Change: challenge or opportunity?
By Kay Bellhouse
St Mary Magdalene’s church spire can be seen for miles around Newark, a beacon welcoming us to the market town of Newark. The Church is a calm, quiet refuge for many during the “busyness” of the town, and she offers a place to pray, sit & reflect, or quietly wander around and read about all the moments in the Church’s history, and who has worshipped there over the centuries. It was the gorgeous market square and the quiet majesty of St Mary Magdalene that first attracted me to Newark when I chose it as my new hometown.
I remember the first time I read about the Reawakening Plan…and subsequently realised the building would be closed for quite a while. While logically I knew how St Mary Magdalene has been at the heart of Newark for centuries and in order for it to continue to be the beacon it is, the work is vital to preserve the magnificent building for years to come, yet emotionally I quietly felt very differently. I personally hadn’t been in Newark or at the Church for very long, and I was feeling quite sad and somewhat uncertain about the future with the prospect of not being in that fabulous building for about a year or so. It was quite a reflective day for me personally when arranging one of the last flower arrangements in St Mary’s until it reopened….Change can be challenging.
The new situation in many respects was indeed a rather unnerving challenge for me personally as it was others and initially it felt rather strange worshipping somewhere new. I am so blessed to have felt open to working through those feelings…and the strange feeling of worshipping in a different building didn’t last long at all. I met new people, as I witnessed other people doing the same. We have in turn learned each other’s stories. Coming into church I now hear more conversations, see more people greeting one another with hugs or a handshake, there’s more laughter, and subsequently new friendships have been made, or in the very least strengthened. How truly wonderful has this change become? The “new” has become an opportunity for all of us to learn and grow in our community and for me, has in turn strengthened my faith.
Subsequently after reading about, and then experiencing, various activities through the “activity plan” as part of the Reawakening it was wonderful to see how many different people from our extended Newark community attended talks, workshops and tours. Subsequently, I feel both our Church congregation and outreach to the community is renewed, reenergized, and I don’t believe without closing the building we would be here right now. Change is indeed a fundamental aspect of life. In our case I believe it has truly become a catalyst for growth.
As I reflect on the journey of the 8 months or so, and now welcoming the quickly-approaching day when the building will be reopened, I am feeling very excited about the future, seeing where we can go from here and what will be happening within our newly renovated beautiful and majestic St Mary Magdalene…In closing, I look to the words of C S Lewis:
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind”
Love and Blessings, Kay Bellhouse