The Church of England, being a denomination with centuries of history behind it, inevitably carries with it many issues from the past. Did you know…..?
- There are 16,000 Anglican church buildings across the country.
- Of these, no less than 11,000 are listed grade 1 or 2.
- In the nation as whole, 40% of all grade 1 listed buildings are Anglican parish churches!
- The diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich (covering Suffolk) has 474 church buildings. Of these, only 20 are not listed.
- The current backlog of repairs in Suffolk alone stands at £50 million.
On the plus side, Gordon Brown as Chancellor agreed to start a VAT grant system which has handed back in excess of £30 million to the national church over the last 20 years.
One thing is for sure—it puts our car park into perspective.
But here is another jaw dropping statistic
Every year in the UK Christians give over 23 million hours of voluntary service in the name of Christ.
It is good to know that buildings are not being allowed to suck up all the energy.