Archbishop of Wales: open the doors all week long

At a Church in Wales conference beginning today in Cardiff, the Archbishop of Wales Dr. Barry Morgan, will urge the people of his province to open their parish doors all week long, to better integrate the parishes in the daily life of their neighborhoods and communities.

The conference, "Transforming Communities and Congregations," is being attended by clerics, lay people, architects and conservation experts. As its name implies, it's designed to help parishes move from the periphery directly to the center of their communities. Dr. Morgan is chairing the conference, which should please the members of the Church in Wales, since it indicates he is quite interested in directing the full resources of the Church into promoting the Conference's mission and goals.

"A church that is closed Monday to Friday is the worst possible advertisement for Christianity," Dr. Morgan says. "We cannot go on locking up our treasures in closed buildings any more. We have to fling open the doors of the churches physically, as well as metaphorically."

He says, "This is about changing perspectives as well as reality. Too often we are perceived to be rather peripheral to the mainstream Monday - Friday life of organisations, communities and individuals. This is another way to help us move from the edge of people's radar screens so that they can see the relevance of Christianity to their lives."

As Episcopal/Anglican churches look for ways to attract seekers and visitors, one sure way is to keep the doors open as much as possible so that the Church can be a regular presence in the life of the community.