Like many churches, Christ Church Southgate is one of those places which needs to actively reach out to people in the community. As Churchwarden I found an effective ‘arrow of evangelism’ was the history of the parish and the beautiful art and memorials in the church. These could be used to tell a narrative of how the parish had evolved from a small village to the north London suburb we see today. In exploring the history of our community through the art and memorials in church, new connections were made – street and building names took on a new significance and meaning. People saw they were connected to the church. They became ‘living stones’. The history and art inside the church helped to both break down and build up the walls of the church at the same time.
Realising that I knew nothing about the names of the 146 men on our WW1 memorial prompted a frenetic period of research – which developed into a three year long remembrance project – as different members of the parish started to take on – and complete – this history – weaving the stories of these men into the stories of their own lives.
I was interviewed by Ed Thornton, Assistant Editor of The Church Times, about the project for the Armistice Centenary edition of the Church Times Podcast. Listen here.
