The Alpha programme has offered the Church a good beginning in this direction. But there is more, much more. Over the past few years, although income to our parishes has been level, expenses have increased causing deficit positions for some parishes as well as for the diocese. Too often the maintenance of beautiful but tired buildings, together with the cost of clergy and other staff, consumes all our resources leaving little for anything new or creative. To make renewal and strengthening of our Church possible, programmes of stewardship and financial development must be given a much higher priority and profile.
People invest in what they really believe in.
A problem for many of our people is that the credibility of the Church has taken a beating in the last number of years. The institutional church with all its problems is probably not regarded as a great investment. But the renewal of people and congregations will bring a change to this so that as people see things that were broken are being put right, and things old made new, they will respond. A few months ago I was driving through the country with one of our priests. Up on a hill I caught sight of a new church gleaming in the sun.