PS. Maybe one of these days, I will post a song in my native language.
Nah! People won't understand to appreciate it anyway.
It's looking more and more like our life will be reconfigured in the next few months such that I won't nearly have to take as much market risk as I have been. If all goes as we hope it will, I'll probably be more like 30/70 or 40/60 into the future, and not even worry about the market providing me with a retirement any more.
I'm sure he'll post a video of himself singing in front of his RV....
I have been shamelessly pushing French music... Did that tick off anyone?
PS. Maybe one of these days, I will post a song in my native language.
Nah! People won't understand to appreciate it anyway.
. Edith Piaf is rolling over in her grave.
Yep, inquiring minds want to know...
They said it's fixed now, and will apply to my May 28 check and my severance payment.)
Well, we're still not sure it's going to happen and there are still hoops left to jump through, but it looks like my wife may be entering the ministry in the next 6-12 months through a program that provides an alternative track to ordination (i.e. not through several years in seminary). She just jumped through a pretty big hoop last week and is still on track.
I'm sure he'll post a video of himself singing in front of his RV....
To protect whom?
Well, 30 years from now the bag over the head will pay off. Ask Saints fans....
Well, we're still not sure it's going to happen and there are still hoops left to jump through, but it looks like my wife may be entering the ministry in the next 6-12 months through a program that provides an alternative track to ordination (i.e. not through several years in seminary). She just jumped through a pretty big hoop last week and is still on track.
I've hinted at this in the past but haven't said too much about it in detail for fear of jinxing it.
Sort of, yeah. The pastors in this group operate on one-year (usually renewed) contracts where negotiated total compensation has a lot of moving parts -- base pay, health and disability insurance, pension contributions and housing allowances chief among them. There's a lot of wiggle room. So for now, we could negotiate higher base pay (and no health insurance) while I have Megacorp health insurance, but if I lost that we could then negotiate the next contract with lower base pay and group health benefits through the church. As far as I can tell, pension contributions of 6-12% of base pay through the churchwide pension plan is fairly standard.I'll pray that works out. Then you'll share her "holy-funded" retirement benefits?
If you knew what the base compensation was for a half-time call in these parts, you wouldn't be asking such a snarky and cynical question. This is not a program for the more affluent, larger congregations which have no trouble getting folks out of Seminary (and who often have $50,000 in student loan debt and can't afford to take the half-time calls). It's for small, rural congregations whose annual budget (for *everything*) is less than many folks here earn in a year. These are the calls that can't compensate enough to attract seminary grads.
Is there training for you to step into the role of minister's spouse? There are those traditional expectations of the role, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, leading the ladies' meetings, running the bake sales, etc. What does the minister's husband do in these modern days?
She feels really energized about this and for the first time it feels like she knows what she wants to do "when she grows up" -- even if it means "growing up" at age 41.
Zig, have you thought this through completely? Are you going to be able to keep your nose clean and fulfill your obligations as the parson's proper, upstanding spouse?
Per your suggestion, I have changed my avatar.
