Community values

IT'S unlikely the prayers of church leaders for £200m to restore places of worship will be answered by Gordon Brown. Not only does the country have other spending priorities, but the Church of England remains one of the country's wealthiest landowners and the Prime Minister will justifiably point out that £100m of public money has been allocated to restoration projects since 2001.

Yet, while churches contribute so much to the nation's heritage, they remain a focal point for local communities – the fulcrum of parish activities. And it is here that the answer to the CoE's funding

conundrum rests, rather than in the rarefied atmosphere of the General Synod which will debate the subject of government funding tomorrow at the behest of the Archdeacon of Leeds.

If more clergy looked to further develop proactive measures to encourage more families to use their facilities and restore community values, rather than creating the impression that they're preoccupied with the struggle for the CoE's soul, then their various fundraising appeals may be answered more generously.