do in others. I was reintroduced to the intricacies of bingo not realizing that there were many different kinds of games determined by the pattern of the numbers called on a bingo card. In any case, there were many winners including a few multiple winners who needed help carrying away their winnings. All in all, it was a very successful event, and a good time was had by all the participants and volunteers. In addition, a nice amount of money was raised to help our little congregation carry on. And oh yes, I also found time for quiet contemplation i.e. resting my eyes during the occasion.
May all your ‘other related duties’ be blessed on your journey.