Building role for St Mary's Church as community hub

When the Rev Toby Wright was appointed rector three-and-a-half years ago he saw a beautiful building in desperate need of funds for its upkeep and renovation – and, building on the £2m restoration appeal already in place, spearheaded a radical plan to assure its future.

He suggested opening up the church for community events.

In the past 18 months, a ball, beer and food festivals have taken place, and now things are being taken a step further, with St Mary’s in the throes of becoming a one-stop wedding venue.

Couples will be able to have their religious ceremony, reception and entertainment, all under St Mary’s soaring rafters.

“Witney has this socking great building – one of the biggest covered spaces in West Oxfordshire – and it’s absolutely amazing,” said Toby, 38, who moved to Witney from Peckham in South London with his wife Sally, also a priest, and young family.

“We have been really fortunate that people have been praying and longing for the church to be renewed and revived and, in a sense, to be owned by the community again.

“Although it feels very radical for the 21st century, it’s not that radical if you look back in history and see what happened when it was built, in the 13th century.

“We need to be thinking carefully about how we do it, and hold in mind that it is a sacred space and sacred community, but I think there is a great and growing sense that we are recapturing, if you like, the medievalisation of our building and its inherited history.

“It would have been a big interior space where people met and had dances and parties. I don’t know what the medieval equivalent of a barn dance would be, but that’s the kind of thing that happened.

“I think there’s something very exciting about trying to get rid of saying the church has to be either/or, and to actually see secular as sacred and sacred as secular.”

Toby admits it is all “fairly cutting-edge” but says he has met with little negativity, and a great deal of enthusiasm – not least from the influx of churchgoers, especially young families, since his arrival.

This also applies to the other churches within the parish – Hailey, Curbridge, and Holy Trinity Church in Witney. Crawley is also in the parish, but has no church.

“We have a very exciting story happening here,” said Toby, who lives in the rectory alongside the church with Sally, 37, and their children Caspar, five, and two-year-old Felicity.

“Since I arrived the congregation has grown significantly, more than doubled. Most weeks there’s a new family or two in church on Sunday.

“We worship and we socialise, and have lots of fun. We are particularly trying to say something about a life of faith and connecting Christianity into everyday life, rather than just a slot on Sunday.”

This has led to a variety of spin-offs, including a regular ‘curry night’ get-together of the men, with a speaker.

“That has had a massive impact, because statistically if you get the men to come to church, then wives, partners and children will follow,” Toby explained.

“We have now got a group of over 30 guys aged between 20 and 40, and the women’s group is also up-and-running.

“I’m a great believer in being a magpie – if it sparkles I want it. So we make it our business to find out what is happening in other places, and what works well – and then to contextualise it to make it relevant to us.

“Last night, for example, we went to the New Inn in Witney, of which I am chaplain, and had a fantastic time at an Aunt Sally match against a team of Roman Catholics.

"The other week we ran a children’s club, ecumenically with the other churches in town, and had over 100 kids at that – it was absolutely brilliant.”

Toby’s enthusiasm is infectious, and inspiring. He is delighted to have a large and committed team of people behind him, including a manager for the wedding venue project – most of the work is being done voluntarily.

Other events being discussed for the next year include film, music and art festivals — but before that there is much to be done including looking at interior design and lighting, renewing the electrics, upgrading the toilets and, further down the line, putting in a new stone floor.

There is a commitment to sustainable energy too, with underfloor heating, solar panels and ground source heat pumps up for consideration.

The church pews have been removed and replaced with chairs, which offers much greater flexibility, and the roof has been made sound.

“It’s fairly soul-destroying when you have to put your money into the roof, because you can’t see anything, but on the other hand it means you don’t need buckets in the church to catch the water – which is quite positive,” says Toby.

Unlike many churches, St Mary’s does not have a trust fund for its upkeep, so raising money is vital. Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron, has named St Mary’s as his favourite church, and is patron of the restoration appeal fund.

“Finance is, of course, our priority, and we’re looking at applying for grants and Lottery money – it’s an ongoing process. We received a £10,000 bequest recently – and that kind of thing is a tremendous boost,” said Toby.

“We want St Mary’s renewed and fit for excellent purpose, rather than just surviving.”

It is clear that Toby and his team have carefully considered the way forward with their plans for St Mary’s.

He said: “One of the key comments from people about weddings in hotels is that they can have the whole thing in one place. Using a church as a wedding venue is more common in America than the UK. It does happen here, but I think it’s fair to say it’s unusual.

“However, I think there’s a real integrity to it in terms of honouring the whole celebration and not saying it’s just about the marriage service and sacrament.”

To those who question a link between the church and a beer festival, or a vicar being chaplain to a pub, Toby commented: “I am quite sure Jesus would have been out in the pubs talking to people. The church is not a vacuum cleaner sucking things in, but a leaf blower — going out and serving the community.”

Toby and Sally are happy to be putting down roots in Witney, having spent five years in Peckham.

“It was a deprived urban area, very different to West Oxfordshire,” said Toby. “We had a very lovely five years there, but this is like coming home, as I was born in Oxford and lived in Wantage when I was a child.”

He went on to read theology at New College in Oxford, and he and Sally were married 10 years ago.

“We met when we were toddlers, dated in sixth-form, went our separate ways to university, but got back together,” said Toby.

Sally is an assistant priest in the parish, but has had time out after the birth of Felicity, and to do a course.

“We love Witney, it’s a super place to be as a family with lots of things going on,” she said. “We are definitely staying here.”

On days off they enjoy walks in the Cotswold countryside and Toby relaxes by indulging his love of cooking – “my mother taught me, I particularly enjoy puddings” – reading and “being an armchair critic of the England rugby team.”

For more information about St Mary’s and its sister churches, see witneyparish.org.uk