BREAKING BREAD
THE bitter deadlock be- tween the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania and an influential community group op- posing the mass sale of f churches appears to be e over. Both sides took a step towards reconciliation this week after meeting formal- ly for the first time.
A stand-off in which the Save Our Community Soul coalition of politicians and citizens condemned Bishop Richard Condie’s plan to offload “unsustainable” churches thawed after the meeting, where key sticking points were discussed.
In their first sit-down, the community group asked the bishop for more time for communities and parishes to come up with viable strategies to keep their much-loved churches.
Bishop Condie said he was open to a formal request to push back the date and take such a proposal to the diocesan council, if warranted.
Hobart Alderman Damon Thomas was one of four members of the group taking concerns about what they described as a “flawed process” to Bishop Condie at the meeting in Hobart.
The deadline for parish and community submissions to make a case for keeping their houses of God has been pushed out once already, to October 1.
Ald Thomas believes the diocesan council and synod underestimated the social importance of churches to many communities, particularly in country areas, whether or not people worshipped at services.
“It has been a legally correct but socially incorrect process,” Ald Thomas said of the proposed “fire sale” of up to 108 church properties, including 76 churches.
“The parish is clearly at odds with the community and therefore, while it’s a legally sound [process], it’s ethically and morally wrong,” he said.
The community had not been properly consulted by parishes before the Anglican Synod voted overwhelmingly in favour of the sales, he said.
The chief goal of this week’s meeting was to ensure the community voice was well and truly represented in the feedback and submission assessment process.
Bishop Condie said the meeting had provided valuable “clarification on both sides”.
Communities and individuals could feel confident their feedback would be considered alongside formal parish submissions, he said.
“We want to hear community voices and everything we receive will be taken into account.”
Detailed submissions and feedback would strongly influence outcomes, with considerations given to historic and cultural heritage as well as the potential future need for a church presence in the area.
“What we are really hoping [to receive] from the community is a better understanding of the context, history and heritage [to enable best decisionmaking],” Bishop Condie said.
Bishop Condie encouraged anybody wishing to have a voice in the process to write in.
“We are more interested in written submissions than the outcomes of public protest meetings,” he said.
The proposed church sales are part of a plan to revitalise the church in Tasmania by changing the style and delivery of some ministry, while also providing redress to historical victims of child sexual abuse.
A quarter of the $20 million raised by the sales will go towards redress, with more than half of the funds directed back in to local parishes to try to increase engagement.
Full report in TasWeekend