The empty chapel

EP Thompson once met the last member of the Muggletonian religion, a Kentish fruit farmer named Noakes. As he expounded on Muggletonian doctrine, Noakes repeatedly said ‘We believe’, then looked uneasy. Auckland’s Swedenborgians have sold their church. Its pews had emptied. The church was built by volunteer labour in Ellerslie, close to the Anthroposophists’ headquarters. Now it has been stripped. Only an empty literature stand remains. The few remaining members are holding an SGM to debate a plan to invest in Auckland’s real estate market.