We have left Sarum College to go to London. It is a bittersweet moment. This place has been our home away from home. They have taken good care of us here and we have enjoyed the variety of interesting people that we have met in this place. To name a few- Brother Francis and his Benedictine Monks, young men serving in the Army and staying here to learn Arabic, a woman archeologist traveling around the world who stopped for a few days of research and a woman writer and pilgrimage leader working on her latest project.
As we enter the city, we start to recognize things we have only seen in the movies. We start shooting pictures to the left and right of the bus as our knowledge of history rises to the surface. It is amazing that Methodist Central Hall is directly across the street from some of the most famous buildings in the world. It’s architecture rivals that of any Cathedral. The ornate lighting and marble details would impress anyone. I can’t help thinking how much John Wesley would have hated this display of wealth. It stands as a testament that this movement of working with the poor has outgrown its mission. As Methodist in this country became more powerful and more affluent, the church started to look more like an Anglican church.
We unloaded the bus with our sack lunches and went to their dining room, like we were instructed to do. We were promptly thrown out of the building for bringing in outside food. Our leader didn’t even try to negotiate and alternative so we sat in the park across the street to eat. I have to admit that it was rather nice in the park on the grass with the cool breeze cooling us off after a long bus ride. But it was so strange to consider a Methodist church of any kind ejecting people. The building is an entire block long with massive rooms everywhere but they didn’t offer us a place to sit and eat our lunches when we had arranged to do this before the tour. The guide told us that just the utilities and cleaning cost of the building cost 1 million pounds a year. That is almost two million US dollars! They have 400 members in the church that worships in this building that seats over two thousand. Renting the building pays for it upkeep. It seems to have gotten very far away from being a church.
On a personal note, my new room has air conditioning and a bath tub! I’m in heaven.
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