East Midlands

CHURCHES AS A CENTRE OF CULTURE

A group of musicians and artists in Normanby-by-Spital, a quiet Lincolnshire village hold an annual concert at St Peter’s church, a 12thc-15thC church now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The concert brings together professional musicians with local artists and is packed out.  An Arts Council grant this year allowed the musicians to extend the event and plans are afoot for a connected contemporary art trail across churches in the county.

Garry Churchill wrote:

“Churches can contribute to the objectives of the region’s cultural strategy, especially through:

• Encouraging people and communities to take part in cultural activities;
• Celebrating diversity of cultural practice
• Stimulating new work and contemporary creative practice
• Using the Church’s resources, including its buildings as venues for many other cultural activities as well as worship
• Preserving, presenting and understanding heritage”

(Source: Garry Churchill. Towards a Cultural Strategy for Churches in the East Midlands. Report commissioned by the Arts Council England, East Midlands, July 2003)

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Focus Consultants (UK) Ltd, Faithful to Culture: Exploring the Link between Culture and Faith across the East Midlands, Interim Report,  Focus Consultants (UK) Ltd for Culture East Midlands, June 2004

In 1999, the East Midlands Churches Forum set up a Cultural Working Group to respond to and work with the new government regional Cultural Consortium now Culture East Midlands. An initial survey was carried out on over 250 churches. The results revealed that 174 new works of art had been created and all the churches were engaged in some form of cultural activity.

In 2001, The East Midlands Cultural Strategy ‘Time for Culture’ (emda 2001) listed 48 different cultural elements – ranging from reading, film and broadcasting to architecture, parks, and built heritage – but faith groups were only explicitly identified under the ‘Celebrate our diversity’ – supporting all sections of community’ objective.

So more extensive research was undertaken and a report produced by Culture East Midlands and Art Council England to map and profile the scale, scope, and impact of cultural activities involving faith-based organisations in Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton, Derby and South Holland. It also wanted to identify the key issues, challenges, constraints and concerns surrounding the provision of this cultural activity. The Interim report has concentrated largely on Christian organisations. The final report will also examine the contribution of other faiths.

The Faithful to Culture report, however, shows that cultural activities provided by faith groups clearly contribute in a variety of ways to all of the 8 objectives set out in the emda’s 2001 report as the way to achieve its overall aim of increasing participation in cultural activities. 

Faithful to Culture also looked at the five Local Cultural Strategies in the five areas covered. Although all five recognised the value of culturally diverse communities in achieving their cultural aims, two gave no explicit acknowledgement of faith at all, one acknowledged at a general level the role of religion and festivals and celebrations as being a benefit of cultural diversity, and one acknowledged at a general level cultural life in a range of venues including churches and other places of worship, and only one recognised faith-based groups and communities as possible key partners in a proposed Cultural Forum. None of them gave any specific recognition of any particular faith group/organisation or faith-based activities.

However, one of the key findings was that there are large numbers of active and energetic staff/volunteers within faith-based organisations currently overseeing interesting, diverse and in some cases very innovative cultural activities. All possess relatively high levels of social capital and many are making valuable contributions to their neighbourhoods.

Key Findings:

• Cultural Activities ranged from festivals and celebrations, through visual arts, drama, literature and poetry, music and newsletters/magazine production. Festivals, Music and newsletter production were the most popular.
• The majority of those organisations who responded stated that the cultural activities were predominately of a Local Area significance. The main social groups that were targeted were Toddlers, Children, Young People, the Elderly and those outside the faith community.
• The majority of organisations stated that the activities/events identified were held in the Worship Area, second came ‘a Hall’ and thirdly a Community Centre. The majority of organisations also stated that they were happy with the suitability of the premises chosen for the identified cultural activity. That said a high proportion of the last group also stated that they would like to improve their facilities. There were also a small group who identified unsuitability of facilities and lack of funding as preventing or restricting them in terms of holding cultural activities.
• The majority of organisations did not employ anyone specifically to carry out cultural activities. Where there is a paid member of staff, it is a general member of staff. The overall findings suggest that the majority of places of worship largely have a small pool of committed paid workers and volunteers that offer their services in this area among other duties.
• The majority of  organisations are reliant on individual donations and fundraising to pay for the cultural activities they run. Secondary to this, a small number are also dependent on Grants. Very few had ever received funding from any the main funding bodies. Local Authorities were the highest funders, but only 10 organisations had benefited.
• Very few respondents indicated that they had ever worked in partnership with any of the potential partner organisations. The highest again was Local Authorities, but only 8 organisations stated that they had been in such partnerships. 

