Churches Weekly Newsletter - No.152, 19 March 2023
They come, they come; we may not always see their face, but this is their space.
Their space to breathe, their space to be.
They come, they come; in times of joy and times of sadness, shedding tears of grief and gladness.
Their space to breathe, their space to be.
They come, they come; keep the doors open wide, welcome them inside.
Their space to breathe, their space to be.*
It was encouraging that despite heavily falling snow and sub-zero temperatures, there was a high attendance at our Deanery Lent Meeting at Settle Parish Church on Tuesday evening. It's clear that many want to engage with the Lent series' exploration of the interaction between 'Rural Life and Village Church'.
We considered 'Our Warm Welcome' to all those who visit our churches: tourists on a day out; walkers; people visiting graves; members of the congregation; families; guests to weddings, funerals or baptisms; local school children, their teachers, staff and parents; people looking for a place of peace or solitude; elderly visitors, young children, and visitors with restricted mobility.
The Very Revd John Dobson DL, Dean of Ripon, gave an informative and stimulating presentation about how the people of Ripon Cathedral are working out their mission to be 'a mother church of the diocese ... proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom to the region'. He helpfully linked the cathedral's 'welcome ministry' to that of our parish churches, for whilst there are differences in scale, of course, there are many similarities. Many of us left the meeting keen to find ways to further extend our welcome to all.
Dean John reminded us that Jesus came ‘that they may have life, and have it abundantly…’ We should be proud of, and give thanks for the abundance of life which overflows from our churches: in their worship, in their history, in their life-in-community today. We can be grateful for the many opportunities which our churches afford, to extend a warm welcome to all. May each of us know that we can play a part in willingly welcoming all who are looking for something in these places for which we care, so that they will be blessed to find that something in them.
* from the excellent Welcome Guide from Exeter Diocese which 'helps churches look at their buildings with fresh eyes. This guide is full of lots of ideas as to how we can warm up our welcome and show our churches are open to all.' Recommended.
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