Anglican priest Father Tom Carpenter tells LBN that he would like his church to forge stronger links with local businesses in Southport. Tony McDonough reports

An Anglican priest in Southport has told LBN he would like to strengthen the links between the church and local businesses.

Father Tom Carpenter has been at Holy Trinity Church in Southport for three years. He comes from Yorkshire. His church has served the community during one of the most tumultuous times in living memory.

“During the pandemic I think we saw the problems that already existed exposed” he said.

“Things like loneliness were visible in the crisis. It exposed a lack of imagination on the part of civil society and the church. Everything shut. The virus was one threat to peoples health but so was anxiety and depression. That’s why people sought out the church, which is why we stayed open”

“Because we were open, when everything else was shut, people came here looking for help. Not just practical help, but help with the big questions-What does life mean? Where are we headed? Where else could they go with these questions”.

He has been talking to Rachel Fitzgerald, chief executive of Southport BID, about how he can become more engaged with business and commerce in the town. He explained: “I sense there is a kind of reluctance or nervousness among businesses when it comes to interacting with the church.

“There is also a sense, sometimes, that businesses are a separate entity in themselves. But they are part of our communities. The people that run them, the people that work in them, live in our communities.

“I think some business people may be concerned that the church will judge them in some way because they are in the business of making money. That we believe there is something immoral about buying and selling. But that really isn’t the case.

“Businesses can create jobs and prosperity in our communities. They provide important goods and services. In Southport in particular, where there is a big leisure economy, they bring joy to the lives of countless people. The public sector does not have a monopoly on goodness.”

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Father Tom says the church’s main external interactions are usually with local schools or community projects such as those tackling homelessness. But he believes the church has to be about more than that.

“We are part of the community, we are here seven days a week,” he added. “If we only serve those people who come to church for an hour once a week on a Sunday then we are not fulfilling our true mission.”

As Southport emerges from the pandemic, it faces challenges over not just reviving its traditional leisure economy, but also how it moves forward and opens up new avenues of opportunity.

This, says Father Tom, is one of the fundamental questions the town faces and how it answers this will determine its future prosperity. He explained: “In my three years here I think one of the big questions that has arisen is ‘what does Southport want to become?’.

“It is not just a question of getting back to where it was – it can’t just focus on the past. It certainly needs to broaden its economy. But even in terms of its traditional leisure offering it can’t just be what it was before. What people want now is different to what their parents and grandparents wanted. I think the town needs to wake up to this big question.”