Three public meetings will take place to discuss the future of St Paul’s Church in Foxdale.
Among the suggestions to be discussed are: closing the church; running it as a community facility; using it as an exhibition centre and mining museum; or sharing the church with other Christian denominations.
The meetings will take place on: Wednesday, March 25, at 7.30pm in the Baltic Inn, Foxdale; on Thursday, March 26, at 3.45pm, in the community room at Foxdale School; and later that evening, at 7pm, in St Paul’s Church itself.
A spokesman for St Paul’s said: ‘For a century or so the church flourished, holding many social events for the community, baptisms, marriages, and providing a lasting resting place in its graveyard for many generations of residents of Foxdale and the surrounding area.
‘In recent times, for a variety of reasons, the congregation has declined.
‘The congregation, church wardens and vicar of St Paul’s have decided that the time has come to look at the future of the church. In particular, whether it should close or remain open with the building also serving the community in another way.
‘Is there a place for continuing worship at St Paul’s Church on an island with so many churches?
‘Should it become a mining museum, as was proposed a decade or so ago?
‘Can it continue as a place of worship, with baptisms, marriages and funerals, and provide a community facility for the people of the area?’
Bishop Robert Paterson said: ‘St Paul’s Foxdale is moving in the right direction – it is imaginative and very encouraging.
‘In 2009 the Diocese [of Sodor and Man] agreed that every parish should research the use that its churches could make for the benefit of their communities.
‘The Christian faith has just two priorities: God and people. The uses to which we put our buildings should meet those priorities.’
Leaflets are being delivered to households in the Foxdale area with the proposals and asking for the public to attend one of the meetings.
For more information, contact Reverend Janice Ward on 851378 or via revjaniceward@manx.net