By: MARGARET BROWN
IT IS a sad fact that older people predominate in many Church of England congregations. As a result, attendance is diminishing; churches are closing and fewer people are entering the Ministry.
Services in our local Catholic Church, here in the Algarve, are well attended by a balanced mixture of both young and old. Whether this is because a godless lifestyle has not yet suborned the young, or children are firmly grounded in Christian values from an early age, the reasons remain to be seen.
Whatever the cause, all age groups appear equally welcomed and there is a strong family atmosphere.
When I was a child, we were of an era to be seen but not heard. The 1939-46 war put paid to that, giving the rising generation a value rarely accorded to the inexperienced and after doing ‘our bit’ for Britain, we spent our middle years earning a living, rearing children and putting something in the bank toward retirement.
Now, we are reaping a bitter harvest because our grandchildren, the parents of whom my generation often failed to teach Gospel values, have little interest in Christianity and church going. Partly because of this, the family unit is beginning to suffer.
Not everywhere.
Although the Church of England seems to be losing its grip on things, here and there, a real effort is being made to reverse the trend. The challenge is to engage the interest of young children, in the hope that they will encourage their parents to participate and bring new life to corporate worship.
Meanwhile an ageing nucleus of people is still required to do the routine jobs, for which others have no time, and we continue to worship and to serve until no longer able.
