Stay of execution for Barmston church

A village church which was under the threat of closure has been given a ‘stay of execution’ following an uptake of interest.

All Saints’ Church in Barmston was subject to a crisis meeting called by the Archdeacon of the East Riding, the Ven Andy Broom, on Monday 4th April.

The meeting was to address the dwindling congregation, often in single figures since it reopened after the pandemic, as well as the lack of key roles being occupied such as churchwardens, a treasurer and a safeguarding officer.

However, with less than 30 in attendance and only around a third of those being residents of Barmston, the church’s future looked bleak.

From the meeting, which was part of a ‘Bums on Pews’ initiative, one volunteer agreed to regularly open the Sands Lane place of worship and two others also began helping out, meaning All Saints’ has seen a surge in interest.

Daily visits from people making a trip to Barmston, those passing by or residents popping in has increased tenfold, with some leaving donations in support.

Congregations have almost trebled on some occasions, with many new faces putting bums on pews.
Vicar at All Saints’, Rev Richard Hare, said that despite the positives, it is not a time for those involved to relax.

He told the Wolds Weekly: “We have been given a stay of execution somewhat, but we are not out of the woods yet.

“Opening the church regularly has really helped us and it has brought in new people who have made donations too.

“We’re very grateful to them and our three new volunteers who put their names forward at a recent meeting.

“Our congregation is regularly in double figures, including many new faces, whilst a family who regularly visits the holiday park didn’t realise we were open again and have started attending services.

“All of this has led to the Archdeacon agreeing that it is reasonable to delay any potential closure for another year, however if we are in the same position next year, I think the closure process will begin.

“I’m hoping we can appoint members of our parochial church council to fill the churchwarden, treasurer and secretary roles.

“People seem to value All Saints’ maybe more than they previously showed and hopefully this will help us to add to our support.

“We’re grateful to everyone who has helped us so far, including all the media coverage, but there’s still a long way to go.”