Ancient churches may have their charm, they also have their problems, particularly when the population is small and the funds very low. So imagine my horror when I enquired why there was a large galvanized bath on top of the cupboard in the vestry, only to be told, "Oh that is to catch the rain." Much worse was to follow! Under the bath sat a large brown paper parcel, when opened it was found to contain all the records and documents going back over the centuries, besides valuable books. Well, valuable at one time. When the architect came to inspect the church there were even more surprises. The heating system needed overhaul, half the roof had to be replaced, the vestry floors were rotten, the electric wiring was sub standard, the organ was about to expire, the rain water system had to be replaced and the churchyard re-instated.
Now if you think that bad, worse was to follow. When the work started, it was found that the bell cote was in a dangerous state, it had to be rebuilt. By this time money was running out, inflation was about 27% and the Diocesan Advisory Committee was not sympathetic to a modest scheme. To this must be added the following facts, the village had approximately 1,200 people, there were two Methodist churches, the Salvation Army, the Congregational Church and the Railway Mission with another church not a mile away. When repair work begins, be sure more will follow, it did, exposed beams needed repair, a safe had to be bought and fitted, and new locks to be bought. Never put the work in hand, till you are able to see your way to paying for it is good advice. So it was some while before the work was put in hand. Yes, it was all eventually completed. Thanks be to God.
This church which was only a fraction of its former glory, still had many interesting items and features. There was a silver processional cross, given by Lord Rothermere, a huge parish chest with several locks, including an early combination lock. It was to be sure that only when both church wardens and the vicar were present, could the chest be opened. The most interesting item was a bass vial, which looked like a cello and had been made by the local blacksmith out of tin plate. It was stored in a glass case together with his tune book. The building itself had been much larger at one time, but even so, it still had a very handsome east window, a double piscina, a sedilia, and a very elegant Jacobean altar rail.
Church life was not all concerned with buildings and repairs, so one of the obvious things to do in such a small community was to try to get the various denominations to work together as far as possible. The first thing was to get the various ministers and leaders together into a Fraternal. This meant that we could plan various activities together, exchange preachers in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, plan and cover every home in Christian Aid Week, and eventually have united Carol Services. This was very successful with the Salvation Army Band and the school band leading the music. We did muster over 300 for this event, and raised a lot of money for charity. My joy was tempered by the fact that every denomination then went away and did its own thing, so the end result was one more Carol Concert.
Another very positive thing that came out of the co-operation between the denominations was a combined Bible Study. One couple that moved into the village had been with the China Inland Mission, they belonged to the United Reformed Church and would bring along their Chinese Bible to see how a passage had been translated into Chinese.
Life in Norfolk in those days was far removed from London and when it snowed, people just cancelled meetings and stayed in by the fire. All part of life's rich pattern, a slower pattern, at times frustrating, but the faithful were always there and could always be relied on, so we did more than survive. Some more thoughts and memories next month, from the county whose motto is " Du Different ".
written by Fr Arthur Green
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