As Hub walked towards me on the crowded railway concourse today he had a spring in his step which I haven’t seen for a long time. He had come to pick me up from the station (I’ve been away retirement-housing-hunting for a coupla days).
I know why. The millstone has finally fallen from round his neck! ![millstone[1]](https://i0.wp.com/data6.blog.de/media/997/5683997_8968698f22_m.jpeg)
Last night the church council met with the Archdeacon, and they finally took the decision which has been impending for months. They decided to move out of the church building (Grade 2 listed, seats 1,000) and put it up for sale. We will worship in the hall instead.
It’s a very hard decision and we have tried our utmost to keep everybody on board at every stage, giving them plenty of opportunity to voice their feelings and contribute their thoughts. We will lose a few people over this, I suspect sadly, but they know what we all know – that we have no choice. The church building is a bottomless pit swallowing vast amounts of money simply to get it into good nick – the tower, the drains, the roof – and we will soon hit the barrier of bankruptcy.
People will need time to grieve about this, but privately the two of us are incredibly relieved to be finally shot of the burden of it all. Now, at long last, perhaps we can get on with the real job of being what a church should be. And if people don’t want to come along with us for the ride, then that is their decision.
So now we’ve got plans for a Good Neighbour Week in August – picking up litter and trying to clean up the local streets a bit – Ending with a party for those living around. Lots of work but well worth doing. Whoopee!
![snoopy_dance[1]](https://i0.wp.com/data6.blog.de/media/029/5684029_ce0ba6a335_m.gif)
Godschool's Blog 
Oops typo…Third sentence first para…Grocer’s apostrophe. It should read “Not for its faith….”
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:)) Amazing how unconscious recollection takes over sometimes! Or should that be … sometime’s??? !!! :>
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Ooooh….ouch. Would you mind editing it for me gillyK.
I’m trying to work what was unconscious in the recollections.
:crazy:
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:)) it didn’t bother me but I can tell you’re a perfectionist! Have done so 😉
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Perfectionist, now there’s a new title! I hate it when I make the grocer’s (or is it grocers’) apostrophes. Typing in haste and not editing properly, that’s when it happens.
On one visit to the Isle Of Wight the majority of shops had handwritten notices in their windows announcing the same thing, all with grocers’ apostrophes. One shop was an educational bookshop. Ugh…
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I know, because I’m a touch typist, that my fingers sometimes think they know better than me, so I am thinking one thing, and my fingers type another. For some reason although I know perfectly well that the word is ‘theologian’ my fingers insist on typing ‘theologican’ … a bit like predictive text in the brain!
I was reading an article on the Oxford Comma yesterday. All I can say is, standards are slipping … 😉
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Standards…..what are they?
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An excellent question.
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I am sure that the spirit you bring to the congregation will more than compensate for the building which can no longer support itself.
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thank you, Shimon – I hope so.
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Good luck with the retirement preparations. It’s good to plan well ahead.
A hall to congregate in, will probably be much more homely and in general homogenous. Everyone gets closer to each other, whether they realise it or not. some may, and as you say, may choose not to walk that path.
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That was our experience when we used the hall over the winter. But I’m always surprised (I suppose because I am not wedded to buildings myself – too nomadic) as to how very emotionally attached people become to a church building. I know of course that for some it is part of their personal history and identity, and it’s like losing a spiritual home.
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Do you think it is the building itself people attach themselves to? Familiarity is always comforting, is that the emotion? My own thoughts are that people who have spiritual sentiments carry those within them wherever they are. That then raises a question about what spirituality is.
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Indeed it does – or what their faith is, which is not quite the same thing. A very large question and not as easily answered as would appear.
What people have said is that they will miss a space that is dedicated to worship and prayer, where they can be quiet with God away from everyday hustle, and where they also have many major memories – baptisms, weddings, funerals of loved ones.
There is much published reflection about the reality and value of dedicated ‘sacred space’ and I am working on how we can provide this in the hall which is used for a variety of activities.
