North Camden Deanery Synod Report
We don’t often report on Deanery Synod meetings but on 20th October Revd Nicholas Wheeler spoke to the meeting of his experience on 7th July. Father Nicholas is Team Rector of several parishes in South Camden containing, between them, Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations. On the morning of 7th he was one of the first clergy to arrive at Kings Cross and start ministering. He spoke in terms of space. Space made for the injured in the ticket hall, space for the dead on a platform and how he was able to be with the injured in their shock and with the dead, saying the prayers their families couldn’t say because they didn’t yet know. Space also for the grieving, and it was the representatives of the churches who identified a space for tributes and a book of remembrance, a space for people to go, and a space in which they would find someone to talk to. And a space a week later for people to come together for the two minute recognition of the suffering so many had endured that day. Some of the churches in the area stay open all day and here again, space was to be found for people to pray, to recover, to work on their laptops if that was what they needed and, at a stage when it looked as if the whole transport system might shut down for the night, they contemplated the need to find food and space for beds for stranded workers.
But the space that was lacking was the space for the church to come fully into its own. After the Kings Cross fire a strategic plan was put together which co-ordinated the response. Rather than all rushing to where they thought they might be needed, clergy would be called in order and directed to the areas of most need. Sadly the plan depended on the police making the initial call and this the police, for whatever reason, didn’t do. Clergy confident of the plan sat by their phones waiting for instructions which never came. There could be reasons for this, apart from the shock that the police themselves must have been feeling as they struggled to cope with all aspects of the disaster. Clergy don’t carry identification; hospital chaplains have their NHS Trust badges but parish priests have nothing to identify themselves except their dog collars and, sadly, the press have been known to put on a collar in order to get a story and there are always people who will impersonate professionals, given a chance. And the chaos that day must have presented many such chances. From victims and their families, however, the police received nothing but praise and Father Stephen mentioned how helpful they had been, in advising him how to deal with the press.
There is no doubt that in the light of this experience the plan will be revised – our newly elected lay representative on General Synod was on the ball and ready to put some very pertinent questions at its next sitting.
Judy East
Sacred space on 7th July
Judy East