Stories of Faith - Marjorie

Here is another true story told by someone living in Cornwall. If you have a story which you would like to share, which speaks of the reality of God, please contact the Communications officer by sending an email via the Contact us page.

Marjorie
It's a few years ago now that they tried to close our church. No, I tell a lie; the Church was closed, for well over a year, and the village really didn't know what was going on. There were all sorts of stories: it wasn't safe; it was cold and damp and the heating was going to cost an arm and a leg to repair; nobody went any more, and anyway there was another church only a mile up the road etc etc. Anyway, as I say, the Church was closed, and no reasons given; the door was locked and there were no services or anything. Perhaps I ought to mention, I don't, myself, go to Church, only for funerals really and sometimes at Christmas perhaps, so it shouldn't have made any difference to me one way or another.

All the time that Church was locked, this lady from the village used to go there every single day, rain or shine, and sit in the porch - that was as far as you could go - and say her prayers. "It's God's house" she said "and people need praying for, and God needs to be worshipped, and if I can't do it in his house, then it'll have to be the porch." She's called Marjorie, this lady, and I don't think anyone around here would argue with the fact that she's a very holy woman. That's not to say she's stuffy, or butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth pious, but she doesn't leave anyone in any doubt that the most important person in her life is God. She brings him into conversation all the time, and some people get uncomfortable with that, but anyone can see that for her God and Jesus are just vital to everyday living.

She'll come in the pub though, and enjoy a good laugh with the rest, and she'll do anything for anybody in need. She's amazing like that, is Marjorie. If anyone is going through a bad patch, down on their luck, lost their job, husband run off, girl got into a bit of trouble, then Marjorie will always be the first to turn up and really help out. Big time - there is nothing she won't do, and no one she won't take on if she thinks there is an injustice going on. Social Services ignoring someone's needs? She'll be in the office there, explaining the situation and exactly what's wanted. And all of this with no thought at all for herself; it's not as if she's well off or anything like that; she wouldn't mind me saying I'm sure that times can be very hard; but she'll happily go without her own food to see that someone else is properly fed - or walk miles to feed a dog where the owner's been taken into hospital.

To my mind, that's Christianity in action. She's not just talking about doing good, she gets out and gets on with it. What's more, she makes it quite clear why she's doing things for others - because that, she feels is what God wants: to think more of other people than we do of ourselves. You know I think if she died tomorrow, it would be the biggest funeral our little Church had seen for years.

Oh, I should have said. When the Church had been closed for a year, they wanted to make it redundant, but there were public meetings and discussions with everyone down Truro you could think of, and then, far from closing it down, it was re-opened and is going so well you wouldn't believe it. There are big congregations every week, lots of fund raising going on, new heating installed.  Is Marjorie pleased about that? Well, she said she knew that God wouldn't let his house stay closed, and so in part she's very pleased. But she doesn't want anyone to forget that the main thing for a Church, in her opinion, is for prayer and worship, rather than as a successful social club. That doesn't make her popular everywhere, of course, but then she's never wanted to be popular - just true to what she feels God tells her to be doing.

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