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Church fundraises for repairs by releasing a CD of silence

Simon and Garfunkel may have thought they knew the sounds of silence but a church in England has recorded them and the resulting CD is a hit.

St Peter's Church in Sussex has found a way to bring the peaceful quiet of a church into people's homes. In an attempt to raise money, the church released a CD this fall called The Sound of Silence, featuring squeaking pews and occasional footsteps but mostly silence.

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The church's copies have sold out, according to Metro, with people as far away as Germany, Austria and Ghana ordering the record in search of a little peace. Metro reports the money raised will pay for repairs to the church, which was built in the 12 century.

There's something to be said about a world where silence is only available on a recording.

Musicians have used recordings of silence to great effect, most famously in the case of John Cage's composition entitled 4'33.

Nonetheless, St Peter's has tapped into a market for experiences from a time when people spent more time sitting quietly in church pews and less time swearing in traffic.

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The church isn't the first religious establishment to come up with a creative fundraising strategy. The Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Belgium recently began worldwide distribution of its coveted beer, Westvleteren 12, to repair the abbey's crumbling walls.