Some years ago, our church looked at ways in which it could free up some capital and settled upon selling the land under the vicarage (apparently not up to Diocesan standards anyway) and the two church halls (likely to fall over by themselves if left for much longer).  Our highly-paid Parish Development Officer promised us that he had consulted all the neighbouring residents – something that those residents knew nothing about when it came to public consultations.  Local residents have objected in every possible way (we will lose parking if houses are built  on the land; we want to keep our tumbledown storage shed that’s been on your land since the year dot; not in my back yard etc.) One individual gathered residents together at a public meeting and reduced Beloved Vicar to tears with their insults and accusations – she was not even in the diocese when these plans were laid!

Fast forward 5 years and most of the trouble-makers have sold up and moved away.  The land has been sold, 6 houses built on part of it and the remainder will house a garden, as requested by members of the public, and a future church hall.  People with fond memories of events in the halls decades before they fell into disrepair (even though they’d not set foot inside them since) occasionally ask when we might build another hall and the church itself is now hired out for community use, but we’re still ‘the enemy’ in a few people’s eyes.

So, how do we navigate the divide?  First of all, we must be honest: our local community have been given false promises before and we will not put them through this again.  We must be honest in what we stand for, in what we are trying to do and why we feel it is right to do so.  Secondly, we must listen and affirm the accounts of those around us: yes, they are still unsettled by changes and that is valid, but this doesn’t give them the right to insult us.  Finally, we must be humble, never assuming that we are right and others are wrong.  In fact, we must welcome differences of opinion, limiting them only by asking that they are expressed without insult or defamation.  We cannot be all things to all people and, while we may be called to explain our decisions, we can only be ourselves and act as we feel is best.  This is an example that Beloved Vicar has shown so clearly throughout the process.

Until we have our garden and halls complete, we are showing who we truly are by standing in solidarity with the community’s fears and feelings as best we can.  During the pandemic, we didn’t seek to flout the rules, claiming that we were somehow more important than public safety, but instead gave away handmade face-coverings to show that none of us felt we were, by our faith, above the fear of disease.  We are currently planning a ‘garden flower festival’ (no imported flowers, home-grown only and in recycled or re-purposed containers) in memory of our local florist, who died recently.  We are looking at climate change and our impact on our environment.  We’re starting a monthly Taize service (lay-led!) to try to engage with those who have a sense of God but would not feel comfortable in a Holy Communion service.  We are exploring and we’re inviting everyone to come and explore with us.

Image: St. Nicholas’ Church, complete with face-coverings to give away.