Would you like to know what it's like being a clergy in a multi-church set-up? Wondering if village life with 4 or more buildings is right for you?
Then why not play the Game of Church Keys? For one to any number of clergy. Although some of the other players may be part-time, or retired, so only play when they're available, or when they want to. So it may take some time.
Rules:
Roll a 6 to leave the Rectory. Thereafter, take it in turns to roll the dice.
To keep all the congregations happy, you must visit all four churches at least once, but also an equal number of times. Which means if you get back to the Rectory, and you've been to, say St Pega's twice but St Gertrude's only once - you're going to have to go round again. And if you then land on St Pega's again... well, you know you've got to go all round again.
And again.
And again.
Visits only count if you actually land on the church space. "Just showing your face" is not good enough.
Game ends when you achieve the winning position as above, or when you decide to go back into teaching / retire / run off with the collection.
A couple of points:
ReplyDeleteClergy need deep pockets to have four or fives sets of keys on the go, particularly if the churches have ancient locks with keys 8 inches in size.
Having to get keys cut when you receive a curate is extremely expensive.
Ditto when a set of keys are lost by careless church wardens or Clergy.
If you have a board in the vicarage to hang keys, ensure that the keys are in the right order, nothing worse arriving at a church and find you have the wrong keys and the Church Wardens are at work or on holiday.
Running out of the Vicarage and grabbing the wrong set of keys has consequences, when it is a five mile drive back to get the right ones, five minutes before a service is due to start.
Never, never trust a set or sets of keys to your Lay Reader, Associate Vicar or Lay Person, who has a habit of misplacing them, that to has consequences.
As you can gather, my experience in a multi-parish benefice is offered freely, having experienced one or more of such consequences.