Father James McCaskill : Hello everyone, I look forward to your questions. It certainly has been an interesting experience and we've learnt a lot. I hope you have enjoyed the shows.
Michelle : I want to congratulate you for listening to your call to come to Lundwood. It has been an inspiration to watch.
Father James McCaskill : Thank you for your encouragement. It's been a challenge and I appreciate all the goodwill.
scully3915 : No question, but well done!
Mike : Well done!!!! Is the culture shock over yet?
Father James McCaskill : Yep I can actually understand the accents now!
Michael : Is the congregations still growing?
Father James McCaskill : We had 60 yesterday, of all ages.
Helen : how are things now in lundwood? i think you and your archdeacon are so brave for trying this especially in Barnsley!
Father James McCaskill : Hehe, lots of great things have happened at the church in the past 12 months. They had a very good beginning but we have lots of work to do to re-establish the church in the community. There are a lot of issues in the community that agencies are trying to deal with and the church has an opportunity to offer hope.
Markiemark : Of all the ideas you took on board, which do you think was the most influential?
Father James McCaskill : Hmmm... The Church Lite campaign overall has been very good because it truly has raised the profile of the church in the community. Many people thought the church had been shut - it has never been shut. It was just very disconnected from the people there. The campaign has helped us to say "The doors are open - we're here for you!".
Sarah Crawford-Wilkinson : What's happening at Lundwood now ? You obviously attracted lots of new faces, but how many have you retained? Have you tried an 'introduce a friend or family member' scheme. That seems to work really well in other clubs and businesses.
Father James McCaskill : Well, we haven't tried that sort of scheme but we have sustained continual growth and I think we're at a point now where we're looking at ways to integrate the new people. Certainly there's been a clash between the cultures of the old-timers and the newcomers. The old-timers are learning to be more flexible. Overall they're doing an OK job of that. The newcomers are coming in with exuberance. So we're finding ways to integrate the two.
Mikey : Father, did you find that the 'old school' congregation resisted some of your efforts to make changes?
Father James McCaskill : Oh definitely! But that's classic church around the world. It certainly has been a lesson on the need to keep pushing and not give up.
Moneyballs2 : What Made You Choose To Do The Show?
Father James McCaskill : Ah! It's a long story. I did two years on my theological training in West Yorkshire and finished in June 2002 then went to Pittsburgh and served an upper-middle class suburban parish and I was frustrated by the immense resource we had in the congregation but had little connection with the community. When I finished my training I knew I wanted the opportunity to go back to England and I started looking at the classifieds and the Church Times online and saw this one for Lundwood and what I was interested in was going some place where the church could make a big difference in a community. The ingredient in Lundwood was that there were going to be resources to help make that happen. When I first applied I received a profile of the parish which included two sentences about this fly-on-the-wall documentary, which I thought would be a boring show, shown at 7am on a Sunday! Had no idea it would be primetime Priest Idol!
Mikeyped : Are the effects made in the programme a practical solution for other churches in the UK, who perhaps don’t have the money to pay for branding etc?
Father James McCaskill : I think so. I think lots of lessons have been learnt. The marketing firm donated their work and yes you're right in saying that that particular resource will not be available to many parishes but the themes can be applied anywhere. The main ingredient is the aspect of the response of the congregation to the community.
Frogface : What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome and how did you do it?
Father James McCaskill : The biggest obstacle is one that I'm still dealing with and that's a group of people with a lack of confidence in themselves who are unwilling to take a leadership role in the church. It's not up to the priest himself, it's the entire congregation we need if we're going to make a difference.
Space Case : What age were you when you joined the priesthood and what made you want to do it?
Father James McCaskill : I was first ordained as a Deacon when I was 29 and then as a Priest at 30. Jesus was baptised at age 30 and was crucified at 33 and my 33rd birthday is coming up! My faith has been very important to me ever since childhood and I always wanted some kind of people-helping career and through a series of events I realised it was the human soul that I wanted to deal with. It’s that which is foundational to our wellbeing. It's our relationship to God that brings about a healthy soul. I was 25 when I first started theological training and I knew I didn't want to be in the corporate world climbing the social ladder and now here I am.
Attendee : Do you still hold the mass on a Sunday morning? Having it in the afternoon might entice the late risers :)
Father James McCaskill : I agree. I do hope in the New Year to be able to have an alternate time. It has been an issue of labour force and resources, but I think we are at a point now where we are able to branch out in that direction.
Elaine : Would you say that Americans are less embarrassed about expressing their faith?
Father James McCaskill : Oh definitely. In some places in the U.S. it's assumed that you go to Church, not everywhere, but some. Friends of mine have moved from Pittsburgh to Glasgow and are very involved with the Church and were surprised, when they asked which was a good church to go, when they received the reply "Oh we don't go to Church". If that had been asked in Pittsburgh they would have definitely been advised of a good couple of churches to go to.
