St Andrew's, Pershore

‘St Andrew's Centre’, next to Pershore Abbey in Worcestershire, was ordinally built as the parish church, the abbey being the sole preserve of the monks. Founded by the Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, his tenants paid their dues to the Abbot of Westminster, while this little church served their spiritual needs. Eventually, the Abbey was closed at the time of reformation, and its surviving section became the parish church, leaving St Andrew’s unneeded, and eventually redundant. Now it is essentially a church hall, a conference centre and a useful venue for the church’s mid-week activities.

Medieval folk would have looked askance at ordinary townsmen and women using the lofty abbey church as their regular place of worship, its grandeur and stateliness the preserve of the tonsured few. Now, the grand old church is available to all, not just some sacred caste, and the little parish church is used as a mere supplement to these activities.

Pershore Abbey is lovely indeed, but it is nothing compared to the stupendous splendour of God’s glorious heaven. One day, we shall leave behind our chapels, churches, abbeys and cathedrals, and be promoted to something more sumptuous and magnificent. God humbles the proud, and vars their entry, but He delights to exalt the humble, and beckon them draw closer.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy. Luke 1:51-54