After ten years as vicar of St James’s church, Clapham, south London, Kit Gunasekera feels as much of a Londoner as anyone else in the Great Wen. His parish is a mixed one – 10,000 strong, mixed in terms of age, origin, language and house-ownership.
Kit is the only incumbent in the deanery from the BAME constituency. He is married to Jill, They have no children but the vicarage is home to two cats. Kit was born in the UK, spent some of his growing years in Sri Lanka, the home-place of his parents, trained for the ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge after being encouraged by his vicar to think about ordination and was ordained in St Paul’s cathedral in 2006. Assisting him in his ministry at St James’s are two ordained men, one black, one white.
St James’s parish was carved out of Clapham parish (home of the celebrated Clapham Sect) in 1829. The church was a write-off after being bombed in 1940 and the present concrete structure was dedicated in 1958. There is no hall or kitchen; the interior space of the church has been re-arranged to make good these deficiencies. And the programme displays the imagination the impetus that go to making a success of all-nations days, with cuisine, flags, national costumes and languages in evidence. Alpha courses (Online), messy church and a variety of other items keep things on the move.
Last month Kit addressed a rally in Brockwell Park attended by 150 or more people, the majority being white, on the ‘black lives matter’ question. An eight-minute,.46-second silence and taking the knee were part of the proceedings.
Asked about statues, Kit found the Colston incident, as a one off, liberating, especially the fact that white people were heavily involved. But he draws the line at disorderly rampages and says we can’t erase the past, although we must highlight and ‘own’ injustices from the past to learn today. The important thing, he says, is to re-write the future.
The lockdown with its on-line pattern of worship has meant growth in faith and numbers at St James’s. Prior to the emergency St James’s was, as he says, was a bit stuck in terms of numerical growth, although there was lots to celebrate, not less the rich diversity present. Online services has given a new lease of life to the church in enabling more services and a virtual coffee morning.
Kit and his wife Jill are keen readers of Hilary Mantel and keen visitors of National Trust properties. They are also hopeful about seeing the present momentum towards racial justice being maintained. We must listen, learn and act. Ben Lindsay’s emphasis on going beyond merely welcoming newcomers to giving them positions of responsibility and leadership is something that the vicar of St James’s feels to be of the essence.
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