Photo of St Mary’s, Newington
In a BBC video, the Revd Cannon Giles Fraser talks about the high cost of securing the steeple for St Mary’s, Newington, and says that clergy forced to manage buildings are left without the time needed to evangelize and proclaim the Gospel.
From the video:
“It’s not about the buildings. It’s actually about proclaiming the Gospel. Moses did fine in tents, and we can do fine in tents, too.”
The Church of England is investigating alternative uses for countryside churches, which may see as few as 10 visitors a week, and are in very low population areas. One suggestion is to reduce staffing and turn some of the low use churches into festival churches, churches which only operate during holidays.
The video is available at the BBC site.