Day 26 Part 1 - Outside the bubble

I nipped into the Minster at Wimborne before I headed out of the town. Slowly walking through the north aisle I overheard a fascinating conversation about the structures of the Church of England, team ministries and shaping new patterns of clergy deployment. It turned out that a team from another diocese were visiting to make a film to support their plans for following a 'minster model' in response to falling clergy numbers. As I've travelled, I've found that most dioceses are grouping parishes together in some form of affiliation, as a way of managing reductions. I've also found that, as the archdeacon in the group visiting the Minster said to me, "nobody much likes it". The 'Minster Model' is about identifying strong churches from which to base mission to a much wider area than a parish. Other churches will continue to exist but not just for the sake of survival but to be part of a co-ordinated mission. I can see the strengths but it's not a panacea.

Anyway, it was good to chat with the clergy, and to find that two of them had Leicester connections.

This little encounter, in which I easily slipped back into the technical language of our profession, confirmed a theme that's been growing in my mind as I've travelled. The small world in which I move during my regular ministry is really quite different from the world outside. I'm sure that Christian faith is not just for Sunday mornings - it is real and relevant for all people everywhere. But for almost four weeks I've been living outside the 'church bubble'.

In Bournemouth, I collected Christian Aid envelopes on behalf of a friend's church. I wasn't wearing my clerical collar, just a tee-shirt and casual trousers. I was shocked by the high proportion (two thirds) of outright refusals. In my experience in far less prosperous parishes, there is much more generosity.

My casual dress might have been a factor. People are generally very polite to vicars and don't always say what they really think. In this aspect, I'm actually appreciating the disconnection from my role that this pilgrimage is bringing me. I have little status as a wanderer.

I followed the Stour Valley way once again, and the quiet road which runs between high hedges up to Blandford Forum.

[continued in part two]