Open Churches

I am sure that many of you have noticed that we now open our church doors for most of the day during school term times. The glass doors remain open and a welcoming notice is placed outside the church. There is a breadboard guide to items around the church, and the lights under the gallery are left on as a welcome. During the Christmas period the tree lights are also left on.

This procedure arose from an initiative coming from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber who started The Open Churches Trust. Since then many churches have remained open during the day and have welcomed many people in, rather than leaving them locked on the outside.

Our experience has shown that many Waterlooville residents visit St George’s, either for a look round or for a prayer. Recently we have received a small cheque from someone who was delighted to find the church open where he could pray for his seriously ill wife. (In fact his wife recovered which proved to him the power of prayer!) Another couple decided on a spur of the moment visit from their home in Telford. They had been married in St George’s and wanted to come back to visit the scene of the crime! They were delighted to find the whole church open for their visit.

Many people query the vulnerability when the doors are open. Ecclesiastical Insurance maintains that churches are much less vulnerable when people are about, both inside and outside the church. The risk of being discovered inside an open church is far greater then inside a locked church. It is of course advisable that certain valuable and attractive objects are either removed from view or security labelled. It is also a great help when you, the parishioners, pop into the church each time you pass.

As many of you know we now have a semi-resident pianist and his presence is also a deterrent to anyone visiting for a nefarious purpose.

Of course these routines are irksome for those whose responsibility it is to lock up the church. Each day the glass doors have to be locked at about 3pm and the large front door at around 6pm. If at any time you see these doors open outside these hours you should phone a churchwarden.

Overall our experience has been positive and it is our intention to remain open during term times for as long as possible.

Tony Rice-Oxley