Why doesn’t the C of E care about people like me?

Visitors to London are often puzzled by the “little” church that stands alongside Westminster Abbey. What is it doing there? There has been a church on the site of St Margaret’s since the 12th century. In 1614 it became the parish church of the Palace of Westminster. In 1972 it came under the control of the Abbey. Samuel Pepys was married there, and so was Winston Churchill.

I began going there 26 years ago. Many MPs and peers used to go in those days, but the congregation was always from all over London. It was exceptionally friendly and welcoming. The music was wonderful, the liturgy a perfect marriage of old and new, and the preaching excellent. I stayed.

But on July 3 the new Dean of Westminster Abbey, Dr David Hoyle, announced without warning that “it is no longer appropriate or viable to maintain Sunday worship at St Margaret’s”. The lack of consultation is unique to what are known as Royal Peculiars. Effectively the Dean can do what he likes. And he has decided that our service will stop.

We were shocked. Our wardens were inundated with calls and emails from congregants. Our new rector dismissed this as “just bereavement”. We were told we could transfer to the Abbey for services, though we would have to queue up with the tourists, and go through security.

Various reasons were suggested for the decision. Initially, it was that money was the problem, thanks to Covid, and the loss of tourist income. Odd, then, that the Abbey is currently advertising for a fourth organ scholar at a salary of £14,000 a year. And our service is largely paid for by donations. The Abbey has now acknowledged money is not the reason.

A new argument was advanced to do with duplication of services. But our services are completely different from those at the Abbey. The Abbey lacks a regular congregation, and mostly consists of tourists. Its services are not intimate, nor do they invite participation.

We are prepared to be flexible. We can change the time of our service; make it more traditional; alternate the Eucharist with Matins. But there is a fundamental difference between us and the Abbey. Without St Margaret’s, the Abbey is predominantly just a tourist attraction.

Many of us have concluded that the real reason for the decision is that we are a nuisance, in a way that occasional participants and tourists are not. But is the Church of England so awash with congregations that it can afford to dismiss 180 worshippers? I think not.

Where has the Church been during these last awful months? It closed its doors to the clergy as well as to its members, even though the Government said that wasn’t necessary. The Church leadership has been disappointingly silent. We have had no words of spiritual comfort for these worrying times. Only one person has filled that void at this time: the Queen. When she spoke on television she did so with deep seriousness and compassion, and in that simple promise “We shall meet again,” she went to the heart of all our fears about the future, and offered consolation.

Our Church leaders might learn from her example. We, the congregation of St Margaret’s, would like to have that opportunity too, to meet again in fellowship in our church.