Letter from the Rector
Why do church buildings matter? They cost so much to maintain and repair, wouldn’t we be better off hiring a school hall and meeting there? After all, as some would have it, the church is the people, not the building. In our parish we have responsibility for a Norman church building and a Victorian church building. Both of which are looked after by dedicated volunteers. The costs of repair are also borne by the generosity of parishioners. You will be aware that we are currently raising funds for the repair of St Mary’s spire, the highest point in Caterham. Across the country, this pattern is replicated as small bands of committed folk look after ancient buildings often at great personal cost in terms of time and money. Could that time and money not be better spent?
I would suggest not. Such places are a vital part of the historical and social fabric of our country. But more than this, they speak of the sacred, of the presence of God in communities. They are prayers written in stone. They remind us that we belong to a tradition which transcends our current era. Think of all the people who have prayed, worshipped, been baptized and married in these buildings. Think of the funerals hosted in these places that have entrusted the dear departed to the mercy of God. Church buildings are storehouses of precious memories.
In a recent book called ‘Twelve Churches – An unlikely history of the buildings that made Christianity’, Anglican priest Fergus Butler-Gallie shows how integral church buildings are to the Christian faith. They point beyond themselves to the stories of the people who, in different times and places, attempted to live out the values of the Christian gospel.
Of course, not all churches have been built well or beautifully. As a child I used to love to visit the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool which is popularly known as ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’. I found the place enchanting, but not everyone likes it. Some prefer the nearby sandstone edifice that is the Anglican cathedral. What is incontrovertible, though, is that both buildings command attention and provoke questions in the minds of all thinking people. Perhaps the most significant question is, what, or who, could have inspired people to create such architecture?
And that, I think, is why we must treasure our church buildings. In an age when it is tempting to live solely in the present, when young and not-so-young people spend vast amounts of time online in non-physical reality, we need these huge, expensive, beautiful, solid reminders of the deeper purpose of our existence.
With my prayers and best wishes,
Rev. Canon Trevor Mapstone
Rector, St Mary’s Caterham
