Friday 18 April 2008

Annual exhaustion

Well, after tonight, that will be 7 Annual Meetings down and 5 more to go. I haven't yet broken last year's record of 11.5 minutes for the Annual Meeting of Parishioners AND the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, but that occasion was rather exceptional. At least I've tried to cut down on the report reading this year, with three reports printed out and just being distributed. It's very different out here in the rural wilds where the only people who attend are the PCC anyway. That certainly cuts down discussion as everything has already been debated and decided upon in the normal regular PCC meeetings.

Onward .... folders in hand ....

4 comments:

  1. I do feel for you.

    Have you thought of powerpoint?

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  2. Powerpoint or any sort of presentation is a non-starter. Most of the AGM's are held in the church building, and there's no way anything can be projected there. We're not into screens showing words of hymns and choruses. A couple of the meetings are in private homes, but then, with only 7 or so people attending, it's really not worth it.

    No, instead I try and make the event go like a well-oiled machine, with all the preparation done beforehand. Unfortunately, not everything works as it should, and we have pauses whilst forms are found and completed, or the person supposed to be making the report sits there blankly, even though it is clearly indicated on the Agenda that it's their responsibility.

    That's the beauty of rural parishes with small numbers. It can all be quite informal and relaxed.

    It would just be nice to have an evening at home ....

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  3. SR, I don't know how you do this. Do you ever lose track of which church meeting you're attending?

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  4. I don't lose track of the meetings, but twice in 7 years here I've turned up at the wrong church for the Sunday morning service, and wondered why there weren't any cars parked outside. Thankfully the place I was supposed to be wasn't that far away, and I made it in time!

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