God's Country

Part Seventy-Six

'And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good...'

Genesis 1:3

"I am afraid us Reformists are rather prone to self-congratulation...our mission is to make a difference to ordinary people and thus we tend to trumpet our successes...a very human trait and ultimately harmless, if we avoid the sin of pride. In truth, we have many reasons to be pleased with the last year or so and this is not a light we should hide under a bushel...it is something we must publicise." Sebastian Osborne told his congregation, making eye contact with as many of them as possible. Being based in Westminster always ensured a rather mixed audience. He had the usual smattering of CDP politicians who had either not returned to their constituencies for the weekend, mostly the many ex-Conservatives, or who had returned to Westminster early, but also the Trevor's and the Buckingham's that particular morning in late April. Most of them were making a really conspicuous effort, before God and their illustrious leader. Their wives and children would have fitted in well at the Cathedral in Meadvale. Then there were the tourists, the people who were just seeing what all the fuss was about, without any particular disposition. Then there were the parents of the local comprehensive, one of Labour's experimental academies, that was being passed into church control before it sank without trace. He had been personally involved there, as many of his new colleagues were around the country, and some of the parents were showing their support. Then there were the converts, the Anglicans driven away from the Church of England by the issue of women bishop's or just attracted by the Reformist message. And finally there were a handful of the local homeless community, who ate at his soup kitchen and slept at his hostel when they could get a place. "But down at ground level, here in Westminster, I measure our successes in rather different ways to my colleagues. Last night, in the hostel you help pay for with your generous contributions to our collection plate, twenty homeless people had a hot meal and all enjoyed a nice warm bed. It is not the only hostel in this great metropolis, and I am not the only cleric running such a scheme of course. It does not make us unique, but it does make a difference. I am here to make such a difference, in God's name. I believe that and being but a humble functionary I count every full stomach and every head on a pillow as a triumph every bit as meaningful as anything my good friend the Prime Minister has achieved since coming into office."

Charles Buckingham smiled at Osborne as heads turned to stare. He had avoided Chequers for the weekend. He only ever used his traditional official country residence if he had a foreign guest, and staying in London gave him some relative peace in the office. His job never stopped, he had no discernible working hours, but he made time for himself and his wife, as well as making sure he saw as much as possible of his daughter. And for God, of course. He had found his faith during his wife's battle with cancer, and it had led him to Reformism and number ten Downing Street, an incredible journey. But it was genuine. It had rather crept up on him in many ways, but he believed in the project and he felt he really was doing God's work.

"One thing we must always remember is why we are trying to engineer meaningful social change." Osborne continued with passion, wagging his finger at his audience. "It is not about our wives and daughters wearing pretty frocks, or about picture book communities in the shires, or about better schools, or hospitals...although all of those things are important. It is about saving people. It is about looking after the weak and the sick and the vulnerable in our communities. Instead of arguing about whether a woman should be a bishop or not, or complaining about the pubs shutting at two o'clock in the afternoons, we need to be making sure that our neighbours have enough to eat, a place to sleep and someone to talk to. That is what communities do. They provide a safety net for each other. And a good church sits at the centre of that community and acts as a positive influence. So I am pleased to see you all here today...I want you to feel God's love...but make no mistake about it, that love must be earned and it is not earned just by turning up here every Sunday morning and saying your prayers after me. Reform is all about change. Everyone here needs to change. If you get off your backsides and do one little thing for someone this afternoon it makes a difference. Not a huge difference taken in isolation, but a little difference. Then you add all those little differences together and you get a big difference."