Work has begun again in the Church, the scafolding tower is up, so paint can be cleaned away from clerestory windows, so we can forestall the effect of the paint on the stone.
It has been snowing again, this is the view from my front door, so more broken arms in the congregation. This is a tip, if it is icy wear socks over your shoes, you look eccentric but it stops you slipping and maybe breaking something.
Today someone pointed out that during the thaw last week, the snow guard on the church roof had been bent over, I heard a grinding sound whilst I was praying in the church: a great sheet of ice had obviously come off the roof crashing into the school playground below. It was too slipery to go and look. Had they not been on holiday children would have been under it when it fell, it was their playtime. Unless our diocesan insurance covers it, I don't know what we will do.
You know I discovered one of our parishes has three quarters of a million pounds in the bank, I bet that parish priest doesn't have sleepless nights worrying over health and safety issues: such is the Diocese of Arundel Brighton!
7 comments:
Your photo of the scene from your front door could, IMHO, win a prize (perhaps even money for your church) in a photographic competition. Years ago when I worked in Crown House at the top of Regent Hill I often had lunch in The Windmill. It was better than the pub opposite Crown House.
Father Blake,
How is the snow in your area. In the Eastern US we are prepping for an arctic blast for the weekend. All this cold and snow across the US, Europe and Asia, reminds me of the movie "The Day After Tomorrow".
Should there not be some system where wealthy parishes give financial assistance to poorer parishes rather than hoarding money in the bank?
Father, may I suggest a joint fundraising evening with the said parish church, at the end of which they are told that the party is over and it is time to "cough up and hand it over", the abduction and holding to ransom of the Priest in charge or just a plain old stealing of their bank details?
What with the teaching of the Church in defense of the poor and the publication of Caritas in Veritate, I think there may be some moral loophole we can climb through.
The snow guards are in completely the wrong place. They are unlikely to do any good there.
They should be at the lower edge of the roof pitch to stop ice sliding before it gets up speed.
Father
I guess that you are still in need: let your readers know.
If people give to their parish they might feel it a breach of trust for the money to be handed over to another parish. Once trust is lost donations dry up.
With Anglican parishes coming over as a whole the same question may arise: should their land, buildings and money follow the parishoners or remain for the CofE remnant.
Sorry to say that I think that Paul's idea would create new problems. Sorry as I think that there should be some way to achieve what he suggests.
Happy New Year
Peter
Thank you Fr. Ray for the excellent tip about wearing socks over one's shoes.
It really does work very well
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