London church runs mini tours for voters

Polling Station at Sacred Heart Church, Battersea,

A team of parishioners was on hand to welcome visitors, and offer mini tours round one south London church being used as a polling station during local elections on Thursday.

Fr David O'Malley SDB, said voters were arriving at Sacred Heart Church in Battersea, from 7 in the morning until 10 at night. "They were impressed by a church many of them had never visited before. There was a team of parishioners on hand to do mini tours of the church. We even welcomed two past pupils from Melbourne."

Research by the National Churches Trust before the 2015 elections showed that out of 32,000 polling stations, nearly 6,000 (or one in five) were based in church buildings.

Fr O'Malley, who is Salesian Community Vice Rector, commented: "Battersea is a marginal area for the election so there are plenty of party members on the streets directing people to our parish. Is this a new evangelisation technique?"

LINK

Sacred Heart Church - www.sacredheartbattersea.com/