Out into the lovely Lincolnshire countryside again today, this time to Thornton le Moor. Thornton is a tiny hamlet within the civil parish of Owersby which also includes North Owersby, South Owersby, North Gulham and South Gulham. From that list it sounds as though it should have a lot of people but at the 2011 census the total population of the five settlements was just 275 and they have two Anglican churches between them.
Driving there was lovely as I passed fields of nearly ripe barley. This part of Lincolnshire grows a lot of barley. There was no harvesting happening today as it was RAINING!!!
Thornton has a very rural church, this time up a rough track. The church is used only once or twice each month so various people bring flowers, bread, wine, linen and anything else which is needed. The time before the service tends to be very busy as everyone makes sure that the building looks worthy of God. This church is so rural that it doesn't even have electricity so one thing to check is that I have enough light to read the service book!
People came this morning from various villages around as tends happen in rural areas on the fifth Sunday in the month. There were a couple of dozen worshippers. Sheer joy.
Sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat is a rural church. What do they do for heat come winter?
ReplyDeleteThey wrap up well! Very few rural churches have heating as it would be very expensive t get a church warm a one hour service once a month. Some churches hand out hand warmers or hot water bottles as the people come but for the most part people know that the church will be cold and they dress accordingly.
ReplyDeleteLovely! But no electricity? How is that in the winter?
ReplyDeleteVery few rural churches are heated anyway - see my comment to Marcia above. The only difficulty can be light. I think British expectations of how warm a church will be are very different from American ones!
DeleteThere are some churches without electricity here on the Isle of Lewis but they do have gas lighting.
ReplyDeleteAt Thornton it's just candles and lamps.
ReplyDelete