Storyteller's World

In Shrewsbury last week, I looked into St Mary's church, large building in the town centre, like a mini-cathedral. No longer a parish church, it was declared redundant in 1987, and is now in the care of the Churches' Conservation Trust. Since it became 'redundant', more than a million pounds has been spent on the fabric, and the building is kept open, with volunteer custodians, as a tourist attraction. Occasional services are held there, as are occasional concerts. But a congregation of Christian believers are not able to use it and love it as the holy space that it was for generations of their forebears.

Something isn't right about this. The State will put money into ancient and holy buildings as 'heritage centres', but does virtually nothing to assist congregations which actually struggle to love and maintain the buildings in which they still carry on a regular, living worship.

If we were Australian aboriginals, wouldn't we be fighting to resist this erosion of our songlines and sacred places, by the secular powers-that-be?