Services in the Benefice at the weekend:
Sunday 23rd February
9:15 am Holy Communion at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am Benefice Sunday Worship via zoom
11:15 am Holy Communion (BCP) at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton
11:15 am Holy Communion at St Augustine's Caldecote
Our weekly news contains details of services for this and next weekend, as well as daily bible readings, prayer requests and notices for forthcoming events. Copies are available in churches for collecting especially for those who do not have emails.
Dear Friends
Curate Musings
The Rural Dean recently informed me that a particular diocese had reduced its number of clergy from eighty-something to fifty-something in a cost-cutting exercise. I happen to have friends who are serving their curacy in that particular diocese, and so I called them to see how they were getting on and how they had been affected, if at all. They told me that, as well as feeling slightly insecure, they had inherited another parish to their already large benefice and, therefore, were increasingly spreading themselves far too thin and could not see how their new position was tenable. They hence believe that the closure of some churches is inevitable. It is the common sense approach: why keep six churches open when most people in the benefice can travel to one? They would save money while the new congregation had the undivided attention of their vicar. It all makes perfect sense and seems logical, but is it the right thing to do? It doesn’t feel quite right to me. Can we simply turn our backs on these buildings, these houses of prayer, which have been with us since the Middle Ages?
Even our own cathedral finds itself in financial difficulty, which doesn’t seem to be an answer yet. Even if the funds are forthcoming, are we not just kicking the can down the road? I offer no solutions, just food for thought on our dilemma, which touches on both the practical and deeply emotional concerns.
Financially struggling churches cannot continue indefinitely. Fewer clergy, rising maintenance costs, and shrinking congregations make it unsustainable to keep every church open. But closing them is not just a loss of bricks and mortar but a loss of spiritual anchors that have been in place for centuries. Closing them feels like turning away from that legacy. It is not just the past we risk losing; it is also a local presence that matters to those who rely on the church for more than Sunday services.
Imagine the church where our children were baptised, we were married, and where we said goodbye to our loved ones, which now becomes someone’s house. Internet resources put the figure at 3500 churches closed in the last ten years, so we cannot call it scaremongering, but perhaps the church has always been in a state of struggle and renewal. The Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the Industrial Revolution each brought massive shifts that forced the church to adapt, sometimes painfully. And yet faith endured. Perhaps we are focusing on keeping buildings open when we should be focusing on keeping hearts open. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if the pews were full; that is the real battle and the answer to our dilemma, but it is also another problem for which we do not have an answer.
The church is a haven for individuals seeking a peaceful place, a time away from daily worries, isolation, and anxiety, irrespective of their beliefs. It accommodates celebration and grief, shared and private experiences, art, music, toddler groups, wellbeing groups, and much more. It is and continues to be a significant space in which human experience is both welcome and supported.
The church is an asset, not a burden. Where is the support? What is the answer?
With every Blessing
Revd Nigel Clent
Assistant Curate
Worship for this coming week
23rd February 2023
Second Sunday before Lent
Lectionary Readings : (these links will take you to Bible Gateway from the NRSV):
Genesis 2: 4b - 9, 15 - 25 Revelation 4 Luke 8: 22 - 25
This week's Reflection by the Rev'd Greg Roberts entitled "Where is your faith?"
In Church Worship:
details for this weekend and next weekend services are in the weekly news - which is at the top of this mailing or can be picked up in church.
Zoom Services:
The meetings rooms are opened about 15mins before the service is due to start. All the liturgy for the service will be displayed on the screen.
- Sunday 10:15 am Benefice Sunday Worship
- Monday to Saturday 9.00 am Morning Prayer (except on the first Tuesday of each month)
Benefice Office Opening Times
9.30 am to 1:00 pm Monday to Friday
01327 350459
For details of how to make a donation to your local parish church, please click here.
