Sarah Todd: Country churches are glad to be of service to young worshippers

It has been interesting to hear back from a number of country parishes that go the extra mile to appeal to the younger generation. It’s always also heartening to hear of areas that celebrate their rural roots with services such as Plough Sunday in January.

Another favourite is Rogation Sunday, which falls this year on Sunday, May 29.

We’re not particularly “Churchy” but the discipline of being respectful, sitting still, thinking about others and knowing the Lord’s Prayer off by heart can’t really be a bad thing. Of all the congregations to get in touch, a note from St Leonard’s Church at Farlington, in North Yorkshire, stood out. Their service tomorrow at High Towthorpe Farm sounds smashing, with the congregation moving around Geoffrey and Margaret Singleton’s farm as the crops, animals, farm machinery and farmers themselves are blessed. Many others take the brave step of encouraging people to bring along their own pets and livestock.

Years ago, we once took a spaniel along to our local Rogation Service and wanted the aisle to open up and swallow us below as it casually cocked its leg up at the end of a pew.

To change the subject quickly, an encouraging announcement from Farming Minster Jim Paice is a proposed shake-up of the Single Payment. More specifically, prioritising payments so that “genuine farmers who need the money for cash flow” are paid first.

Having a phobia of mathematics, these payments are something that I have never properly understood. But what has never seemed right about them, from this layman’s point of view, is the handing out of them to “pony paddock” or “hobby farmers”. Also, the obscene amounts of money that must be paid out to some of the huge estates that are doing very nicely thank you. It just doesn’t seem right.

We could have applied for some sort of payment, but The Husband and I make our money – or lack of it! – from other enterprises rather than our land. But so many people – often well-educated, so able to fill out the forms and get them in quickly – seem to get big payments for what is nothing more than their hobby rather than a main source of income. In a time of job cuts, this just doesn’t seem right.

There’s nothing wrong in my mind with helping support genuine farms – at least it’s possible to see what good the money is doing rather than the bureaucratic black holes so much cash was poured down by the last government.

What a grumbler this week. Must get to one of these Church services and say a prayer to get some more uplifting thoughts going.