tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299409348701300460.post6740459055637951171..comments2023-05-25T09:14:35.702+01:00Comments on The Vernacular Vicar: Concerning the Other Type of Messy ChurchAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08268991293847325315noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299409348701300460.post-58156465523338207612011-05-31T10:28:13.804+01:002011-05-31T10:28:13.804+01:00I recently visited a local church, St. Andrew'...I recently visited a local church, St. Andrew's, Oxford, which had a lovely, homely welcoming feel. Not slick, just home-like.<br />AnitaDreaming Beneath the Spireshttp://dreamingbeneaththespires.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299409348701300460.post-76735340579017914872011-05-24T15:34:23.038+01:002011-05-24T15:34:23.038+01:00It's a conundrum. In our rural benefice we hav...It's a conundrum. In our rural benefice we have five churches, some pretty ancient, grade 1 listed, containing many valuable artifacts. In the smaller villages, leaving them open all day is not a viable option, due to the times that we have been vandalised, broken into and just plain treated badly. Due to their rural locations, separated from the sprawling, widely dispersed villages they are part of, they are a soft target for such misuse.<br /><br />However, we do have arrangements for these churches to be opened for visitors either by arrangement, or if a casual visitor, a key holder lives nearby, and a notice saying how to contact them. <br /><br />Two of our churches do remain open from 0600 to 2000 hrs daily, one actually has daily morning and evening prayer, Both are located within the village, with a wider use by community, although not as wide as we would like. Their presence within a village provides some protection from the sorts of activities described above. All parishioners know which churches are open and what the facilities are.<br /><br />I would say that all of our churches are, when open, inviting, well maintained, clean and somewhere where you would feel to be worthwhile both visiting and returning. We're not perfect by any means and the lack of toilet facilities in four out of the five churches presents an issue, particularly for weddings and their wider community use. <br /><br />Getting a faculty to put in these facilities is both extremely expensive and notoriously difficult, when English Heritage is often opposed any changes to the configuration of a church, both internally and externally. The other issue is lack of funding for this work. Even with friends groups, we just about keep abreast of maintenance and repairs. At the moment, two of our smaller churches each need repairs calculated in the £120,000 range between them. Fundraising is underway, but it is likely to be some time before it's in place to allow the repairs to go ahead.<br /><br />And, we get four more, rural churches added to our benefice this year. At the moment, I don't know what the issues are with them, but I'm sure that they will share similar problems to our existing ones. They come, minus a stipendiary minister, but fortunately, with a house for duty assistant priest.<br /><br />The future for our benefice appears to be more struggle to keep old buildings going, when we could be better employed in mission and outreach. But do we sacrifice our Sacred spaces, which we would need if our mission and outreach is successful? It's a problem faced across the whole area of rural ministry, and I honestly don't have any answers.UKViewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18114944341930758335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299409348701300460.post-45594878327304996762011-05-24T14:12:01.474+01:002011-05-24T14:12:01.474+01:00Oh, you are so right.
While at a conference on ch...Oh, you are so right.<br /><br />While at a conference on church revitalization, one of the presenters took us, via slides projected onto a screen, on a tour of a bunch of churches and pointed out to us things the regular members and clergy might not notice: doors that don't have handles on the outside (you people can't get in unless we let you); a locked fence around the baptismal font (!?!); hedges so high they obscure the way to the door (oh, we all know the way and besides we all use the back door!); fences around the property; etc. with commentary. Our diocese has considered having some of us visit churches and take the leadership there on a tour so that they can see what a visitor would see - except that we would make pointed commentary about what we see and what it looks like to others. We are blinded by familiarity and excuses that explain away the truth that you outline so clearly here. Good job.Penelopepiscopalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14110169815273159849noreply@blogger.com