London & South East Hub

Joe Moffatt writes:

The London and South-East network has got off the ground with some very encouraging meetings that have brought people together from as far as Bedford, Battle and Bromsgrove. Our usual number tends to be around 20, but with new people each time, so an overall attendance of around 40.

We meet once a term, visiting a different church each time. So far we’ve been to St Marylebone (with its remarkable health centre in the crypt), All Saints Kingston (with its Saxon coronation heritage) and St John’s Holland Park (a Gothic Revival masterpiece, brought back from the brink of destruction to its original splendour). The opportunity to see how its done in other places is certainly part of the attraction. 

We’ve also invited participants to share a ‘knotty issue’, opening up good discussion and the sharing of experience and ideas. These include handling ‘contested heritage’, the development of auxiliary buildings and the integration of different cultural groups within our congregations.

But the real added value comes in the conversations over coffee and lunch. Incumbents, curates, churchwardens, administrators and treasurers all buzz with the experience of finding others in a similar situation who have tackled similar challenges. 

We look forward to more of the same. Next meetings are St Alphege Greenwich (June 18) and St Mary Abbots Kensington (Nov 19).