Criticism of Church over Covid response is un-Christian – Yorkshire Post Letters

THE answer to Sarah Todd’s question ‘Where has the Church been throughout the pandemic’ is quite simple – it has been extremely active (The Yorkshire Post, December 5).

She seems to be unaware that the Church is a collection of people not just the clergy, many of whom are elderly and vulnerable people.

She also conveniently forgets that it was the Government who closed the church buildings during the lockdowns, not the clergy.

It was the clergy who, aided by their congregation, have provided spiritual comfort via online services. Funerals have also been arranged and officiated at, bringing much comfort to the bereaved. Additionally, many clergy and their flock have gone the extra mile to do a myriad things to help their fellow human beings – telephoning the elderly and lonely, preparing and delivering meals to the needy, running and helping food banks, stewarding at services etc.

Perhaps Ms Todd should reinvent herself as the charismatic individual who will encourage a few unsung heroes to join the Church’s ranks in supporting their fellow citizens of any religion or none.

From: Barbara Stephens, Wakefield.

SARAH Todd gives an unfair picture of the Church today.

I am writing, not just to defend the Church, because I recognise, along with myself, that the Church is full of imperfect people who need God’s grace, but also to encourage Sarah to look at the bigger picture.

I believe the Church has a voice in the pandemic – many food banks up and down the country are operating from churches, many churches are heavily involved in supporting community projects, numbers attending online Alpha courses (a course teaching about the Christian faith) have shot up, and many churches are providing online services for parishioners who are unable to attend church in person.

The clergy from my own church have rung round their parishioners every week to chat and check that they are okay.

As a Christian, I believe the Church is about more than confirmation classes, important as they are. It is about having a relationship with God.

The comments Sarah made about the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also seem unfair. It may be a case of imagining standing in his shoes to fully understand. A sabbatical, as I understand it, is to provide time for clergy to have some space, to step back from the job and to reflect. Rather than have an Archbishop who is burnt-out, I would gladly support a sabbatical.

From: Pat Rhodes, Bradford.

IN response to Sarah Todd, it’s about faith – about following what Jesus taught us. Not about going back to basics and baking.

In the church where I attend, the pastor and elders have visited everyone in our church family (I emphasise family) and handed out Christmas gifts.

Ours was delivered by hand and we live six miles from our church. Those of our church members who can, under Covid restrictions, are following their faith and serving the community – helping at food banks, shopping for those that can’t go out, phoning each other and those in our church groups and the wider community and staying in touch.

We are having a socially distanced toy collection for a local Salvation Army project. We have a lively Sunday online service with zoom link afterwards.

From: Gareth Robson, Kent House Road, Beckenham.

SARAH Todd lyrically mourns the passing of an age in which, for a majority of the English, life was a church-centred locally-anchored and comfortingly ordered routine.

She asks why vicars are not what they used to be (she could have pointed out that half of them, at last, are women) and why churches have not done more to help people through the pandemic. Fascinating questions but there is a bigger picture – the fabric of the English state, its constitution and its governance, and the role of the church therein over recent centuries.

What is the Church of England for? Who owns it? Who directs it and to whom is it accountable? Who agreed to Justin Welby’s three months off? It really is time for a clear out.

From: Peter Ricakby, Selby.

EVERY word of Sarah Todd’s article will have resonated with all whose formative years evolved around the activities of one’s local church.

I would like to add, for years prior to Covid-19, the hierarchy of the Church of England – the recent exception being Dr John Sentamu – has been totally divorced from grassroots reality.

Sadly, this continues at a pace today. They may be property rich but as an organisation are membership poor.

With leaders like Justin Welby, the future of the Church of England is seriously bleak. How the newly appointed Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, reacts will be pivotal towards any renaissance.

From: Katie Cutt, Asselby.

SO refreshing to read Sarah Todd’s article on the Church – true, matter of fact and down-to-earth. Pity we haven’t got more journalists like her! It made my Saturday morning to read her article.

From: Thomas Reed, Harrogate.

I COULDN’T agree more with Sarah Todd. We’ve all had tough years – but I’m struggling to work out what Justin Welby has done to warrant a leave of absence. With every passing day, it is clear that Dr John Sentamu should have been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury ahead of him.

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