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‘Archaic’words blamed for fewer churchgoers
A VICAR has warned that poten- tial church-goers are being turned off by archaic language they do not understand. Rev SteveHughes,who has pub-
Anotherincursion at Larkfield park
licly expressed concerns that two of his four parishes could go bust for lack of attendance, says the Angli- can church uses words “beyond the experience ofmany people”. The minister for Otham, Leeds,
Langley and Broomfield blames an “uncanny knack” to choose “barely singable” hymns. In the Two Spires parish newslet-
ter, Rev Hughes, pictured, says part of the problem in attracting worshippers is that weddings and funerals “no longer involve a reli- gious element”. He adds: “Another reason is that
TRAVELLERS have moved back onto a popular park in Larkfield for the second time in six months. The families - in five caravans -
we often (albeit unintentionally) make the Gospel inaccessible. “It remains hidden or shrouded
behind liturgy that is incompre- hensible tomany.We usewords in our services which are perfectly normal to those with a church background but which are not a
pulled on to Gighill Green in Lunsford Lane on Sunday October ,, releasing dogs on the popular public open space and setting up washing lines within hours. It is un- derstood the fami- lies in- volv ed have been offering tree felling services to residents in the area. Parish council chairman David Thornewell says more has to be done to stop the travelling com- munity running circles around the police and local councils. He says the job ofmoving on trav-
ellers for a second time will run into thousands of pounds The last inci- dent, in early summer, costing the parish council £1,200, with the trav-
ellers simply moving on to take up temporary residence elsewhere in the area. He said: “They just seem to be
part of everyday language and therefore beyond the experience of many people. “Unfortunately, we also have a
baptism service which is barely fit for purpose, given that the vastma- jority of parentswhowish to bring their children to baptism (and I praiseGod that they still do) do not come from a background of regu- lar church attendance. “Add to these things the fact that
we (as in the church at large) some- times have the uncanny knack of
doing the rounds. These incidents have affectedWest Malling, forcing the closure of the village hall, and Leybourne, and now they are back in Larkfield. The police told resi- dents that this was a civil trespass when they reported it and that they couldn’t do anything and obviously the council offices were closed be- cause it was the weekend. These travellers know and play the sys- tem.” The council’s legal team served an eviction notice but it took aweek to enforce. Cllr Thornewell held talks with Laddingford Engineering in an effort to increase security further on the public land, near the M20. Valdemar Kalinin (pictured), of
the National Gypsy-Traveller-Roma Council said recently that local councils must provide designated traveller sites or “tolerated zone” which gypsy convoys can move onto. He said: “It comes down to racial prejudice against this com- munity.”
being able to choose hymns that are barely singable and we end up with a very simple template for lit- tle, or no, church growth.” The church’s problem is how to
preach the Gospel without having to “dumb down” the central mes- sage and theology of the church, claimed Rev Hughes. Earlier this year, he warned that
Othamand Langley parishes could be “bankrupt” within three years. Vicar at theHolyCross church in
Bearsted, Rev JohnCorbyn, said he operates two streams of worship – classic and “newway”,which cov- ers traditional and modern tastes for the larger parish. He said: “I guess it’s not a ques-
Thameslink
downsmail.co.uk
route on way TRANSPORT secretary Chris Grayling has apologised that a pro- posed Thameslink service to Lon- don from Maidstone has been delayed. The quick route to the capital,
stopping atWestMalling, Borough Green, Wrotham and Otford, has been put back until December 2019. Some have expressed concerns
that itwill not happen at all. On a visit to Maidstone, Mr
Grayling said that people should not be “sceptical” and that it is coming. He said that the new services to
‘Spooktacular’ at the farm
tion of one size fits all – it’s a case of different approaches for different people.We’re able to do that here. “With the classic approach, we
have more traditional and formal styles of music while ‘new way’ is contemporary and informal. “Perhapswhat ismore important
than the words is the style of the music.”
MAKE the most of the October half-term holiday at Kent Life Heritage Farm Park’s Halloween Spooktacular in Maidstone. Brave kids are invited to the vintage village to knock on doors and
London are among the “most com- plicated” pieces of railway ever produced in Britain. He said: “I don’t want people to
be given a new service they then discover doesn’twork at the start.”
discover who – or what – is lurking behind them from October 21-31. The award-winning attraction at Sandling, near Maidstone, has a few
other tricks up its sleeve to turn its usual exhibits into frightening farmhouses and horrifying homes. Youngsters can try pumpkin carving, dressing up and the Ugly Bug Ball. On October 25, there will be more spooky goings-on with Kent Life
Unlock help
After Dark, This event includes a spine-chilling tour suitable for under-eights from
5-6pm and, for older visitors, from 7-8pm. If you would like to know more about any of the above, call 01622 763936.
UNLOCK, the Maidstone-based charity which helps to get former criminals back into work, is hold- ing a seminar on the disclosure of convictions inMay. Go to
tinyurl.com/unlockwork formore details.
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