The rest day, with some assorted observations

So it’s Sunday, the day of rest. And for me this Sunday does mean rest. A lie in, a leisurely breakfast, a few telephone calls and texts, then a stroll down the road into the town centre of Hessle.

I’m now in South Yorkshire, where heels are high, skirts are short, and jeans are tight. I’m not complaining! It’s interesting though to compare the atmosphere here with that in Breisach, which has about the same number of inhabitants as Hessle but is surely more affluent. Here there are dozens of people out on the streets, young and old, there are shops that are open, there are pubs and cafes doing good business, and none of this is tourist driven. There is a genuine buzz.

Hessle was once a significant shipbuilding centre, and it has some historic buildings of note. One of these is All Saints Church, a Grade 1 listed building. I strolled past it and thought to look inside. It was locked, at 1315 on a Sunday! Perhaps I’ve misjudged Hessle: perhaps that buzz that I felt conceals the fact that there are gangs of thieves and vandals roaming the streets at lunchtime on Sundays. I think not. What we have here is evidence that the Church of England in this diocese has lost its way. Go back over the Humber to those villages with their little isolated churches, all of which have ‘Open’ notices outside; or go to the Shepherds’ Church at Pyecombe or St Mary’s at Newchurch. That is how it should be. How on earth can you be relevant to people when you lock them out?

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