We had our penultimate trip to the races of the year last night when Turn Of Phrase ran at Wolverhampton. She was in the same boat as Das Kapital had been over hurdles at Newbury on Wednesday, ie having the third of her three obligatory maiden/novice runs required before being eligible for handicaps. He had put in his best run so far on his third run and she too showed some promise, finishing sixth of the 11 runners at 80/1 and thus giving us encouragement to look ahead with cautious optimism to her graduation into low-grade handicaps.
That's enough of a racing overview on a weekend when the racing focus is on Hollie Doyle's participation in the short-list for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. We'll be watching that when it comes on shortly, and I've registered on-line for a BBC account to enable me to cast my vote. The national focus, though, is sadly on the twin debacles of the worryingly rapidly deteriorating COVID situation which has prompted the creation of Tier Four which will make Christmas more solitary for millions than it otherwise would have been, and the worry of a potentially impending No-Deal Brexit.
This, though, is the last Sunday before Christmas so rather than become bogged down by the twin national debacles we'll stay local and stay positive. I've been wanting to mention this on this blog for a while, looking for a suitable opportunity to do so, and the last Sunday of Advent seems as good a time as any. Newmarket has one large Protestant church on each side of the High Street (this anomaly having come about because, as historically the High Street was the boundary between Cambridgeshire on the north side and Suffolk on the south side, the two counties each had a parish in the one town). On this (north) side we have St. Mary's Church, while on the other side there is All Saints' Church, at the bottom of All Saints' Church.
Both churches, in common with pretty much every church in Britain, have inevitably become less central to life in the community as religious awareness has declined in recent decades. The congregation of All Saints' Church has come up with a splendid plan to reverse this trend, so the Cornerstone Project has been born. This is a wonderful idea with great scope for doing good, and rather than run through the details I am inserting this link to a very useful little film which explains what the idea is and what we hope will come to pass.
https://www.allsaintsnewmarket.org/cornerstonevideointroduction.htm
The downside is the project will require a very large amount of money to be raised, but we've started already. Where I come into this is that I have been appointed one of the projects two patrons, and thus am keen to do whatever I can to be of assistance in promoting the project and helping it to proceed. I feel honoured to have been asked, and hope that I can be of some use. As regards summing up the project, I'll just repeat the short summation which I gave to the Newmarket Journal last month:-
"The main problem facing the Church in the 21st century is how to remain central to society in an age of increasing agnosticism, because only by being an integral part of the community can the Church fulfill its remit and its potential to do good. It will become increasingly marginalised if it appeals only to people who believe in God. The project is a wonderful idea as it will enable All Saints' to reach out to all sections of the local community and to be a positive force for good in the lives of all the people of Newmarket."
3 comments:
Excellent final paragraph summing up the dilemma facing the established church it would seem people are not going to come to them they must reach out to the people , perversely i feel the obscenity of food banks many of which are being run by Churches may make people ponder their connection to the church , the more pro active the Church is the more relevant it becomes to people's lives
It is wonderful to see this initiative by All Saints as the very professional video explains.
The despairing sight of countless lifeless church buildings and with many services only being held on rotational occasions is testament to the erosion of the Church in the majority of peoples outlook and spiritual needs. This project, if propagated widely, in converting the majority of the structures to providing food, shelter and emotional support to the vulnerable will ultimately lead society to reappraise its understanding of Christianity and its relevancy in a very demanding world. All power to you John and I wish you fortitude as you go forward with this enterprising and detailed plan.
Thank you, David, Neil. Yes, I think that the course upon which All Saints' Church is setting itself is an ideal way of adapting to the changes in society to reassert itself as a major part of society. I'm proud to be involved.
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