Keep our church OPEN, say Merrymeet villagers
The Bishop of Truro has repeatedly said in recent days that ‘Bishops don’t close churches’ as they don't have the power. They only close churches on the instigation of local people. He repeated this yesterday (Sunday 29 March on Anoushka William’s Sunday Show on BBC Cornwall radio.) The villagers of Merrymeet in east Cornwall - where St Mary’s Mission Church faces closure - have had a very different experience. Peter Luck, head of the residents' association, explains In today’s world it is interesting how the word ‘community’ is used: ‘community funding’, ‘communities pulling together’, ‘community workshops’, ‘congregational community’, ‘village community’. You get the idea. Here in Merrymeet we do not have a village shop or village pub or any ‘community hub’. We have a fight on our hands: to keep St. Mary’s Mission Church from closing this coming September. This building is in the middle of our little village and serves us all as a place of worship and a well-used communi...