FEATURE
Advice from vicars who do comedy
Maggie Whitehouse
Chapel of St Michael and
St Gabriel, Dartmoor, Devon
1. Remember that the Bible is meant to be read on
four levels and is not a literal truth to be thrown
at people. Keep it open and accessible and allow
yourself to interpret according to modern times.
2. Engage with your congregation. If you know their
hopes and fears then you can make your teaching
relevant – when possible include details of your own
mistakes and struggles so they can relate to them.
3. Make them laugh, even if it means borrowing
jokes (with credit) from famous people. When we
laugh, our hearts and minds are open to magic and
mystery and hope.
Ravi Holy
Rector of the United Wye Benefice,
Diocese of Canterbury
1. Have impact in your delivery.
2. Use humour to break the ice.
3. Use a punchline to make the point and learn to be
real. People listen to honesty.
Andrew Evans
St Nicholas, Hayes
1. Be unpredictable: keep them hanging on your every
word, wondering ‘Where are they going with this?!’
2. Take risks. I’ve always felt it’s better to offend than
to bore – but hopefully I’ve never done either!
3. Be yourself: possibly most important. Just as
bad comics imitate good ones (when what they
really need to do is find their own unique voice)
many preachers try to sound ‘like a preacher’ and
evacuate all traces of their personality from their
sermons in the process. But it’s by being gloriously
ourselves that God shines through. At least that’s
the way I see it.
Vicky Longbone
Trainee Community Minister, URC,
Wolverhampton
1. Be yourself.
2. Be prepared to make fun of yourself.
3. I can’t think of a third one as I’m not funny!
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