Monday, July 17 -- A Day Out

One of the most enjoyable parts of my sabbatical has been stepping outside the tourist box and actually getting to know people who live and work wherever I find myself.  Yesterday, Stuart and Marion, a retired Methodist pastor and his schoolteacher wife, escorted me all over the lovely county of Lincolnshire.  Among other things, we toured a working windmill and had tea in its adjacent shop, went in search of my Fowler ancestors at Theddlethorpe St Helen, attended Evensong at Lincoln Cathedral, and visited Raithby Chapel.

Raithby Chapel is the oldest Methodist church in Lincolnshire.  It is a tiny gem, only slightly altered from the 18th century, and unusually, it is located over the stables of Raithby Hall. The chapel and manor house were built by Robert Carr Brackenbury, a Lincolnshire squire who was a passionate Methodist preacher and close friend of Wesley.  The chapel was built even before his home was completed and was dedicated by John Wesley in 1779 as a place of worship.  Because it is located on private land, it is somewhat unusual to get to wander in for a look around, but we happened upon the right person at the right time and were able to spend quite a bit of time there.

Just as people have personalities, sometimes places seem to have their own "feel," and Raithby is no exception.  It is small and intimate and light and airy, perhaps partly because it is above the stables and not on the ground itself, and perhaps partly because it is still in use as a house of worship.  It's not hard to imagine John Wesley lining out a hymn, reading a passage of scripture, and delivering a sermon to a serious congregation in this place he called an "earthly paradise."

I had to laugh as I stood up in the pulpit because it was obviously designed for the much smaller Mr. Wesley and not for me at 5'8"!  The chapel is simple and plain, with no extra ornamentation or flourishes -- just the kind of preaching house John Wesley favored for the people called Methodists.  I love how the past seems so close and yet this is still a place where present and future generations can gather to sing "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" and "O Thou Who Camest From Above," where new ways to be in mission and ministry can be discerned and empowered by the Spirit as Christ is preached and adored.

As mentioned above, we also visited the parish church where my Fowler ancestors worshiped prior to crossing the Atlantic and settling in Virginia in 1621, and we attended Evensong at Lincoln Cathedral.  These also made an impression on me for quite different reasons, but that will be the subject of a future blog, so as they say, watch this space!