In Albury, Surrey, England, there is a church that you are not allowed to enter. Not yet, anyway. Built in 1839, the church is not due to be reopened until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The church was commissioned by Henry Drummond, a biologist, member of parliament, and evangelist of the Catholic Apostolic Church. Also known as Irvingism, after founder Edward Irving, the Catholic Apostolic Church was a sect that was first organized around 1831, with a preoccupation with the return of Christ.
“The primary concern of the new congregation was the immediate second coming of Christ and the restoration of perfect institutions by ‘apostles’ was viewed as the necessary preparation of the whole church for this event,” Lambeth Palace Library Research Guide explains.
“The doctrines of achievable personal holiness, attainable universal salvation, the true spiritual unity of all baptized persons, the possibility of rapture without dying, and the necessity of the fourfold ministry directed by apostles for perfecting the Church as a whole, formed the cornerstones of the new theology.”
The community appointed 12 “apostles”, including Henry Drummond, to found this new Church.
“Eight of them were members of the Church of England; three of the Church of Scotland; and one of the Independents,” an account of these apostles reads, according to the Guide. “Classed by their occupations and social positions, three were clergymen, three were members of the Bar, three belonged to the gentry, two of them being members of Parliament; and of the remaining three, one was an artist, one a merchant, and one held the post of Keeper of the Tower. Some of them were of the highest standing socially and politically, some of them of great ability as scholars and theologians; and all of them men of unblemished character, soundness in the faith, and abundant zeal in all Christian labors.”
The Church grew to have over 900 sites across the world, but when the last of the initial apostles died (pre-rapture) in 1901, the church at Albury was shut off from the outside world, not to be opened until the second coming.
“Nobody, not even locals can visit. It’s not to be used for secular activity or to visit or for anything. It is purely maintained for the appropriate time,” historian Trevor Brook told the BBC of the church, adding that it is impressive that such a secret can be kept for so long.
“This is an astonishing thing he has left for us all. The church regard it as a visible memorial to the lord’s work by apostles, a place of pilgrimage to recall the past and a stimulus to expectation regarding the future.”
While you may have to wait for the apocalypse for your own look inside the church, there have been people who have taken a little glance at the interior. Such a building will not last forever, and without maintenance it will crumble long before Jesus shows up, even if he gets a move on.
The grounds have a caretaker, and since its closure in 1901 there have been additions of modern systems to keep it from degrading.
“I visited the church on 20 May 1992, and was shown round,” historian and author Tim Grass, who has heavily documented the church’s history, explained in a talk.
“The church is being maintained for the Second Advent; electricity was installed in 1991, and a new heating system shortly before. The whole building was kept spotless. The refit, ordered by the Trustees, had cost £100,000, and had been precipitated by a leaking roof. Given their belief that it may be required at Christ’s return, it is not allowed to be used for secular events.”
Other than becoming a maintenance worker who services the church’s interior, however, the church remains off-limits. Until Jesus returns, of course.
[H/T: BBC]
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