A WEST Dorset church could close its doors if it doesn’t get more support from the community.

So dire is the situation the Rector Stephen Skinner has called an emergency meeting next Monday March 21 to discuss Stanton St Gabriel Church in Morecombelake He has sent a letter to residents to say if people at the meeting don’t come up with ideas to save it the process will begin to close it.

He said: “This church is rapidly approaching a decisively critical moment.”

One of the reasons for its imminent demise is the retirement of its last churchwarden, 76-year-old Alan Bartlett, who intends to stand down at the annual parochial church meeting in April.

It is a legal obligation for all churches to have a churchwarden.

The second is that its twice monthly services seldom attract more than four or five people - and those are church officials.

The Rev Skinner added: “This is not a viable number for a satisfactory service in this church building. It seems that whether it is a eucharist / holy communion or ‘songs of praise’, these services are unattractive to most villagers.

“We therefore need to find a new way forward, with considerably greater involvement by members of the communities of Morecombelake and Ryall, if this church and its churchyard are to remain open for use.”

He and his wife Jane who is also a vicar, said they were open to discuss various options for the future – including very different forms of service organised with younger generations, Christian meditation, livelier forms of worship with contemporary music, an equal partnership with other Christian denominations or co-management of the church building with a major partner, such as a children’s centre, band, concert, art or dance location.

He added: “We will be looking for practical help of involvement in exploring options for the future – ideas need to be backed by rapid action.

“If there is no positive outcome to this meeting then the church council will reluctantly have to begin the legal process of closure – and the community will lose its parish church forever.”

The Rev Jane Skinner added: “It is crunch time.

“Not everyone realises there is a problem. They are used to seeing the church building and thinking everything is going on as normal but it is about to change unless that at the meeting there is an indication that people are willing to be involved.” The meeting is in the church at 7pm.