Church

Church Salisbury area bucks trend but fewer people identify as Christian in UK

The number of people identifying as Christian has decreased in England and Wales according to the voluntary census of religious identity carried out in 2021.

Participation was up from the previous survey from 92 to 94% (56 million responses). The decrease corresponded to an increase in the number of people reporting as having no religion.

For the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%, 27.5 million people) described themselves as “Christian”, a 13.1 percentage point decrease from 59.3% (33.3 million) in 2011.

Despite this decrease, “Christian” remained the most common response to the religion question. “No religion” was the second most common response, increasing by 12.0 percentage points to 37.2% (22.2 million) from 25.2% (14.1 million) in 2011.

There were increases in the number of people who described themselves as “Muslim” (3.9 million, 6.5% in 2021, up from 2.7 million, 4.9% in 2011) and “Hindu” (1.0 million, 1.7% in 2021, up from 818,000, 1.5% in 2011).

Wales saw a 14 percentage point decrease in people reporting as Christian, from 57.6% in 2011 to 43.6% in 2021.

People in the Gazette area bucked the trend somewhat with most districts seeing higher numbers of people identifying as Christian than the national average.

Only Salisbury Bemerton had a lower percentage of people who stated their religion as Christian at 43.5% with 47.9% identifying as no religion. The highest percentage identifying as Christian was 58.9% in Great Wishford, the Woodford Valley and Porton, with only 33.9% stating that they had no religion.

Responding to the survey, the Rt Revd Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury said: “While fewer people in the UK identify as Christian, we know from many other surveys that huge numbers of people are praying regularly and want to explore questions of spirituality and faith.

“The Church of England is there for everyone, in every community, regardless of whether people tick the box to identify as Christian or not.

“It offers space to think and reflect, as well as a place to both celebrate and mourn life’s

For the first time in a census less than half of the population described themselves as “Christian”

events and challenges. This winter, Christians and parish churches in Wiltshire are also offering warmth and food as the church seeks to support people through the cost of living crisis.

“The census figures do present the Church and all Christians with a challenge to keep sharing the story of what our faith offers people in today’s world.”

Church group moves to Salisbury

Words by Katrina Ffiske

Trinity Church Salisbury has recently been set up by a group who decided to relocate from Southampton to Salisbury.

Intrigued to know what would make a group of people up sticks and move, I went to meet church leader Pete Bentley-Taylor.

Pete and his family have moved to Harnham. “Our group is very happy to come to Salisbury. Most of us were part of Christ Church Southampton and had a vision and desire to plant new churches in the south of England.

“Salisbury seemed a natural geographical progression. I led the team and we started with 27 adults and 13 children.”

Trinity Church is not part of the Church of England. It is an independent church and has no external authority structure. Its main aim is to encourage members of the community, particularly the young, to learn the lessons that the Bible has to teach and to see the impact that Jesus makes to a community.

“We want to welcome people from Salisbury and the villages beyond,” Pete continues. “If anyone doesn’t know or understand what Christianity is all about, we’d love them to come along and learn with us.

“We believe that the Bible has something to say to people today, and that really is the most interesting book in the world. Many think that the church is for older people but we have found that many of the young are eager to join and learn, hungry to consider questions of truth.

“In our society, even though we are increasingly less religious, people are still searching for meaning and satisfaction.

“It may be through work, relationships, money or leisure, but so often these things don’t provide the happiness that we seek. It’s like there is a hole in our hearts that only God can fill it. We want people to come and consider these claims for themselves.

“Our services here in Salisbury are both historical and contemporary, singing both old and new songs.”

Services are currently held in the hall at the South Wilts Grammar School and during the week they meet at individual’s houses for meetings. The church will be holding a Carols by Candlelight Service on Sunday, 18th December at 7pm. trinitychurchsalisbury.org.uk

Services are currently being held at South Wilts Grammar School

Church

Cathedral turns from darkness into light during spectacular service

More than 4,000 people attended the three spectacular Advent Processions, From Darkness to Light at Salisbury Cathedral at the end of November (Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27).

Regarded by many as an unmissable prelude to the festive season, each service traditionally begins in total darkness and absolute silence, broken only when the Advent Candle is lit and a solo voice rings out across the ancient space of the Cathedral.

During each service, two colourful processions made up of over 100, including the Bishop of Salisbury, Dean of Salisbury, cathedral canons and 40-strong cathedral choir, make their way around the building with candles lit in their wake.