One of the key conclusions was that the majority of faith-based organisations do not fully appreciate the value of what they do and while aware of external agencies and government bodies, they have little capacity to or experience of working with them. The funders and policy makers themselves are often unaware of the value of linking faith with culture. Lack of funding and capacity to engage with funders and other potential partners can constrain the quality of some activities and limit the development of more cultural events and activities. The scope for collaboration and support is clearly enormous.

“There is scope to improve the scope and quality of cultural activities, particularly through the dissemination of existing good-practice, and move all organisations up the cultural hierarchy.” (Source: Faithful to Culture: Exploring the Link between Culture and Faith Across the East Midlands – Interim Report  June 2004)

Main Key Recommendations of Report:

• Move faith/ culture onto national, regional and local policy agendas.
• Aim to ensure that faith-based organisations are included in regional and local cultural and community strategies.
• Bring an end to policy makers and funders sidestepping the ‘minefield’ of faith and educate and inform decision-making.
• Encourage faith-based organisations to celebrate their cultural activities/ events.
• Enable faith-based organisations, through the dissemination of good-practice and development of networking opportunities, to establish strategies/ visions to help them progress up the cultural ‘hierarchy’.

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THE URBAN CHALLENGE

St Philip’s, Leicester, a church rebuilt after fire in 1996 now includes flexible space for community and multi-cultural activity as well as Christian worship and activities. Changing demographics over the last 40 years has meant that Leicester is the most multi-religious city in Britain outside London. The recent national report, Local Inter-Faith Activity in the UK (Interfaith Network of the UK, 2003) highlighted the importance of dialogue/friendship groups in helping to maintain and deepen inter faith relations, trust and community activity. There are several inter-faith groups active in Leicester,  three of which meet in St Philips.

The 2001 Census showed that this particular church is in an area where a largely elderly Christian population is now becoming a minority (16.2%) in comparison to the increasing populations of Muslim (33.7%), Hindus (25.8%), Sikhs (12.6%), Jews (1%), Buddists (2%) and other ethnic groups. A new mosque was built in the later 90s just over the road from St Philips. Over the years, good relations have been built up between St Philips and the Mosque leaders which proved crucial after the World Trade Centre and subsequent events.

“Clearly, our Christian duty in this situation is to find ways of working creatively with the Muslims for the good of the  whole community,” (Revd Diane Johnson, Vicar of St Philips, Leicester)

Regular visits are made by the local school which is 99.9% Asian, to learn about Christianity. Many Asian wedding parties are also held in the big hall. The Leicester Muslim-Christian Dialogue Group, which is open to all, meets on a regular basis in St Philip’s and elsewhere to talk about faith as well as wider political issues. To enable more women to take part, a group for Muslim and Christian women started in May 2002 meeting monthly at the Church where mutual explorations of faith and experiences are shared and strong friendships made. They also work together providing funds and other help for both Christian and Muslim charities.  There is also the "Family of Abraham" group, which includes Jews as well as Christians and Muslims. In June 2004, St Philips hosted a visit by the Kangawa Prefecture Religious Union, who say prayers for peace in a different venue in the world each year. The group included the Bishop of Leicester, the Bishop of Yokohama, a Buddhist monk and  Shinto priest, as well as many Christians and representatives of the major faith communities in Leicester, who all said prayers for peace (Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Bahai, Hindu and Christian). 

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In the Diocese of  Southwell :-

• A multi-racial centre at St Stephen’s, Hyson Green, with a particular emphasis on work with asylum seekers.
• The Vine Community Centre houses lots of projects which are both cross cultural and cross-generational. eg: young families’ project, PALS which provides a breakfast club, daily pre-school and lunch club from Monday to Friday for local children aged from as young as two years and upwards while supporting their parents and carers through a drop-in café with family worker support. Many of the children come from Muslim backgrounds whose parent specifically choose a faith context for their children’s care.
• Right in the centre of Nottingham city, there is the Matt Cross Project, an ecumenical venture. It serves young people who part of the amazing nightlife culture of the city today. It is very vibrant nightlife, but also one where there is drink and drug abuse. A situation mirrored across the country. The Church strives to keep in contact with young people.

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THE RURAL CHALLENGE

One parish in diocese, in a very rural area, St Bartholomew’s, Kneesall, Diocese of Southwell, in the absence of a village hall or any kind of public facility, the church – a heritage building – after much difficulty has been reordered so that the whole of the chancel is available as a space for the use of the community to carry out its activities.

