A Brief Personal Rant, If I may...

[Critters2]

:rant:

Why do people leave messages on an answering machine with no hint what they want to talk to you about..."Critters, I need to talk to you. Call me after 3 pm tomorrow." From a parishioner.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! I have no clue as to whether this person is pissed with me, with someone else, is ill, has some other personal crisis going on, or would like to go to a movie. And I have two hours to ponder the possibilities.

Would it kill a person to say "Critters, I need to talk to you about {your topic of conversation here}"?
Seriously, would a split second longer have been too long a message to leave?

People do this all the time, and it drives me nuts!!! People do it in person, too. During the passing of the peace..."Pastor, I need to talk to you after worship". I never let 'em get away with that in person, anymore. "What will we be talking about?" "Well, I don't want to get into it here." "Yeah, but I'd just like an idea what we're going to talk about." And then a short introductory sentence..."It's about my mother's failing health and possible funeral arrangements." And PRESTO! everyone's on the same page, I can start thinking about it, all's well. Was that so hard?!!

I mean, what's the point of leaving a message, if it's not REALLY A MESSAGE?!! You should just call back later, if you're not going to leave a full message!!! Did I mention...AAARRRRGGGHHH!!?

So, now I'll worry all afternoon that this person is going to threaten to leave the church over something I don't even remember doing, or God knows what. I'll build it into a crisis in my head--it's what I do best--and when I finally talk to her, she'll be wondering if anyone found her lost earring or something equally catastrophic. And I'll have to take three kava kavas to relieve the stress!

And in closing....AAARRRGGGHHH!

Thank you.

[RevCheesehead]

1. I hear ya.

We should talk sometime. :evilgrin:

[Critters2]

2. About what???!!!! :)

[RevCheesehead]

3. ....

:rofl:

[Critters2]

4. Bitch. nt

[Critters2]

6. Hey, Rev! They're talking about us!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6045752

[Critters2]

5. Delete. Replied to myself. Moran.

[kwassa]

7. they may not know how public the answering machine is, or isn't

or who has access to it.

I generally don't leave things of a personal nature on an answering machine, and if you're in a pastoral function, you probably get many requests for help on things of a personal nature.

Just guessing!

Besides, if they are going to leave the church, there isn't much you can do about that, is there???

[Critters2]

9. Good points all! I should have been clearer, it was my home machine.

I understand a bit more if it's the office machine.

As to leaving the church, there's not usually anything one can do, but some times it can become a messy situation in all sorts of ways.

But, as I predicted, it wasn't a crisis at all. She wants her baby baptized soon! A good thing--indeed a great thing!!

And I have no meetings tonight! I feel good (I knew that I would).

[Critters2]

8. She wants me to baptize her baby.

And I only needed one kava kava.

[LynneSin]

10. My answer

First: If it's a professional thing, perhaps it was something the person did not want for anyone to hear

Second: I hate leaving messages and unless there is an urgent matter most of the time my message is: Hey, Lynne here, call me back when you can.

[trof]

11. If it ain't an earthshaking matter, I do that.

Just "Give me a call when you get a chance".

What I HATE are the rambling, stream of consciousness messages that last 5 minutes.

"Hi, if you're home pick up. If you're not home then please call me as soon as you get home. I'm trying to set up a board meeting when we can at least get a quorum to be there this time. If you can make it at 10:00 Monday morning at my house, then I think Bonnie, Ralph, and Doug can make it too and that'll give us a quorum. If you can't make it then then what time would be good for you? Of course I'll have to notify the others if there's a new time. We have several items of business to cover and if we can't get a quorum then we can't do anything and I guess we might as well not have a meeting. Anyway, I guess you're not home so please call me as soon as you do get home ASAP."

This is almost a word-for-word transcript. Plus I had to look up his damn phone number.
I'd much prefer "Hi, this is Ben Smith. Please call me at 999-3333."
Better yet, send me an e-mail.
:grr:

[VelmaD]

12. what you said!

I have a message that's still saved on my machine where someone called to wish me a merry christmas. I don't know who it is. No name. I don't recognize the voice. It's driving me slightly mental trying to figure out who it is.

[Kerrytravelers]

21. It was me.

And you never called me back.





















:rofl:

[JVS]

13. Your job is to tend the flock, so boo-hoo.

people will tell you what they are comfortable telling you, deal with it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. Ouch...

:(

This is the saddest thing.

[JVS]

17. You know what's sad. What's sad is that St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Steven, St. Boniface....

and a host of others were willing to be KILLED for the faith and now we have pastors bitching about under-elaborated telephone messages. Such complaints are unworthy of the apostolic mission!

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. What's sad is my baby girl Jessie, wanting in...but her feet are muddy, so

I won't let her.

[Critters2]

22. I am willing to be killed for this faith. Absolutely. I'm also human. nt

[rug]

14. If you were any good at this supernatural stuff you'd know what he wanted.

O8)

[JVS]

16. Talking during the passing of the peace is bad though.

[Critters2]

23. Nah, it's a pretty informal thing with us. A time to catch up

If the organist didn't start playing the next hymn, it could go on for days at our place. It's really a great time of fellowship and greeting.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I have something I want to tell you, but not in this public forum.

:P

[Broken_Hero]

20. at least they leave a message...

hardly anyone leaves messages on mine, and I have to play wheel of fortune/memory games, with the caller ID to figure out who called....all I get on my machine is dead air, when it picks up...and the eventual hang up.