Missions and churches......

[oopsorganist]

We have a DVD about churches in Leeds. Preparing for closures and what not and so on...... I found it very cheering. It puts a context there which I guess I knew, but some things hit home when the history of growth of the Church is played in front of you... things like
the connection between the schools and the parishes ie the schools came first as Missionary activity and the lead for Social Justice in that education urgently delivered reduced poverty ......
the fact that many parishes until comparatively recently had Mass in schools or pubs or temporary buildings ..
....and that most of what I in my innocent view see as permanent features of the church landscape were Missions.......
..... and the question what do we do for immigrants now.......
I feel heartened. I have some idea being older that I am condemmed to playing an organ in an old church for ever and ever and ever Amen, surrounded by funerals and moaning about how the school never joins up with the parish and argueing about hymn numbers. On and on and on.

I wonder what's going to happen? It's quite exciting isn't it?