Goats in church
Foaming Draught
Shipmate
This appeared on my town's Facebook Page:
"Would the person that brings their goat to church every week, just not? I know you think he's fine with his little blanket and bowl of water, but the whole apartment complex has to listen to it bleet and carry on.
I don't go to the church, the goat is tied to a ute and left outside for however long they're there for."
Interested parties haven't narrowed down the church yet. Not one of my shacks, anyway. But if it were, I'd be minded to put down a mat and invite the goat in. What do other Shippies think?
"Would the person that brings their goat to church every week, just not? I know you think he's fine with his little blanket and bowl of water, but the whole apartment complex has to listen to it bleet and carry on.
I don't go to the church, the goat is tied to a ute and left outside for however long they're there for."
Interested parties haven't narrowed down the church yet. Not one of my shacks, anyway. But if it were, I'd be minded to put down a mat and invite the goat in. What do other Shippies think?
Comments
I'd be contacting the local animal welfare organisation (RSPCA here in Australia).
Either way, something's not quite right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)
Maybe I lack sociological imagination, but I'm somewhat bemused at the idea of a setting where there could be something reasonably described as an "apartment complex", in the same vicinity as a person who would trot his goat around town.
However, it may be that the owner lives in an area where goat-stealing is rampant, and, as it's the only animal companion he has in his lonely life, he takes it with him to church on Sundays.
That said, the goat-thieves could easily follow him, and snatch the goat whilst the owner is saying his prayers.
There is, no doubt, a back story...
Well this is a place for discussion of liturgical practices. There should be plenty of inspiration for relevant and imaginative liturgy in Leviticus 16.
Well, I'm guessing he's a pretty gruff character.
I'll get me goat coat.
Yeah, enough with the trolling.
In 1974, in Brisbane, our community house somehow acquired a goat that lived in our garden. It was there for some weeks, and one day it vanished. Some said they suspected "the Greeks" of stealing it for dinner. No more was heard of it.
Yes, one hopes He's there of course!
It was raptured! Everyone else on Earth was left! Pray for us, O Holy Goat!
House church, maybe? Maybe it's in one of the apartments?
Could be. Or they rent a rec-room in the block?
I have eaten goat a few times - several times years ago as a pastoral assistant in a Midlands church with a number of West Indian families in the congregation, and once recently with an elderly Somali couple.
If the goat is on a lead and house trained, I can't see why it can't come in. Were there photos of said goat on the FB post?
Talking of which, I’ll get my goat. No, I mean my coat.
Seriously, though - St Francis-tide is approaching (his feast day is Saturday 4th October), and I expect there will be a number of Places which will be holding some sort of *Blessing of Animals/Pets* service, or the like.
These are not necessarily Bad Things, though I'm reminded of the advice (from show business?) of never working with children or animals...
Do any of you have (or know of) plans for such services at Your Places?
When my niece was very young she pointed to one of the lambs that had been brought into church and asked "Is that the same type of lamb we eat?". "Yes" replied her mother, mentally steeling herself for some kind of outburst. "Oh", said my niece "They look really tasty"
Of course, the reason one shouldn’t work with them is they always steal the show.
Given what goats get up to while sober the latter does not bear thinking about!
Entire *Male* goat. Castrated males and nannies are pleasantly innocuous, and I don't mean by comparison either.
My parents kept goats when oi were a lad, and when they had a billy Dad had to walk him up the road on a lead (if they let him out on the yard, he would just do bloke goat things up the side of the girl's shed & not get any exercise at all). It took about 10 years to get the smell out of the overalls he wore.
No-one ever quite crashed their car driving past him, going "WTF is that?" but he said there were a few close calls!
A friend told me about a family service she once went to where children had been encouraged to bring and show their pets. The vicar asked a boy to come up to the front and show everyone his pet hamster. In the process of taking the microphone he managed to lose his grip on the hamster so shouted “Oh shit” into the microphone and raced off down the aisle to catch it…
My reverend brother-in-law had a service for blessing pets and their owners, several times, but he did it on the grass outside the church. Just as well, as it turned out.
In practice, this meant that the kids climbed up the buttresses and played on the lower reaches of the church roof, nibbling any moss and wallflowers that might have grown in the gutters or between the stones. The children in the school next door loved to watch them, and I'm only sorry that nobody ever thought to take a picture.
The only real live goats I've seen were on the Great Orme in Llandudno.
Yes, goats are very adventurous as a great climbers. Not surprised to hear they made it to the roof.
You can (or could - it's been a long time) see wild goats from the train from Perth to Inverness on the way up to Druimuachdar Summit. You could probably see them from the A9 too if you dare take your eyes off the road.
I always hold a Blessing of Animals. Some young people ride to the Community Hall (where services are held, while the bar is open 😉) on horseback, so there are gee-gees by default. And in addition to the usual dogs/cats/hamsters/parrots/roosters, a wildlife carer will often bring a rescued feral piglet or kangaroo joey.
Tunbridge Wells it ain't.