Viewpoint from Revd Neil Spencer
 Revd Neil Spencer, Rector or Ormesby St Margaret, Ormesby St Michael and
St George’s , Rollesby.
Of course you have to be born here to be true Norfolk, but I knew I was picking up a bit of
Nor folk when I invited the PCC members to “come you on in together”.
Back in 1973 John Kett published a book of Norfolk Verse written in
Norfolk dialect, and we have just discovered a copy among my mother-in-law’s books. Many of them are about churches, including this one:-
Norfick Chaaches
Bor, ha’ yew noticed yew hin’t far t’saarch
In Norfick, if yew wanter see a Chaach?
In Breckland, Broadland, fen-land, ennawhere,
Yew’ll find’em, large an’ small, some far, some near.
Jus’ yew go uppa enna little hill,
An’ yew’ll see sav’rel Chaaches, that yew will.
I reckon that oon’t dew fer us t’say
We can’t git there corse tha’s tew far away!
Says it all really, doesn’t it?
The Church of England is uniquely privileged in having so many wonderful churches close at hand. In any other country in the world, or any other denomination in this country, most people have to travel quite a distance to go to church. In
Norwich diocese there are more mediaeval churches than anywhere else in the world - no-one lives far from their local church, and many people live only a few hundred yards away.
All of our fund-raising events, and the efforts of our loyal congregations, are about keeping those churches alive, so that we can all have a local church for when we need one. And most people do want to use their local church at some time – for the funeral of a loved one, for a wedding, or a baptism. But most of those people don’t go to church at any other time, so this message is for them –
A church is not just a building, however wonderful the building is, or whether it is old or new.  A church is made up of people, gathering together to give thanks to God for all the good things in our lives, and to pray for those who need help. We have these buildings because your grandparents, and their grandparents, came to church, and brought their children to church. If you want to have a local church in the future for the funerals of your loved ones, and for the weddings and christenings of your children, then the way to do that is to be a part of that church, and bring your children to it, and that can’t be done by staying in bed on Sunday mornings, or going shopping, or playing football.
After all, as John Kett says, you can’t say –
“We can’t git there corse tha’s tew far away!
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