I’m this week writing a session for our local preachers and worship leaders on leading worship in a rural context. Today I’ve done three services in villages and I’ve been to an installation of a lay ecumenical canon in the cathedral. Four services in a day is a bit mad. It’s a good job I only work one day a week!
Service number one was in Kirkby Malzeard. The chapel building closed at the end of October 2022 and for a year now once a month we’ve been worshipping in the lady chapel of the c of e in the village. Our members on other Sundays are at different churches, Grewelthorpe, Harrogate Road and Dallowgill but decided to try and keep some Methodist presence in Kirkby with a monthly service and a bi monthly coffee time.
There were five of us today. The lady chapel was freezing and it is always very dark so difficult to read anything. We will see whether we can sustain a monthly service. With a small number of possible people who will come when we hit holidays or family commitments there are few of us. One thing I’ve learnt about rural ministry is you need to try things. And review them! I spotted this notice in the church porch today: there are now many examples of one church offering hospitality to another. I suggest we need to share resources in the future far more.
Service number two today was at Dallowgill. Dallowgill is my smallest church and four years ago when we came to visit the circuit, I wasn’t shown it because they were convinced it wouldn’t be here. Today there were twelve of us there for a covenant service. Dallowgill now has a community of people who want an afternoon service as they are farmers with work to do in a morning. The congregation are a mixture of locals and those who travel a distance to be with us. We are doing okay. There’s just a question about governance for the future. I want to bring them and my other small chapel at Sawley together as one society on two sites. This will make both places stronger. Sadly there’s suspicion that I might be closing them (which is rubbish) and they want to keep their money! Sometimes rural churches need to be flexible but they can be stubborn. Change? Why?
I was in a hurry to get to the cathedral at 3.30. I learnt a long time ago never to hurry in a rural setting! Sheep don’t hurry…
And then you meet the school coach coming at you and then in front of you Doris and Evelyn decide to have a chat in the middle of the road!!!
I got to the cathedral about fifteen minutes into Evensong. Today one of our Methodist folk Meg Munn, the former MP for Sheffield Heeley and a minister in Tony Blair’s government was installed as a lay ecumenical canon of the cathedral.
There were twenty Methodists present to support Meg. It’s good that ecumenical relations with the cathedral are developing. It was hugely encouraging to have Bishop John Pritchard tell me the other night the Dean told him Canon Claire and I are moving ecumenical relations on. I love living in a cathedral city. The place oozes peace for me. Today was a lovely occasion apart from the woman who bumped into me afterwards and my coffee went all down me. So I needed a change of shirt before service four!
Service four tonight was at High Ellington, another of our remote rural chapels. It’s largely run by a farming family but has recently had new people join it. There were seven of us there tonight. There were nearly only six! At 6.28 someone was told “lock the door, we are all here.” I said “no you aren’t” as my wife was about to be left out in the cold.
The rural chapel has in places lost any expectation anyone will join them they do not know. I once had a chapel which put out six chairs for six people and didn’t know what to do when a seventh person showed up!
I was really glad tonight to use their new lectern. Isn’t it fab? We had a good time. It’s very rural. Before they locked the door Rachel turned to Robert and said “you gonna set them traps?”
A long but fulfilling day. The rural minister will do three services on a Sunday. That’s my norm here. And when you get home there’s always a face which says “why have you been gone so long?”
Rural worship leading to small numbers isn’t easy, but for me it brings joy and fulfilment. Even if by Sunday night I’m absolutely done in!
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