The Rector's Ramblings are Kevin's weekly musings on recent global,
parochial and personal events. They may also reflect on some aspect of the scriptures that are pertinent today.

I’m not a great negotiator. I prefer to approach a situation with my proposal firmly set out and a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. Preferably, before anyone has a chance to negotiate! Throughout my working career, whenever I wanted a salary increase, I didn’t discuss it with my boss. Instead, I looked for another job. It seemed a perfectly sensible strategy at the time, although perhaps a little more complicated than simply asking for a raise. Then came a moment of professional enlightenment. I applied for a different job within the same company. I discovered during the interview that the new position was actually at a lower pay grade - yet I received a 20% salary increase! I had spent years changing jobs to get a better grade, only to discover that I could have earned 20% more by moving to a lower grade, have less stress, without even leaving the company.
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One of the responsibilities of the Select Vestry is to ensure that parish records are preserved for future generations. Sandra Hopper, with support from Karen Poff, recently undertook the task of gathering the minutes of St Brigid’s Select Vestry meetings over the years and having them bound for deposit in the Church’s central repository. Looking through these records offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of our parish and the decisions made by those who served before us. Our thanks to Sandra and Karen for their work in preserving this valuable part of St Brigid’s parish heritage.
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Since the beginning of October, I’ve had a flurry of emails asking me to sign forms confirming Protestant affiliation for children looking to move to secondary school. With my role as rural dean, this has meant I also have parishioners from another two parishes in contact. I find it a frustrating part of the job as most children in our primary schools never see the inside of a church outside of Assemblies. I’ve even heard of parents joking over having letters from different traditions to keep all options open. I wonder if I should tell parents of children in 5th class this year that they, parents and children, will have 12 months to get to know me before they send their letters in 2027?

Kevin (24.10.2026)

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