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Rev David Warner column: Turning the page on the next chapter of our story

Reverend David Warner, the Vicar of Mossley.

The Vicar of Mossley, Reverend David Warner, speaks about the role churches play in communities in his latest Reporter column.

Churches are complicated buildings.

In many ways they often aren’t at all practical - they’re massive, expensive, vulnerable to all kinds of problems and often (as in the case of Mossley!), not built adjacent to adequate car parks!

They’re also loved by those whose family stories are woven into the stones, and speak of the enormous welcome and love of the community to which they belong.

St George’s and St John the Baptist speak of the mill owners and those down the years who built them, fitted them out, and worshipped in them, and as the inheritors of them, it’s our job to hand them on.

During my time here we’ve worked hard to make the buildings available to everyone - for school events, Christmas tree festivals, concerts, for the Armistice 100 exhibition which was viewed by more than 1,600 people and most recently for the bicentennial exhibition about Peterloo.

Churches, because they are old, because they have been there through so much, are part of the story of our community and the events we’ve been through.

In due time we hope to find a way to remember and memorialise the events we have lived through: those whom we have lost, and those whose hard work and devotion to others is enabling us to go forward.

For now, it’s enough to know that the church doors, like the shops, schools and others, are open and we’re all stepping out into the light again.

Privileged

You’ll doubtless have heard a lot about the changes to regulations planned in the weeks ahead. We’re keeping our fingers crossed to do all we can to ensure that we offer as warm a welcome as we can, not least to those coming to us to celebrate happy days, and harder and sadder ones in the weeks ahead.

We are privileged to be a small part of the great tapestry of the lives of our community, and to add week by week and year by year to the story of our churches - a story that we continue to write together as we go forward into the light.

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