The village post office in Sheepy Magna in Leicester closed at the beginning of 2003.  The post office authorities were looking for a replacement and the local vicar offered her church, All Saints, as a replacement. 12 modes grants were obtained to set up a sub-post office in the base of the tower, together with a required disabled WC and a community help desk. Recently officially opened by the local MP, it now opens two mornings a week and about 40-50 people a week now come to use the post office. The community help desk is to be further strengthened by a pensions advice service due to open shortly. 

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CATHEDRALS

Lincoln Cathedral

In 2003 Lincoln Cathedral produced a 10 year visitor development plan entitled “Realising the Potential”. This strategic review was funded by Lincolnshire County Council, an SRB grant and an anonymous donation. The money was used to pay for a project manager, specialist consultants and for extensive consultation. “Realising the Potential” identified and prioritised an investment programme in visitor services. It deliberately set its objectives in the context of local and regional tourism and economic strategies.

This provided the essential strategic justification which made it possible to secure the funding for the other two projects. It also enabled the Cathedral to influence other strategies most notably the Regional Tourism Strategy, Lincolnshire Enterprise Business Plan for 2004-7 and the Lincoln City Council 5 year Strategic Plan. We thus created a virtuous circle with our strategy influencing other strategies which in turn  contribute to our projects.

Two projects have resulted.

1. A £540,000 scheme to re-furbish a 13th century building into a visitor, education and study centre. Contributions came from Heritage Lottery Fund (267,500) Lincolnshire Enterprise (£100,000) and Lincolnshire County Council (£21,000) . It was opened at the end of April and is now available for use by the community, visitors, groups and businesses. There is a fully equipped lecture room, meeting and seminar rooms, an exhibition area and a walled garden with stunning views over the city and of the Cathedral. 

2. £393,000 towards a range of schemes which will improve the signage and interpretation of the Cathedral, disabled access improvements and preliminary works towards new toilets. Money has been received from Lincolnshire county council (£148,000) and Lincolnshire Enterprise (£191,500).

Because they have received public money the Cathedral is committed to delivering outputs such as new jobs, an increase in visitor numbers and spend, skills training, an increase in volunteer numbers etc.

The benefits will be economic – jobs, spend, training, and community – participation, activity, commitment.

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TOURISM AND VISITORS

Church Tourism Cascade Project, Lincolnshire

Lincoln Diocese has been active in church tourism for over twelve years working in close partnership with the local authorities within the area of the Diocese. The latest initiative is the Cascade Scheme, an ecumenical project involving the Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches and aiming to link the cathedral and all the churches in the diocese into one tourism process. At Lincoln Cathedral, visitors are given information about 9 “cascade churches” around the diocese. These churches are generally stewarded most of the time (and often with high visitor numbers because of their architectural or historic interest). From these, visitors can then find information about 44 “stream churches” in the local area and from there be directed to the remaining “pool churches”. Visitors can start at any point as the process also works in reverse. Over 300 churches are currently involved in the project. Each are encouraged to produce a welcome leaflet leading visitors around the church building and including information on the meaning of particular features, such as the font, altar and pulpit and items of special significance. They are also encouraged to provide a prayer corner with a board or book for prayers of intercession and thanksgiving and guidance on personal prayer, and to set out copies of the Bible, hymn and service book used in that church to aid familiarity.

Lincoln St John the Baptist is a Grade II* church, built in 1962-3 by Architect Sam Scorer of Denis, Clarke Hall, Scorer and Bright, and standing in the Ermine Estate (so called because it straddles the Roman Ermine Street), an area of post-war Council housing. It is cast in concrete with an aluminium-covered hyperbolic paraboloid roof and is notable for the coloured glass window dominating the east end. The church became involved in church tourism in 2000. A church guide was prepared in collaboration with Heritage Studies graduates from nearby Bishop Grosseteste College and the building is open and stewarded for one hour daily with a key available at other times. Prayer opportunities, guided tours, refreshments, a children’s area and postcards are provided.  In 2003, the church was awarded third over the whole Diocese in the Tourist Church of the Year Awards.

“People come here from all over. They just don’t expect to see a church of this quality in an urban estate” (Sue Brennan, Churchwarden)

“It is wonderful to be given these awards, as it recognises how important our church is in the community. The local junior school were doing a project about tourism and they were thrilled to be able to say they had a tourist attraction right on their doorstep.

We get visitors from all over the world coming to see our church in an area that does have some stigma attached. We want to do everything we can to show people just how much the Ermine estate has to offer residents and tourists alike”. (The Revd Stephen Hoy, incumbent).

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© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2004