The “O God, it’s the Vicar” series of enquirer’s courses was intended to be an accessible opportunity for people in Upper Weardale to ask questions about faith, church, and Christianity. By choosing a slightly jokey and irreverent title, “O God, it’s the Vicar”, I hoped to make it feel like this could be fun – or at least: not boring. The fifth and final of this series was held in St John’s Chapel last night. How many came along? Three people! Three!
The purpose of the evening was to create space for questions, and three people came along, but all was not what it seemed. These three people regularly go to church, and wanted to support and encourage me. That was really lovely of them, but although we had a nice evening together, it wasn’t the same as those times in Eastgate and Stanhope where people came with genuine questions. I could count this as three people, but I should really count it as zero enquirers.
What are the scores on the doors?
- Cowshill – zero
- Eastgate – two
- Stanhope – four
- Frosterley – zero
- St John’s Chapel – zero
In a future post I’ll reflect on what I have learned, and what this means for rural mission in Upper Weardale.