Robin James : Has it been a problem for you to think that a section of your congregation may be wowed by the pizzazz of the Church Lite campaign, and not really taking in the messages of Christianity as you are trying to present them? How have you tried to resolve this and to what extent have you felt you have been successful?
Father James McCaskill : To be honest I think the campaign may seem greater on TV than in real life at times! I don't think the average person there has been wowed by a marketing campaign, but are genuinely interested, at least those who have come into the church.
Abeus : Does the traditionalist point of view irritate you? I know that I, and many others, have been shouting at the screen as complaints against changes that were only cosmetic.
Father James McCaskill : I'm a traditionalist at heart. This project has made me far more flexible. I do get very irritated with people in the Church who are unwilling to change - that happens in many places whether it's America or the U.K. and it creates a tremendous obstacle in allowing the Church to move forward.
Helen : i wonder what your thoughts were when you heard the former priest slagging your efforts off?
Father James McCaskill : Heheh, I would have liked for him to be more of a team player. He was very polite to me in person. But he does represent a particular wing of the Church which believes it should all be done in a particular way and are unable to open up a bit more to other expressions.
Ellie3009 : What's your favourite bible verse?
Father James McCaskill : I recently read psalm 16 for a reflection and was really moved by the last few verses of it and it's up to you to look it up!
devon_aine : do you ever feel like your fighting a losing battle, since people just aren't as religious, or at least Christian as previous generations were?
Father James McCaskill : At times I do. But at the end of the day I truly believe a relationship to God expressed through the Christian faith has great meaning for all of us.
Guy : Are you missing home?
Father James McCaskill : I do miss home at times. This flavourful food is good... I like curry, good curry but I miss a good pizza. I watched Malcolm in the Middle last night and it did make me reminisce a bit - it's been a while since I've watched an American show.
Nicola : How long will you be staying in Barnsley for?
Father James McCaskill : I have a five-year commitment and at the end of the five years I am able to stay on if things are going well, that's if my work visa is renewed which expires in a few weeks!
Tesni : Most memorable moment of Priest Idol?
Father James McCaskill : My favourite part was Palm Sunday when the donkey led us through the streets of Lundwood. I was disappointed that they didn't show more of it. At one point on the day behind us there must have been 70 or 80 people - it was a fantastic morning.
Lakeslad : Did you get any hassles from the locals - i.e. the social club?
Father James McCaskill : Everyone has been very welcoming. The most hassle I've received has actually been since episode one because people were upset with how their village was portrayed. They agree that there are problems but they would have preferred the better parts to have been shown.
Stephen : Was there any part of the programme where you thought that the church was being made 'lite' of so to speak.
Father James McCaskill : No I don't think so. Again a lot of negative aspects were shown in the first two shows in order to show the challenge in front of us, but I don't think anything was made fun of.
Anna : Has the content of the actual services lost any major components by getting 'lighter'? PS - well done, v inspirational series
Father James McCaskill : Thank you Anna. We have been very determined to keep the important bits in the service in fact I think we could actually be a bit more creative than we have been.
Adam : What would you say were the top 3 reasons for the success
Father James McCaskill : 1. A friendly vicar actually living in the village. 2. A change of attitude and atmosphere related to the Church Lite campaign and 3. Making the church grounds more welcoming i.e. cleaning up, painting etc.
Blrovers : Do you many people back home in Pittsburgh following events in your new Church Father? I'm not Catholic myself but it's great to see the good work you are achieving in Barnsley!
Father James McCaskill : It's a Church of England Church and I seem to have people all over America following events! I went back in October and have had all sorts of emails and letters and phone calls and a fan base who are anxious to see programmes two and three! Lots of people have been very supportive.
Rhianne : do you have a service on Christmas Eve? what time is it? i live 20mins away.
Father James McCaskill : Fantastic! We have a Children's Christingle at 4pm and midnight mass at 11pm.
Angus McAskill : Planning any trips to the western isles to trace your roots and perhaps see how spirituality is holding up here?
Father James McCaskill : I've just been to the Isle of Skye from whence my ancestors came - they went from Skye to South Carolina in the 1820s and did attend a Church of Scotland Church in Uig and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Matteo : Would atheists be welcome to the new 'church lite' to follow wise moralistic Christian morals, or is a belief in God mandatory?
Father James McCaskill : Hmm, all are welcomed. Everyone who steps inside a church is at a different place in their search for meaning and I would not turn anyone away.
David, N London : Did the presence of cameras make it easier to get people to accept change, or did it cause more suspicion and resistance?
Father James McCaskill : The cameras did create a lot of suspicion but in terms of change I found them very useful as an excuse - "No, we have to do it now for the filming!"
Chat Ed : That's it everyone, our half hour is up! Thanks for coming and talking to us Father.
Father James McCaskill : If you're ever in South Yorkshire please stop by and see us. Thank you for your questions, comments and support.
Father James McCaskill leaves the room
