An elderly widow has accused St. Mark's Church of practising hypocrisy.

After 18 months of living in "deplorable'' conditions of a cottage belonging to the church in Smith's Parish, 66-year-old Telvina Simons has been told she will have to leave by the end of this month.

The church wardens and Rector, in a letter sent to Mrs. Simons on New Year's Eve, wrote: "As you are aware, there is much work that needs to be done to the cottage you are now living in. We have come to the conclusion that in its current state, it is not in condition to be occupied.

"You are aware of this as well, as indicated by your various calls to us and others. Therefore, we must ask you to vacate the cottage by January 31, 1999, in order that we may be relieved of the responsibility of having a person living in an unacceptable premises and that we may have access to make necessary repairs.'' But Mrs. Simons, who shares the two-bedroom cottage with her 26-year-old son and her Pomeranian "Peekaboo'', said she has nowhere else to go.

"I've been looking for somewhere else up to this morning,'' the soft-spoken woman said. "For church people to do things like that is awful.'' While admitting the house is barely habitable, Mrs. Simons said she suspected that the church has ulterior motives for wanting her out.

"The house is full of rats and mice,'' she said. "I've found rats in the oven in my macaroni and cheese and on the table. The pit is choked up so everything is coming up. The toilet is dirty. There are big holes in the floor and termites.

"The kitchen windows are broken. I'm home by myself sometimes and the house is by the road.'' When she has complained about the conditions of the cottage, Mrs. Simons added, Rector the Rev. Robert Thacker accused her of causing the damage.

"He put in a stove, but not a new one,'' she said. "So it was not working at Christmas. I had to cook Christmas dinner in the microwave.

"Last year we received shocks when we touched the walls,'' she said. "And we only had one extension cord which we used to provide electricity throughout the house.

"If I've lived through this, how come I can't stay there now while they repair,'' she asked. "They think I'm dumb, but I'm not dumb. God gave me the strength to get this far.'' Mrs. Simons said she suspected the church wanted her out of the cottage so it could be rented to someone else.

"I know what they're up to,'' she said. "A friend of mine called to find out what was going on and the pastor told her it was none of her business.'' And, Mrs. Simons said, the church did not approach her personally about the eviction.

"They threw the letter on the porch,'' she said. "They did not have the decency to hand deliver it. We have a post box. They could have even mailed it.'' She added: "The church is supposed to be there to help people no matter who you are. The church is there to help, not to walk over people. This is hypocrisy.'' Mrs. Simons stressed that she has never been late in paying the monthly rent of $1,000.

"We owe no rent,'' she said. "The pastor comes to collect the rent every month, even if the month begins on a Sunday.'' Mr. Thacker was off the Island and could not be reached for comment.

But St. Patrick's Church benevolence programme representative Ervin Fisher confirmed the electricity and rodent problem.

Mr. Fisher, who visited Mrs. Simons shortly after she moved in, said: "To be honest they should not have rented it to her. The place is a mess. The people who used to live there left a beat-up couch which smelled. Mice are running all through the place. As far as I'm concerned they should knock it down.'' While pointing out that he did not blame the church, Mr. Fisher said: "I blame the tenants who lived there before and the agents who rented it out.'' He added that he has been working hard to find another accommodation for Mrs.

Simons.

When asked if she has sought help from the Bermuda Housing Corporation, Mrs.

Simons noted: "The Housing Corporation do not want to rent homes to people with dogs.

"But that's my companion,'' she said of Peekaboo. "He's so curly and sweet.

I would die if I could not take him with me.'' Anyone who can help Mrs. Simons can call her on 236-3646.