Don’t flay the sheep.

Young Clergy Mama’s manifesto

Inspired by Wendell Berry’s “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,” this was written by a group of young pastor mama’s at the Cathedral College of Preachers conference this week.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for she has done marvelous things.
Don’t get old before your time.
Breastfeed in a pew.
Love your children
…and your parishioners.
Make beautiful things.
Get pedicures, with or without nail polish, because it is about the sole.
Play with your inner child…don’t let her hide.
Make mudpies.
Love your body and massage your spirit.
Dance a little in the pulpit.
Worship worship worship with God
and one another
AND not as the leader.
Escape from perfection.
Take a Sabbath day. Start with a Sabbath minute if that’s where you are.
Don’t give up on the church.
Just say NO to mama guilt,
Night meetings can go on without you.
Say thank you to your partner every day for joining you on the journey.
Blog.
Don’t be indisepensible.
Turn off your cell phone.
Don’t go into the office on your day off.
They will find you if the building is on fire.
Don’t die in every ditch.
Preach.Preach.Preach.
Plant tomatoes; God grows in the garden.
Walk in the grass barefoot.
Go barefoot.
Replace hierarchy with collegiality and competition with empathy.
Find a sermon in the diaper pail.
Exercise as a way to rejoice in your body.
Take vacations with the Holy Spirit.
Negotiate for the sisterhood, brotherhood, all!
Pray pray pray.
Make friends,
have friends,
keep friends.
Love your eccentricity.
Know your clergy tax law.
Claim your body.
Claim your voice.
Claim your shoes.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for she has done marvelous things.

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