The Inheritors of St Mary’s Reawakening

By Barry Richardson

This week, I stepped through the vestry door not to narrate, but to listen.

Outside and in, the scaffolding still cradles the tower. Protective boards linger. The church remains a building site—dusty, noisy, and in structured disarray. And yet, inside, something unmistakable is stirring.

Around thirty people gathered—mostly from the local community. There was excitement, yes, but also relief. Familiar faces smiled. New ones beamed. Many were drawn back into a space that has made and sustained memories for them. St Mary Magdalene is reemerging. And so are its people.

I’d come to hear about volunteering—what’s needed, what’s underway, and how we might extend the church’s opening hours to welcome pilgrims, visitors, and quiet seekers alike. But I left with something else: a sharper sense of the quiet architecture that sustains Newark’s reawakening. 

Volunteering: A Kaleidoscope of Callings

Volunteering at St Mary’s will take many forms. Some will serve tea in community café with easy-going warmth. Others will arrange flowers, their artistry woven through the rhythm of the liturgical year. Some will welcome visitors, guide the curious, and steward the space with a blend of knowledge, hospitality, and care.

I met guides—natural storytellers who bring the past to life and see the evolving interior layout as part of that living history. I met flower arrangers who understand the liturgical calendar by colour and scent, each with a signature style. I met welcomers and stewards whose confidence and warmth make them perfect for greeting teams and walking tour guides.

Others will sit on committees, shape outreach, and lead toddler groups. Each role matters. Each hand contributes to the wider mission. And each volunteer adds their own flavour to this reawakened church.

We heard a short presentation amid the industry of restoration—about safeguarding, reliability, personability, the knowledge we’ll need, and the many opportunities this newly reawakened church will offer. But we also discussed and reflected on the deeper benefit of volunteering: a sense of belonging, of purposefulness, of earned and shared pride.

The Spiritual Choreography of Showing Up

As I sat beneath the Great East Window, its kaleidoscope of imagery and light mirrored the kaleidoscope of skills St Mary’s will need. From the buzz around me, it’s clear: people are ready to play their part.

And also—there’s pride. Not the loud kind. The kind that settles in your chest when you realise your fingerprints are on something enduring. Some volunteers come to give back. Others come to heal. Many stay because they find family.

There’s a quiet thrill in knowing you make things possible. It’s not just service—it’s stewardship. And it offers something rare: belonging that isn’t performative, but earned.

St Mary’s is not just being restored—it’s being reinhabited. By people who care. By people who show up. By people who find, in the rhythm of volunteering, a kind of spiritual choreography: turn up, tune in, take part.

Benediction for the Inheritors

So this week’s blog is a benediction—for the inheritors. For those who don’t seek legacy but shape it anyway. For those who hold the door, the keys, the kettle, the knowledge they want to share. St Mary’s reawakening belongs to them—and to all of us.

Let the beating heart of Newark sound louder, steadier, and more joyfully than ever before—as the hands of volunteers take ownership of the next phase of St Mary’s life.

If you’re interested in volunteering, e-mail volunteering@stmnewark.org at St Mary’s or visit the website. There’s a place for you here—whether you hold the kettle, the key, or the story.

Let the quiet industry of volunteers take hold. Let St Mary’s presence in the community be nurtured and grown—for the next generations.

Whether you’re drawn to flower arranging, welcoming visitors, guiding tours, serving tea, or supporting community groups, there’s a place for your skills and spirit. 

Training and support are provided, and every role contributes to the church’s reawakening. Come as you are—curious, committed, and ready to take part.

Click here to visit our Volunteering page to find out more.