Is the Church of England 'Clapped Out'?

But it made me wonder whether other Express and Star readers might have the same view? After all, if we don't tell people what the churches are up to, how are they meant to know? And in my experience churches are much better at putting their faith into action rather than talking about the difference they are making to their local communities, so I am very grateful for this opportunity to set the record straight.

I have a bit of a misleading title. As Bishop of Wolverhampton I actually have oversight of Church of England churches way beyond the City, including Walsall, most of West Bromwich, Cannock and beyond. You can imagine how much time I spend talking about football.

See all blogs written by Peter Rhodes here.

But my responsibilities give me a privileged overview of what the Church does and represents across a sizeable part of the West Midlands.

For example, within my area of responsibility there are 60 Church of England schools serving their neighbourhoods. My son goes to one of them, and I know that they are inclusive schools, welcoming children from all faiths and none. They are schools tend to be very over-subscribed, not only because their academic achievement is often very high but because of the Christian values that they promote. These values, which are often shared with people of other faiths and none, reflect Jesus' teaching about love and care for our neighbour, and the importance of fairness, honesty and integrity.

Whenever I visit Church schools I am always impressed by the caring ethos and by the conduct of the children.

Recent independent research has found that over 10 million adults a year use community services delivered by churches. As the largest voluntary organisation in the country, the Church of England is at the heart of this provision. Many Express and Star readers will have used or know someone who has used food banks, night shelters, lunch clubs, play groups, job clubs or debt advice services run by volunteers from our churches. Many others will have participated in groups which meet in church run premises, from Brownies to kick boxers.

The Church is constantly seeking to serve our neighbourhood communities through meeting the needs of local people and as these needs change so we seek to find new ways of supporting them. Food banks, job clubs and debt advice services are direct responses to the needs of individuals during these tough economic times. So too is a recent partnership with local credit unions aimed at encouraging pupils in church schools to acquire the habit of regular saving.

As our population ages, the needs of the elderly are becoming more evident and local churches have been working hard on how their buildings, services and activities can become dementia-friendly.

From our work with the elderly and the bereaved we are aware of the taboo that often exists around death, and a number of our churches have recently been giving local people the opportunity to come together to talk about death and dying in a safe and welcoming space, answering practical questions and providing support and understanding.

All of these activities and many more are undertaken because, ultimately, of our desire to take seriously Jesus' teaching that love of God and love of our neighbour are inseparable. And just as, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed us that our neighbour is anyone in need of our care or friendship, regardless of religion or race, so the Church tries to work to strengthen ties between individuals and communities.

We have a long standing investment in developing inter-faith relations across the region. A new project called Near Neighbours is an exciting example of this. The project makes available grants to Black Country faith communities for events and activities which will help people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds get to know and understand one another better.

The Church of England is often represented in places where you might not expect and we have many Chaplains at places such as Wolves FC, Marstons Brewery & the Grand Theatre as well as in every University, hospital and prison in the area. Their purpose is often simply to be a presence, a listening ear, available to all.

All of this without mentioning what readers may think of as the core business of the Church, the services that take place in our church buildings, including christenings, weddings and funerals.

The times when we celebrate or commemorate key moments in our lives and ask for the Church's assistance in helping us to understand their meaning in the light of the Christian understanding of God and His purposes for us. Times when we are drawn to a sacred space, often for reasons we don't fully understand. Just as thousands of people were drawn to Lichfield Cathedral to remember and honour Stephen Sutton, just as countless people have recently been drawn to churches to remember the outbreak of WW1.

As Christians we are only too aware of our failure to live out our faith as Jesus would wish. We know that all too often we get it wrong and the Church's history is littered with much that it needs to repent of. This is why we are reluctant to blow our own trumpets. And yet what God enables through the work of the Church is surely part of the glue that holds this society together. At a time when we are suffering such severe cuts in community services and when so many people are not able to have their needs met by national or local government, are not the millions of hours of voluntary service offered through the work of the churches absolutely crucial? And at a time when we are so aware of terrible conflict within and between faith communities overseas, is not the investment of the churches in inter-faith dialogue and community cohesion vital for all of our aspirations for a peaceful and harmonious future?

The Church of England does face real challenges as it seeks to sustain its life and work in this generation. But is it clapped out? Absolutely not, as I hope this article has demonstrated. And we are part of a much greater whole, part of a Christian family that numbers over two billion worldwide.

Not a bad following for a young Jewish carpenter 2,000 years after his brutal execution on a Roman cross. Anyone wanting to find out more will find a church very close to where you live, open and ready to welcome you.