wfn.org | ACNS3412 Churches Tourism Association supports Restoring Hope

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3412     |     ENGLAND	|     16 APRIL 2003 

Churches Tourism Association supports Restoring Hope initiative

The Churches Tourism Association (CTA) has welcomed the "Restoring Hope in
our Church" initiative, launched by a coalition of Anglican mission agencies.

Mrs Rosemary Watts, national press officer for CTA, said, "We agree with the
Archbishop of Canterbury that 'God always gives the church what it needs to
be the church.' The CTA believes that our church buildings, especially our
parish churches, are a gift from God. They are a visible opportunity in every
place for the church to engage with the local community throughout the week,
not just in the one hour or so when the building is used for congregational
worship."

The CTA encourages churches to welcome visitors, and draws attention to the
advice from church insurers that, wherever possible, a church should be left
open during the day. Mrs Watts said that experience showed that when a church
is left open many people visit who would not wish to attend a church service.

Through the interpretation of the church building in the context of its
meaning (rather than offering merely architectural and historical
information) the church can become a spiritual resource for the whole
community. In addition, many churches offer opportunities for leaving prayer
requests and also thanksgiving, and these can enable the congregations better
to fulfil their traditional role of offering prayer for the whole community.

Mrs Watts said that opening the church during the day costs nothing; there
was no difference in the insurance premium on an open church. Evidence from
churches, which had changed from being locked to being open daily, was that
crime, especially vandalism, significantly decreased or even ceased
altogether.

The CTA exists to promote the need for churches to welcome tourists and to
educate churches and others about the benefits which can arise from such a
welcome. A 'tourist' is anyone who visits the church outside the times of a
service, including visitors from within the local community. A common comment
from local residents, particularly non-churchgoers, when a church changes
from being locked to being open is "We've got our church back."

CTA encourages the sharing of good practice, assists the development of
partnerships at national, regional and local level, particularly for the
development of church tourism and provides resources to assist members in
their work, including a regular newsletter and web site.

__________________________________
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