The End Of History...

The future...?

It seems that the pleasant little village of Cuxton is under attack like never before. Earlier this year, we learned that an overseas tax exile wants to plonk a vainglorious restaurant and visitor’s centre on top of Barrow Hill in Upper Bush, an act of green belt vandalism that has been met by a tidal wave of complete apathy by most Cuxton residents.

Now it seems that Cuxton Church (along with all little parish churches right across the country) is under threat of closure and sell-off by the Church of England. 

So how is this happening? To summarise:

The Mission and Pastoral Measure (MPM) 2011 is a piece of legislation that sets out the legal procedure for Church of England parish reorganisation and for closing consecrated church buildings and settling their future. 

Recently, the Church Commissioners (the body which administers the property assets of the Church of England) conducted a review of MPM 2011 and published a proposal (known as GS2222) for “simplifying” it. 

In summary, these proposals (discussions of which will close on September 30th this year), would empower dioceses (the offices of the regional al bishops and archbishops) to take an axe to the present local parish system. They would effectively short-circuit the current review and consultation processes related to church closures and remove any input or objection to a church closure from the local parish clergy, the parishioners and the community at large. 

Essentially under these proposals, a diocese could unilaterally decide to close any local parish church and dispose of it and its assets, and there would be very little the local community could do about it. 

This is an outrage. Most people in Cuxton may not be regular churchgoers, but many of them care deeply about Cuxton Church, its history and its role in the village of Cuxton. It was built on the remains of a Roman villa and has been a place of worship for at least a thousand years. The church is, however, much more than just a place of worship. Its endurance gives a sense of place and continuity to the local community of Cuxton: a village without a church is a village without a heart. 

St. Michaels and All Angels Church is loved and cherished by Cuxton village, and many of its residents invest their own time and money in its upkeep without being regular church-goers. For example, the eighteenth-century church organ had recently fallen into disrepair and required an extensive re-build, with an estimated cost of £50,000. Whilst the diocese contributed some funding, the bulk of the money had to be secured elsewhere and indeed, was subsequently raised within a few months thanks to the hard work of volunteers. 

The bell-tower is similarly maintained and operated by volunteers. When bell-ringing practice recommenced in July after 18 months upon relaxation of Covid restrictions, the outpouring of appreciation and support from the local community that the sound of the bells drew was overwhelming. 

The local community is fully invested in Cuxton Church. It is completely unjust that it could be closed and taken from that community, and on the mere whim of the Bishop and their staff, depending on their latest “mission” or a perceived need to fund a fashionable project elsewhere.  

The joyous sounds of the church organ and the church bells must not fall silent for such reasons. 

If the Church of England were impoverished, the desire to close churches for cost-control reasons would be reasonable. But it is not. Since 1993, the value of the assets managed by the Church Commissioners has grown from £2.4 billion to £9.2 billion.  In 2020 alone (a year blighted by the pandemic) they grew by £500 million. Indeed, the post of Personal Assistant to the Archbishop of York (a lay position) was recently advertised at a salary of £90,000 a year! 

Instead, these reforms are being pushed through by the Church of England’s dioceses for their own convenience. They are being made without proper and timely advance consultation with clergy, parishioners, or groups who use church buildings. 

So what can you do about it?  Not much, but if you care, you can at least make your voice heard.  You have to do this by the end of this month. 

You can write to the Church Commissioners review body at mpm2011review@churchofengland.org , (clicking on the link should open your e-mail with the address already put in, but you can otherwise just copy the e-mail address and then paste it into the address box of your e-mail) perhaps citing some of the above arguments, and ask for the Church’s legislative proposal GS2222 to be dropped immediately. 

You can also write to your local MP (in Cuxton and Halling’s case, Kelly Tolhurst, at kelly.tolhurst.mp@parliament.uk), again citing the arguments above and asking her to support her constituents in Cuxton and in Halling, by writing to the Second Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, asking for the Church’s legislative proposal GS2222 to be dropped. 

Don’t forget to put your name and postal address in the e-mail somewhere: that makes sure the recipients know you are genuine, and are compelled to respond. 

Please e-mail the church and our MP about this.  We have to try and save our churches.  Or a thousand years of history could get sold off…