8th May 2022: Letter from the Locum Minister Rev Marion Paton

Dear Friends,
I don’t think anyone would argue with the fact that what the world needs more than anything at the moment, is a time of calm and peace, a time to reflect and regroup, a time to allow ourselves to come closer to God and seek his will. The situation in Ukraine is of course, at the top of people’s minds, but there are so many other countries suffering the privations of war. Then there are all the arguments about climate change which in really, we should be seeking to distil into one universal strategy, to which every country subscribes, to save our natural world. Then of course, there needs to be a time for recovery from the pandemic, which is far from over, but over which modern medicine seems to be gaining the upper hand. But of course, that is all very idealistic.
I think many people would want to argue that what this is not, is a time to be upsetting people even more. When the list of churches to be closed in this area was printed in the local press, there was immediately a great outpouring of distress, even from people who never darken a church door. The church in the community is, after all, part of the history of that community, as well as being a meeting place, a place of worship, and a place where important life events have been marked down the years. It is true that there are far too many church buildings, particularly in our cities, but at a time of such global uncertainty, the church building is a symbol of faith and continuity and security in the community and should be available for use. So, the message here has to be ‘Use it, or lose it’.
It is true that some church buildings are not considered fit for purpose in our modern world, and that some will need to go. But it is also true that there is a huge need, and there also seems to be a resurgence of people seeking after truth. Surely church buildings would be much better used in imaginative ways to bring people closer together and closer to God, rather than simply being open for an hour on a Sunday or converted into who knows what?
At a time when there is such a need for peace and calm and security in all aspects of life at present, surely that should be the goal of all people as we look to the future. It is the hymn writer Edward Henry Bickersteth who says:
Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.
Peace perfect peace, our future all unknown? Jesus we know, and he is on the throne.
With love and blessings,
Marion