Over the years I have had the pleasure of visiting many small
rural churches in the three northern dioceses of Carlisle, Bradford and Ripon
& Leeds.
Many of these beautiful churches buildings are well cared for
and are still in regular use for worship and personal prayer. Most have been
places of prayer for hundreds of years and some possibly for thousands, being
built on the site of pre Christian religious sites.
This is perhaps why some are referred to as ‘thin places’
where the veil between earth and heaven is thin and therefore offer a ‘worm
hole’ to a different spiritual dimension.
A visit to a rural parish church in summer can be a sensual
experience with the pleasure of an ancient stone building surrounded by a
grassy grave-yard with possibly sheep grazing.
Heavy wooden doors, with ancient wrought iron door handles, provide the gateways into a different world of shade and shelter from the summer sun or the rain and wind.
The smell of grass and wild flowers outside, gives way to the
smell of polished wood, candles and on occasions, the heady smell of lilies in
a flower arrangement from a recent wedding.
The peace inside only being disturbed by sheep bleating or
possibly the sounds of swallows or sparrows nesting in the church porch, the
sound of which can draw us in to prayer. See my blog
Despite the painting over of murals and the stripping of
plaster during the reformation and later re-ordering of buildings, many rural churches today are filled with
iconic art and offer a stimulus or focus for prayer.
Beautiful stained glass windows
Hand stitched kneelers
Banners depicting biblical stories or local scenes
Telling the History of the Place
Most rural church buildings also tell the story of the place
and give us a fascinating insight in to the past with ancient inscriptions on
grave stones and lists of:
Local men and women who died in the two world wars
Baptisms
Former vicars or rectors of the Parish
Some rural churches also give us glimpses in to the past in
the form of carved figures of former landed gentry over graves. If you are lucky there will be a leaflet or
small guide book to the church and these are always worth a read as they
provide the key to understanding the history of the place and enables your imagination
to travel through time.
Still
living places of worship
Worship still takes place Sunday by Sunday in most rural parish
churches, although some may have to take their turn in a rota as part of large
benefice or team of parishes.
In some, the clergy will still carry out the daily office of
morning prayer and I have very fond memories of sitting around a flickering
candle on a cold morning, praying for the parish and the world with a small
group of clergy and readers, when I lived in Wharfedale or joining with a small
congregation for the 8 o’clock Communion on a Sunday morning.
Still
place of Community Celebration
Rural Churches are important places for community celebration
and reflection such as a child’s baptism; a wedding or the last farewell to a
local villager.
Harvest festivals in many rural areas are still celebrated
even though the number of people now in involved in agriculture has
significantly reduced. However rural people still like to put on magnificent displays
with window sills piled high with apples carrots, purple and green cabbages,
honey, nuts and a whole variety of local produce.
Midnight mass on Christmas Eve is one of the highlights of a
village churches year, where a large number of villagers will turn out to the
service, some rolling out of the local pub, which can add a certain colour to
the event.
Original
Community Building
Some rural churches are rediscovering their key role as the
original community building and are providing space for a variety of essential
local services such as:
Second hand book banks
Libraries
Community Post Offices
Community shops
Information points
Space for arts and craft sales and exhibitions
 |
All Saints Kirkby Overblow |
Some Parochial Church Councils are also removing the pews, opening out the space to create a wonderful space for community events and flexible worship. In fact the original configuration of older rural churches was without pews and when they are re removed this allows us to travel through time and to see the church architecture shown off to its best with pillars growing out of the floor like study ash trees.
The
hidden Congregation
Many rural churches have hidden congregations made up of
people who stop by for private prayer or reflection, pinning prayer requests on
prayer boards or prayer trees.
To support these hidden congregations some churches provide a
basic guide to the church building and its history as well as appropriate
Christian and other literature to support people in time of need or distress.
Unfortunately many Parochial Church Councils fail to monitor
the numbers of visitors. This is a shame as the numbers can be significant and
statistics useful when a grant application needs to be made. Yet with a simple
people counter on the door numbers can be easily recorded and with the aid of a
visitor’s book or even a map the origins of visitors can be monitored and their
comments recorded.
Worm
Holes in Time and Space
Rural Church buildings are still places for the living yet
they also provide ‘worm holes’ in time if we allow our imaginations to reflect
on where we are standing.
All around us, under the floor and in church yards are the remains
of many past parishioners and the buildings are still soaked in the payer of the
many who have gone before which can remind us of the words of the creed:
I believe
in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
If God and Heaven are outside of time, then so to are the dead
and we join with them as part of the great tapestry of the pilgrim church. Rural
Parish churches bring us face to face with this reality, giving us a glimpse
beyond our own age to that which has gone before and is beyond us. They are
places where heaven touches earth or to put it another way are ‘worm holes’ in
time and space.
So the next time you are out in the country stop by at a rural
parish church. No matter where you are you will have a treat in store, enjoy
your journey you never know where it will take you, let your imagination
fly. You will be in good company.
Parochial Church Councils may find the following web site from the Arthur Rank Centre of interest. Getting the Most Out of Your Buildings
