‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness.’ Psalm 37: 3.
I have the privilege of serving as a trustee of St Martin-in-the-Fields Trust, whose small but expert team fundraises for the long-term wellbeing of our church’s buildings and the wider mission of our community. The latter includes our world-class music programme, ministry with asylum seekers, refugees and those experiencing homelessness (e.g. International Group and 18 Keys), Being With courses and Oasis St Martin’s Village. Since Covid, the Trust has also risen to the challenge of fundraising for the PCC’s running costs and supporting our social enterprise’s recovery. As we look ahead to the 300th anniversary of our current building’s consecration, the Trust faces the ambitious task of raising millions of pounds for much-needed repairs and enhancements to our site, so that we can remain the church with the ever open – as well as accessible, sustainable and non-leaky – door in years to come.
In English law the concept of trusteeship developed during the Crusades. Landowners who went to fight transferred legal ownership of their land to a person they trusted (the ‘trustee’) to administer for the benefit of loved ones they left behind. However, some returned to find that the trustee refused to hand the land back or had abused their trust by not caring for their family. They complained to the courts, who eventually developed a new body of law – called Equity for good reason – recognising that when a landowner transferred their land to a trustee, they intended the trustee to hold it for someone else’s benefit, rather than for the trustee’s own benefit.
Thus out of fragile human promises grew a legal safeguard rooted in a recognition of mutual dependence. Trust is fundamentally relational, requiring humility to rely on others with no certainty as to the outcome, generosity to steward something not for one’s own gain, and commitment to act fairly and ‘in good faith’ when in a position of power. Trust is fragile and, once abused, can be hard to regain; it cannot be forced but is a gift that we both give and receive. Trust is a call to act faithfully, hopefully, lovingly.
This Patronal Festival, I wonder in whom/what we put our trust. And I wonder who/what has been entrusted to each one of us.
Ivan Yuen
