Thursday, July 04, 2013

The Lindisfarne Gospel Train

Love this - to mark a 3 month display of the Lindsfarne Gospels at Durham Cathedral, a train has been christened 'Durham Cathedral' and decorated with images from the Gospels. 

"It’s especially fitting that at this special time, with the Lindisfarne Gospels attracting thousands of visitors, that we name the train in honour of this iconic building.
"We’re expecting to bring thousands of visitors to Durham during the three months when the Gospels are displayed. This eye-catching train will promote the city, Cathedral and Gospels along the East Coast Main Line all the way from London to Edinburgh."
Apparently 23,000 people have already booked to visit the exhibition. I'm reminded both of Bill Bryson and David Goodhew:
Bryson, because he spoke of Durham as his favourite place in the UK (and it's hard to disagree, it also has the best chocolate cake, if Vennels is still in business). Durham returned the favour, making him the first foreigner to have the freedom of the city.
Goodhew is a church growth researcher based in the NE, and I heard him speak recently about how church plants and new ventures often seemed to cluster around main trade routes. I'm sure he'd be tickled by the idea of a gospel train retracing the steps of some of Britains most influential saints - Cuthbert, Aidan, from Scotland, past Lindsfarne, into NE England and beyond. It's certainly an improvement on the agnostibus.

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