A Dying Church

The vicar doesn't really care
About the other people there,
Providing there's at least one soul
To join with him and play the role
Of congregation in the church,
So he's not left there in the lurch,
All dressed up and on his own,
And very conscious he's alone.
Things hadn't always been the same;
At one time many people came.
Sunday mornings saw the pews
Full of people who would choose
To put their worship at the front;
To find a seat you had to hunt
If not on time, but came in late,
And visitors would then inflate
The congregation even more,
But that was in the days before
The current faithless vicar came,
And losing people was the game.
At first the faithful old ones stayed,
Held fast by al the roles they'd played
Throughout the years the church had been
A place for those whose faith was keen.
They knew what they believed and why,
All strengthened as the years went by.
But over time their numbers fell,
From moving and from death as well,
Going down to just a few,
'Til there were left just one or two
Who could remember former days,
And several former vicars' ways.
This vicar didn't feel the need
To foster growth, not plant a seed
That would encourage any growth;
At all times he was very loath
To teach the people more than just
The minimum newcomers must
Acquire so they can do their fit,
Without a spark of faith being lit,
Which usually meant that in the main,
They quickly drifted off again.
And those that stayed there rarely knew
More than just vaguely what to do.
Their knowledge of the faith was poor,
With no desire to find out more.
The church was just a social club,
With better music than the pub.
The vicar rarely spoke of God,
And no-one found this rather odd,
For few were left who'd ever known,
The church as a place where faith was grown.
The weekday Masses were ignored,
And Sundays often found them bored,
And never having learned to pray
They often would prefer to play
With phones and tablets all the while,
Until they ambled down the aisle,
By habit and by custom lead
To get what they perceived as bread.
So numbers dwindled; no-one cared
How terribly the church had fared
Without a leader who'd present
A living faith, and one which meant
A huge amount to him and so,
He loved to watch that same faith grow
More firm and stronger every day
In everyone who came his way,