Their faith is growing.
The historic St. Andrew’s Church in southern England is selling 32 of its Victorian pews after removing them to accommodate the “human form of today” as visitors’ waistlines expand.
Parishioners are upset about their church’s decision to part with a significant part of its history, according to British newspaper The Telegraph.
The Parochial Church Council made the recommendation following “occasions at weddings where the couple have been too large to be able to walk side by side down the aisle.”
That report noted that in addition to helping accommodate “the human form of today,” the changes would make the church more handicap accessible and allow worshipers at St. Andrew’s to social distance during the pandemic. St. Andrew’s officials also argue that having a more versatile space is more amenable to hosting fundraising events like rummage sales.
Churchgoers claim adapting to changing times should not mean permanently parting with the sanctuary’s wooden benches.
Members of a Save St. Andrew’s Pews organization have showed up at the church with banners to protest the alterations.
“We were totally unaware about the gutting of the church and the removal of the pews until they were recently listed for sale,” a 68-year-old member of that group told The Telegraph. “The pews are part of the history and heritage of the church. If you strip out the pews then the soul of the church is gone.”
The 150-year-old pews, which are selling for $260 each, will be replaced by chairs that can be easily rearranged.
While parts of the church reportedly date back to the 15th century, the nave from which the pews will be taken was constructed in 1865.
St. Andrew’s central aisle measures 42-inches across and the gap between pews is just over a foot wide, the Telegraph reports.
