Guest blogger, The Rev’d Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda’s, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. He is a graduate of Plymouth University. He completed his studies for the ministry at Latimer Hall, Durham. He is married to Daphne and enjoys home brewing, model railroading and is an avid member of the Great Snoring Morris Dancers.

Thank you very much lads, thank you very much indeed. No, we won’t be moving on from St Hilda’s. I’ll be Rural Dean in addition to being your vicar.

Is there more money it it? Not likely! More work, less pay!

What’s that Ian? No, not a lager shandy this time if you please. A pint of Guiness for a change. Mrs.Doyle got me started on it a few months back when I had a bit of a head cold and its rather grown on me.

I have no idea who floated the idea. Letter from the bishop came like a bolt out of the blue. I never wanted to be more than a country vicar, and quite frankly, being bumped up to Rural Dean isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. As far as I can see it just means going along to more meetings with the Archdeacon and doing inspections of churches and so forth. Canon Huffington-Post was Rural Dean for a time and said the only thing good about it is that once in a while it leads to a canonry at the Cathedral. I s’pose that would be rather nice, but a bit of a dead end as far as real promotion goes. The fellows who are ambitious work their way up in other ways–join lots of committees and then perhaps you get Archdeacon or Dean of a Cathedral then if you play your cards right you get the pointy hat.

Talking about playing your cards right, my old pal Jim Bracket says he became bishop by sending post cards. True enough. Read more.

UPDATE: You can now read the whole saga of Rev Humphrey Blytherington and his adventures by using the ‘Categories’ facility at the bottom of the right sidebar.