LETTERS

In September, six months almost to the day since the church closed its doors, we were at last able to worship again in our building.

It is hard to express the joy which we all felt that day, even though we were masked, socially distanced and unable to sing. We were together again in worship. We constantly repeat the mantra that the church is not a building and, of course, it is much more than that but do we underestimate the importance to us of our buildings? They are often the places where we were baptised or married; sometimes the place where we said our last farewells to our loved ones and in which we have expressed our faith weekly.

Once this pandemic is over the church (and not just the church) will have to reflect and draw lessons for the future from what has happened. Inevitably we will need to look at our buildings but we will need to look at them in the light of the situation which emerges.

Anyone who follows John R Hume’s fascinating articles will know how the industrialisation of the 19th century affected the construction of churches. We are told that we should expect similar movements in the aftermath of the pandemic. Those who will be working from home will no longer need to be in daily commuting distance of an office and loosened regulations may mean city centre retail sites being converted into affordable dwellings.

As we examine the future of our property we must be sure that we do not act too precipitately and we must never forget that buildings are more than just bricks and mortar. 

Grant Lawrence, Elder Banchory East Church, Banchory, Aberdeenshire