I recently visited Malvern with some friends and so, of course, we went into the Priory. It's a very beautiful monument to centuries of Christian life and I imagine that if its stones could talk they might well tell stories of less placid times, when great sacrifices had to be made in order to preserve and maintain both the fabric of the Church and its ministry.

So, it was very encouraging to see a well-stocked bookstall manned by keen volunteers and an exhibition of appliqu work by a local Mother's Union group, dealing with issues of peace and ecology. This Church was clearly alive!

But what was most inspiring of all was to discover a dedication ceremony in progress for an exhibition showing the history of the worldwide peace movement. Yes, I thought, this is really the sort of thing that should be happening in churches everywhere; it brings them right to the centre of our need for peace of mind as parents and citizens and our desire for a safer world.

Because, it's now patently obvious, whenever you consult the media, that international peacemaking is the stickiest, trickiest, most skilful role that any major statesman can take on, earning Nobel prizes and international acclaim when it is successful . . . and that genocide and atrocities can occur when it fails. We need to foster these skills and to find these people urgently!

As it happens, active peacemaking is also at the core of Christianity, as exemplified by Christ's life . . . now there was a man who didn't shrink sticky situations! So, when invited, I was privileged to join in the ceremony.

But where were all the vicars? Do you know, there was only one professional Christian there from Malvern itself! I was staggered. That wouldn't be the case where I come from - up here, we expect our clerics to support local Christian endeavours, especially on a Sunday!

I hope I'm not being too forthright in expressing the views of a visitor to your beautiful Priory, but it does seem to me that you've got a good network of local people concerned about and committed to working for issues that matter today and I did think it a great pity that they were forced to look for a vicar from outside the local community to conduct their dedication in the name of Christ, in the Priory. In fact, he did a great job, with an understanding of its importance. (Editor's Note: the vicar was in fact the Rev. David Nicholl of Powick).

It was a lovely ceremony on a peaceful, sunny afternoon. Thank you for inviting me!

HELEN CLARKE, Hope Street, Liverpool.