Rosley Church: Come & Welcome

There was little about Holy Trinity Church at Rosley in Cumbria to excite me; it is an early Victorian construction with few architectural features save its tower. The two things that did stand out on my brief visit were the locked door and a slate sign, upon which was written:

Venite: the age-old world of welcome. There is room here for you.

‘Venite’ means ‘come’; reading these words while standing next to firmly locked door seemed a little ironic, especially as we called with the express purpose of looking inside. I offer no explicit criticism here; those charged with security must take what measures they must. Perhaps the sign’s sentiment only applied on Sundays and holy days.

Attending church or chapel, be that for worship or curiosity, must needs be at pre-arranged, mutually convenient times. Thankfully, the good Lord receives worship and prayer requests all day and night, all weeks of the year, not excluding bank holidays. Yet how many times do we exclude Him? I know some who only pray when things are all awry, never when all is well. For others, religion is just one hobby among many; God gets His allocated slot, but never must He intrude into other areas. It is worth remembering that these words-

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20, King James Version)

-were written to believers, not the unsaved.