In the continuing series on the Church of Scotland Guild, Lynne McNeil focuses on the Guild of Crown Court Church in London which has adapted to changing circumstances.
THE Guild of one of the Church of Scotland’s two London churches may be small, but they are highly committed – and have adapted to changing times and circumstances.
The Guild of Crown Court Church in Covent Garden was founded in 1890 by Lady Frances Balfour (a Suffragette) and her sister Lady Victoria Campbell, daughters of the 8th Duke of Argyll, who also played a key role in raising funds for the current church building. Both sisters served as Guild President – at a time when the minister was generally President.
The Guild numbers three regular attenders with a fourth who acts as treasurer.
Secretary Jennifer Laird says: “It gradually changed over the past 10 years. Many members moved away, mostly back to Scotland, some suffered loss of mobility and were no longer able to make the long journey into church (we are a gathered congregation and nearly all members travel considerable distances to get here, journey times can be very lengthy, and public transport is not always reliable), and some have had to move into care homes. Because of the age of the current members, and the distances we have to travel, we meet on a Wednesday lunchtime, which precludes younger members of the congregation who are working from joining us. However, it is difficult for people to attend evening meetings, so there is no guarantee that if we changed to evenings attendance would increase. And because we all live in very different areas of London, meeting in each other’s homes is also not an option.”
As the Guild numbers declined, the branch decided that flexibility was the key to the future.
Jennifer explains: “We try to meet on the first Wednesday of each month from October to June, when we enjoy lunch together and then hold our meeting, but in case of illness or holiday, we make alternative arrangements. At Christmas we either have a special lunch in the church hall, we have also been entertained by the Minister and his wife at the manse, or we go out for a meal. So the model remains much the same, but with a greater degree of flexibility.”
Decision making is by consensus: with no committee, it is relatively easy to plan programmes and make decisions.
Jennifer explains: “Every year we support two charities, each for six months, often but not always Guild-nominated charities. We appeal to members of the congregation to donate their small change and there is always a collecting tin on the tea counter after services. We support the Women’s World Day of Prayer services run by the churches in Westminster. When we have a special guest at our meeting (Guild National President, talks by representatives of charities) other members of the congregation do make an effort to support us by attending. We keep the congregation well-informed by posting details of our meetings and the charities we are supporting on the notice board in the church hall, including information in the church notices, providing regular reports on our activities in the church magazine, and reporting every year at the Annual Business Meeting.”
“ We have accepted that things have changed in society... but we are determined to keep the flag flying as long as we are able, and we hope that others may eventually join us.
When the group can’t meet, they chat on Sundays or exchange emails.
Jennifer is pragmatic about the future: “We have accepted that things have changed in society: most women now work, children have many outside activities which involve their parents in chauffeuring them around, and particularly in London there are many other attractions. But we are determined to keep the flag flying as long as we are able, and we hope that others may eventually join us. We would very much welcome male members but so far have failed to persuade anyone to come, in spite of our best efforts.”
But the Guild remains hopeful and is now looking forward to playing its part in Crown Court’s 300th anniversary celebrations in 2019.