SCOTLAND -- The Scottish Episcopal Church is counting on rock concerts and experimental art to attract more churchgoers, according to the London News Telegraph.
Church membership has dropped from a high of 134,000 in 1930 to 48,000. A chance to attract a new church crowd and support local artists at the same time was a deal the church couldn't beat, the Rev. Griff Dines said.
St. Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow's west end, where Dines is provost, is displaying 12 artists' works, which include golf clubs, chest expanders and fishing rods on the altar. The hymn book cabinet is full of Star Wars figurines, according to the News Telegraph.
St. Mary's is the first Scottish Episcopal Church to reach out to the unchurched with non-traditional methods. Other churches plan to host similar activities soon, the newspaper reported.
"We're not interested in controversy for controversy's sake, but modern art often likes to challenge the norm and so does the church," Dines said. "We can afford to take risks with young artists because we have a lively congregation, and we don't rely on the exhibition for our income."
At night the cathedral will host rock concerts, dances and poetry reading. The church also has been given permission to sell alcohol at such events, Dines said.
