So, from time to time, we get complaints about, well, our existence, I guess. Joining the Whinge List are complaints about:
1. There is sound from the construction of an accessibility ramp. [It took three days to build using mostly power drills. Three.]
2. The appearance of the accessibility ramp is...unfortunate. [A member of a "historic" commission complained that such items were ugly. Personally, I find discrimination against the otherwise-abled to be ugly. The ramp is rather attractive.]
3. There was too much traffic on Saturday morning. [We were holding the funeral of the town historian/library board chairman that day.]
4. There is visible storm damage to the rectory. [This complaint came 48 hours after a storm that knocked out power and telephones for four days.]
5. There was too much traffic the other evening. [The evening in question was December 24th, so....]
6. The church bells ring too early. [7:55 a.m. on Sundays for five minutes. Tough it out.]
7. The church bells are too loud. [It's a hunk of 100-year-old metal on a rope; it doesn't have a volume control.]
8. 9 a.m. is too early to clear three truck-loads of storm debris from the parish cemetery. In fact, is it even necessary? [The fact that it was cleared an hour before a burial lends a certain splendor to this complaint.]
9. There are lights on in the parking lot at night. [Yes, when there's a night meeting, adult class, or AA. After which, the lights are turned off.]
And the winner that came in this week:
10. There are Hispanic men hanging out in the churchyard. [The landscapers were waiting for the truck to return to load more debris. The tip-off should have been that they were carrying rakes.]
Folks, you chose to move into a neighborhood with a church that's been in its location for 175 years, and in town since before the Revolutionary War. Our presence should not be a surprise to you and you should never expect a working parish to be the equivalent of a movie prop.
1. There is sound from the construction of an accessibility ramp. [It took three days to build using mostly power drills. Three.]
2. The appearance of the accessibility ramp is...unfortunate. [A member of a "historic" commission complained that such items were ugly. Personally, I find discrimination against the otherwise-abled to be ugly. The ramp is rather attractive.]
3. There was too much traffic on Saturday morning. [We were holding the funeral of the town historian/library board chairman that day.]
4. There is visible storm damage to the rectory. [This complaint came 48 hours after a storm that knocked out power and telephones for four days.]
5. There was too much traffic the other evening. [The evening in question was December 24th, so....]
6. The church bells ring too early. [7:55 a.m. on Sundays for five minutes. Tough it out.]
7. The church bells are too loud. [It's a hunk of 100-year-old metal on a rope; it doesn't have a volume control.]
8. 9 a.m. is too early to clear three truck-loads of storm debris from the parish cemetery. In fact, is it even necessary? [The fact that it was cleared an hour before a burial lends a certain splendor to this complaint.]
9. There are lights on in the parking lot at night. [Yes, when there's a night meeting, adult class, or AA. After which, the lights are turned off.]
And the winner that came in this week:
10. There are Hispanic men hanging out in the churchyard. [The landscapers were waiting for the truck to return to load more debris. The tip-off should have been that they were carrying rakes.]
Folks, you chose to move into a neighborhood with a church that's been in its location for 175 years, and in town since before the Revolutionary War. Our presence should not be a surprise to you and you should never expect a working parish to be the equivalent of a movie prop.