Daniel French
A Covid carol concert? No, thanks
To imagine that the Church of England could contemplate effectively cancelling Christmas may sound like the stuff of Dickensian melodrama or scripted out of the Grinch. Of course, not even the Pope has the power to erase the 25 December. But this year's church celebrations could be so muted that Christmas effectively becomes a minor feast. Just as exhausted people need their spirits lifted, toning down Christmas could be the final straw. Oliver Cromwell would be delighted.
None of this might seem plausible, of course, until you consider the heavy handedness of church authorities during the initial lockdown. Parish churches were closed, even for private prayer, and vicars were banned from entering. While essential shops stayed open, it seemed that deep cleaning pews was beyond our volunteer capacity, unless the holy site was doubling up as a food bank, of course.
Transfer this mindset onto carol services and those who turn up once a year may not bother. The likelihood is that those who do want to come will require an online struggle trying to secure a ticket, complying with track and trace, donning face masks, and scrubbing up with hand gel. And, of course, parties of more than six will have to separate.
All of this hassle would be for a liturgy where there is no congregational singing and the church is taped out like a crime scene. At Christingles, the traditional candle in the orange will likely be graded as a biological hazard. ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ would be rebranded into ‘Nine Lessons and Spotify’. Then there is the administration of Holy Communion at Midnight Mass with more of the ambience of a dental visit than a glimpse of transcendence. After the final benediction, vergers will hurry the congregation out ensuring no mingling in the churchyard afterwards. I suspect many will stick with Netflix rather than heed the call to ‘O Come all ye faithful.’
What concerns me is the nagging thought that there is a group lodged within the higher echelons of the church for whom this scene brings nearer the aims of their progressive playbook. In the first week of lockdown, the cat was let out of the bag somewhat when an edict was issued proclaiming that now was the time for a ‘radically different' way of doing church. But is that really something to celebrate?
My worry is that dwindling attendances could be used to justify the mass closure of small churches, along with clergy redundancies. A poor turnout for Christmas might be portrayed as confirming the parish church in general has passed its sell-by date. I fear that next year could see lots of churches either being mothballed or closed outright in a bid to save money.
Don’t get me wrong: I can see the value in using the internet as a means of reaching those who might not otherwise come to church. As a former IT teacher, there is much to be gained from the church upping its game online. And sure: many clergy and their flock heroically ran services on Facebook or Zoom during lockdown with little more than a smartphone. Viewing figures were initially impressive but it was clear that, after Easter, the slump set in. In the battle of the screens, how can we compete with the billions that companies like Netflix have invested in marketing so as to hook our souls? Do we really want to close churches and replace them with online services that make 1970s regional TV look like Hollywood?
Last year, a satisfied visitor at the end of our Christingle remarked to me that they travelled for miles for this as it was the highlight of their year. Frazzled at managing 500 excited attendees, I replied that if he liked it that much then maybe I should schedule it every week. Sadly, this year, even managing one such service might be a stretch.