Worship ends in a blaze of colour and light as the processions come together and make their way from the High Altar to the West End during the final congregational hymn, with the medieval space glowing in the light of 1,300 flickering candles. The Prisoners of Conscience window was illuminated in a gloriously blue at the East End.

The choir for this moving and magnificent service was conducted on all three nights by Salisbury Cathedral’s director of music, David Halls, with a plainsong choir singing from the West End Gallery. John Challenger, assistant director of music, played the organ.

Top: The Bishop of Salisbury with fellow bishops; Right: The final procession from the High Altar to the West End during the Darkness to Light Service Credit: Max Willcock

Bishop of Salisbury launches new prayer for Advent

The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Stephen Lake has launched a new prayer for the advent period, which was read at the recent From Darkness to Light service at Salisbury Cathedral.

Bishop Stephen said of the prayer: “Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Through this prayer we are praying for Jesus, the light of the world, to lighten the darkness around us.”

The prayer is available in a number of forms, including as a video, in British Sign Language and as a powerpoint presentation for school use. A video is available on the diocese site of the school children at Winterbourne Earls CE primary school

“Many of us are worried and fearful about what we may face this winter, with rising bills and food prices and the continuing war in Ukraine,” Bishop Stephen added.

“Often we think there is little we can do but so many people turn to prayer in times of great difficulty and find in it the comfort and strength to carry on.

“This simple prayer, for use in church schools and congregations and at home, encourages people to come together to pray, to acknowledge their fears, and find strength and solace.”

An Advent Prayer for the Diocese

Your children are hurting. Into our darkness comes the child of Bethlehem –Jesus, the light who cannot be overcome. He is with us always. He speaks words of hope and words of truth. May his Spirit fill our hearts this Advent and awaken us to your purposes: making us generous in giving, active in serving, and alert to your reign of justice, mercy, and peace, which he calls us to bring to birth – here, and now. Amen.”

Church Chorister ‘unseats’ Bishop Stephen during ancient Evensong tradition

At Evensong on December 4, 13-year-old Rory Law from Warminster was installed as the latest in a long line of Chorister Bishops at Salisbury Cathedral, unseating the Bishop of Salisbury for the duration of the 45-minute service.

During the Magnificat, sung by the cathedral choir, The Rt Revd Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, symbolically relinquished his staff, mitre and cope, and stood aside while Rory, wearing the Chorister Bishop’s robe, mitre and ring, stepped up into the Cathedra (or bishop’s throne).

Supported and robed by his retinue (a group of friends from the Cathedral School), Rory delivered a sermon, and led the choir and congregation in prayer.

Being chosen to be the Chorister Bishop marks the contribution made by a chorister to the choir and cathedral music. One of the youngest choristers to join the choir in 2019, Rory was just eight when he started singing in the cathedral, and has since gone from strength to strength.

Rory Law, Chorister Bishop said: “It’s such an honour to be made Chorister Bishop and something I will never forget. I love Christmas time at the cathedral anyway. It is the best music we do in the year and that makes it worth waiting until Boxing Day to celebrate Christmas with my own family. Actually it’s quite nice spending Christmas lunch with all the other choristers and their families and being with school friends at Christmas time.”

In 2019 he took the part of the young St Nicolas in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s cantata, St Nicolas, given by Salisbury Music Society and at last year’s midnight mass he sang the spine-tingling solo at the start of Once In Royal David’s City.

Rory has been involved in countless services during his time with the choir, including the renowned From Darkness to Light Advent Procession, the inauguration of Bishop Stephen Lake, and services commemorating the Queen following her death earlier this year.

David Halls, director of music at Salisbury Cathedral said: “Rory is a knowledgeable and intelligent singer, who is wise beyond his years and a great asset to the choir.

His year group was amongst those most affected by Covid-19 and the singing ban but, remarkably, they don’t seem to have been held back. The boys are singing particularly well at the moment.”

The Chorister Bishop or Boy Bishop tradition goes back to medieval times, when a boy chorister held the office of bishop from the Feast of St Nicholas (the patron saint of children) on December 6 until the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28.

During that time, medieval child bishops could appoint clergy and distribute the church’s money as they saw fit.

The practice continued right up until the reign of Henry VIII who put a stop to the practice in 1541, declaring it a distraction from proper church business.

It was revived in its present form at Salisbury Cathedral in the 1980s and today the chorister is as likely to be a girl as a boy. Salisbury Cathedral appointed its first Girl Chorister Bishop in 2015.

Above: Chorister Bishop Rory

Law with the Dean of Salisbury (L) and the Bishop of Salisbury Below left: Bishop Stephen hands his crozier to Bishop Rory Credit: Finnbarr Webster