I called in, on the spur of the moment, to see a friend. ‘She’s in the Church, clearing out the vestry,’ said her husband. I went to find her, up the lane, through the leafy churchyard, and in by a creaky old side door. She’s recently taken on the role of Church Warden. A young, homeless lad was cooking himself a poached egg on toast in the church kitchen. ‘He’s been helping me have a clear out’ she explained. ‘There’s a wedding tomorrow and there’s dust and bat droppings everywhere!’ She sounded a bit desperate. ‘Don’t you have a cleaning rota here?’ I asked, as I grabbed some spray polish and a duster. ‘Yes’, she replied, above the roar of the angry Hoover, but she’s 84 with a bad knee, and the other one’s on holiday!’
Some weird electronic music was emanating from the West end of the building. Her son, home from University, earphones almost disappearing in the frizz of long hair, was completely lost in the strange, extra terrestrial noise he had created. ‘Good acoustics!’ he explained, removing his head – set for a moment to smile ‘Hello’.
She showed me into the disused vestry, which stored vases, paint pots, ladders and broken chairs, but now, it had been cleared, and there was a rug on the floor, a Bible and a candle on the polished table. What a transformation! ‘But look at this,’ she said, pointing upwards to the wall behind the ladders. There, still festooned with cobwebs and bird droppings, was an ancient triptych, which used to have pride of place behind the High altar. The words of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed were beautifully scripted on it in gold leaf. ‘It’s a sign of the times, isn’t it?’ I said, ‘the basic essential elements of our faith, hidden away, out of sight.’ ‘D’you know what I’m going to do?’ she mused, ‘I’m going to ask the PCC if this could be restored and reinstated, and if they say ‘Yes, I believe it will be a prophetic sign for the future of the church!’ We stood there, amid the hard, lavender polished pews, soon to be removed and replaced with comfy chairs, and we prayed for God’s will to be done, and His Word to be central in the Church; then we walked out through the great arched doorway into the rain and bright sunshine, and a beautiful rainbow. ‘Tom’s just texted to say there’s a steak sandwich and strawberries and cream waiting for us!’ God is good!
Jane Gransden
