T
Beating the path to a rural revival
he Church is the biggest grass-roots organisation in the country so healthy churches are an important sign of a healthy society. So said the Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Rev Robert Atwell, making his maiden speech in the House of Lords in November. ‘Village churches are at the heart of rural communities,’ he stressed. ‘We need to strive for open church doors and open virtual doors.’ Sarah Cracknell, project manager for
26
sponsored by
the Church of England’s Grow the Rural Church initiative, will lead a seminar on the subject at CRE South West (12 noon, Wed 23 Feb) – one of 30 scheduled during the exhibition’s two days (see pages 20-24) ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has meant people are rediscovering the gift of “local” and finding imaginative solutions to the challenges confronting us,’ she said. ‘For the first time many are working from home and investing in their village. We are discovering new ways of doing church, ChurchCoffee.co.uk