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In Orkney there is a Nissan hut called The Italian Chapel. It is a monument of immense indescribable beauty to me. Not for its faith representation, but its representation of triumph over adversity and the talent and skills that were applied to creating it.
If a Nissan hut can be made into a quiet, meditative space, religious for some, there is absolutely no reason why a small hall, probably similar in size, cannot be transformed into a haven as well. It requires a little imagination, talent, and not a lot of money.
If you don’t know of the Chapel, you can find details of it online. I did read a book about the history related to the edifice last year, however, the book has been returned to its owner and I do not have the details to hand. Nevertheless, the Orcadians are immensely proud of their preservation of the wartime development and there is plenty of information on it.
I am not suggesting you re-create the Italian Chapel or anything like it.
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thank you for this. I hadn’t heard of the Italian Chapel – how very beautiful and creative. We can’t make the hall itself into sacred space, as it is used for a great many other purposes. But we already have plans to develop it in a modest way, and I’m thinking that those plans should include a small room which is dedicated to quiet and reflection.
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We have volunteer litter picks; says precisely what it is. It’s a community thing. On occasion offenders doing community service do litter picks as well. These are all done on beaches, we don’t want to take people’s jobs away. There are few enough working opportunities where I live.
In the 1990’s there used to be school litter picks in the little precinct with primary school children, just for an hour, to get them learning about various community activities and pride in it etc. It probably still happens. Parents were always on hand. This ‘effort’ was completed with the group of wee young caring citizens having a photo taken to put up on their classroom wall and for the local paper to use in an article of praise. I could say more about this citizenship input, but I won’t because it would turn into a blog.
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Government cuts mean that there is very much less litter-picking than there used to be round here, and it is a major problem. People standing at the bus stop outside our house can’t even be bothered to use the litter bin we arranged for the council to put there – they simply chuck the stuff into our garden. :>
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My point was about the euphemistic title for the litter pick. I would be much more blunt about the activity and say what it is. The ‘why’ will be obvious to those who participate. Appreciation though, still a ‘must’.
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Very happy to hear you have had two pieces of good news. It must be a weight of you to see your husband looking and feeling so much better. New beginnings can be a bit scary but you have the west country to look forward to.
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Thanks, Liz! We have another year here yet in ministry, intending to retire next summer, and want to leave the church in good heart, so I’m glad we’re able to ‘nurse’ them through this difficult patch and I hope they’ll be able to look forward rather than back.
I’m starting the househunt now because I know how stressful it is and how long everything takes!
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Whoopee!!!! :yes: Yabba-Dabba-Dooooooo!!!! Separation/partition/Loss….of whatever nature A-L-W-A-Y-S triggers ‘Grief’….
As I have said on so many occasions: ‘Grief is the only illness that cures itself…’ Must be worked through in its own time…SO Happy for YOU!!!! 🙂
I thought you would be ‘retirement house hunting’ downat the Sea…:roll: Hugs! ;)xx
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Yes – west country! We will be entering the Pensions Board co-ownership scheme and there is a ceiling on the house price, of course.
We are giving a very positive lead about this latest development with the congregation, along the lines of ‘it’s a new beginning’ but it will be interesting to see how this decision works itself out amongst them.
thanks for your much-appreciated support, Bushka!
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You take care!!!! 😉 I had a funny feeling you may opt for the West Country….Don’t know why….:?: Antecedents, maybe? 🙄 If you’re not too far…I might even catch up with you….:)) xx
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that would be fun!!
Yes, you’ve guessed correctly – my grandparents retired to the West Country and my father was brought up there, and we used to go there on family holidays. And I have to be by the sea or else I will go :crazy: …
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I remember your mentioning something like that….;)
Perhaps, we hall ‘catch up’ before ‘Age Catches Up’….:>> xx
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an excellent idea :yes:
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I am so happy for both of you. Like most people, I know what it is to carry heavy loads, and so when they are lifted…the relief is enormous. As you say, now you can get on with the job at hand:)x
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thank you, Janet! Hub says he’s able to think creatively for the first time in many months.
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