Handy Ecclesiastical Dictionary - General / Unsorted jokes (69468)





 


BaptistryA church's swimming pool. Designed by a finance committee

with a concern for cutting costs.



Blind FaithObsolete phrase meaning visually challenged faith.



BurnoutWhen clergy start preaching from the telephone book. The

result of extreme overwork or excessive stress. Hiding the telephone

book is not a sufficient treatment.



CampingA specialized ministry traditionally offered in the

summertime. Often directed at young people. Theologically, it has the

potential to teach valuable lessons about the Israelites' 40 years in

the wilderness. This is usually thwarted by the tendency of churches

to place their camps in swamps, rather than deserts.



Candlelight ServicesA time when otherwise sensible choirs wander

around in darkened churches singing with fire in their hands. Not

surprisingly, this has been known to affect the quality of music.



Canon LawAn ancient arms limitation treaty.



CassockShort for "clergy hassock". A robe that makes the wearer look

like a small, round, over-stuffed footrest.



Choir GownRobes worn by all choir members, designed to look equally

ill-fitting on everyone. Generally colour-coordinated with previous

church carpeting.



EvensongA song with a meter which can be divided by two. The

alternatives is "unevensong", which should not be used for

processionals.



GargoyleAn extremely ugly statue on a church building. In medieval

times, they were intended to scare away evil spirits. Now they are

intend to attract tourists. The relationship between tourists and evil

spirits has not yet been determined.



God(n) The Greatest User Of Capital Letters.



GuiltA sixth human sense, faithfully instilled in children by parents

and in congregations by the clergy, for centuries. If functioning

properly, it may not prevent people from sinning, but it will prevent

them from enjoying it.



Joint Services(1) Worship in a ramshackle building. (2) Worship with

illicit substances. Subject to police raids. (3) Worship with

another congregation or denomination. In some people's eyes, this is

morally worse than #2.



Leap of FaithBungee jumping with a Bible.



Missionary TeaSteep a missionary in boiling water for two minutes.

Remove and add lemon or milk to taste.



OffertoryRitual sacrifice of a member of the Conservative party. Now

restricted to Parliament.



Organ FundMoney being raised for a transplant. Fund is often not

established until long after the organ in question is in a terminal

condition.



Original SinA bad deed that no one else has thought of. There are

few of these anymore since most bad things have been tried over the

history of humanity. If you come up with an original sin, you should

consider patenting it.



Overhead ProjectorA teaching aid which has become a great

labour-saving device. It takes material which is clear and transparent

and then ensures that it goes over everyone's head. Theologians used to

take years to learn to do this.



Pall BearerSt. Paul's mother.



PewAncient device of torture, developed to make people wish they had

to stand through worship, as in early centuries.



Pledge CardsLittle pieces of paper used for dusting pews. Some are

called "Lemon Pledge Cards".



PsalterA device for sprinkling Psalt on pstews, psteaks, and

psandwiches.



RedeemedWhat happens to coupons and Christians. Christians are

rarely 50% off.



Slam DunkA rough baptism.



Stained Glass WindowsColourful glass set into attractive patterns.

When installed in a church, these prevent a congregation from gazing

out the window during the sermon without having to use shutters. Some

have pictures, which depict people long dead (usually from the Bible)

under which are the names of different people, who died more recently.

For some reason, this never confuses as many people as it should.



TemptationSomething you want to do but know you shouldn't. See Sin.

Actually, don't see Sin since sin sometimes leads to temptation.



VestmentsSmall, white mints kept in the vest pockets of grandfathers

in the church. A traditional bribe to keep children quiet during a

sermon.



White Elephant SaleA fundraiser, now defunct due to the international

ban on the ivory trade.



Women's GroupsThe source of all power in the church.