Churches are places of worship but they are, increasingly, centres of social and charitable activity as well, not the least playing an important role in supporting the homeless. But does this inevitably lead to the secularisation of churches? And how can churches combine a zeal for social action with the need to do worship well?
Churches across Britain – from St Paul’s, Colwyn Bay to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Clerkenwell – host food banks and many more donate regularly to them. Church halls such as that of St Aidan’s, Coulsdon have been used as vaccination centres, and Anglican cathedrals at Bangor, Salisbury and Rochester have acted as either Covid-19 vaccination or testing centres. St Paul’s, Ludgvan allows pilgrims on the Cornish Celtic Way to sleep in the church. And churches of all denominations – for example, St James’s, Spanish Place, London – regularly host homelessness cafes and soup kitchens, job clubs and other community initiatives intended to support those in need in their local community and beyond. This is a use of churches that is plainly understood by secular observers and journalists.
