Bristol Unitarians: Newsletter March 2012

From The Desk

The ʻBright Lightsʼ celebrated 5 flourishing years of life at

their February meeting. There was cake of course, but

also an opportunity to indulge in some pancake tossing

and a chance to draw our memories of an important

experience or event from our ʻChildhoodʼ - no matter the

age of some of the ʻBright Lightsʼ members.

UMB will be holding their AGM on Thursday 15th March

at 7.30 pm. This year it is UMBʼs turn to nominate a

President for the Group to over from Bernard Omar in

May. Many thanks to Bernard for his work as President

in 2011/2012. The Trustees of UMB will hold a meeting

immediately before the AGM. Like Frenchay, UMB is

faced with building work

Our in-house Impresario, Mark Gartside

produced another extravaganza at UMB on

24th February with a Singalong ʻSound of

Musicʼ. The evening was thoroughly enjoyed

by some 20 of us from both chapels,

including several nuns and at least three

Marias. A good time was had by all and It

was lovely to see Grace Cooper joining in

with us. Markʼs next presentation will be a

Madonna evening of songs and perhaps

even some dancing.

This will be at UMB on Friday 30th March. The date still has to be confirmed

however - more in the next newsletter.

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this issue. Articles came in

promptly and the making of it has been a (relatively) stress-free!

I will be producing the next newsletter at the end of March, so all contributions to

me by 27th March please. The newsletter will available on 1st April!

PETER WILDMAN

FROM THE MINISTER

Dear Friends -

In the Christian tradition, the season of Lent is a time for inner reflection,

repentance and possibly a time to give something up or perhaps do something

extra for someone each day. I do not see these actions necessarily as a penance

but more as a way of helping us to focus on things that we may do out of habit.

This can help shift our way of being and can open our eyes to something new. A

friend of mine gave up driving for Lent (except for real emergencies) and it opened

her eyes to see the world and other people in a totally new light.

We know that Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and nights. And the

number forty not only comes into lent but also is found in other religious stories as

well. Muhammad was forty when he was called to be a prophet. Noah's Flood

lasted for forty days.

I have recently been reading a book: “The Forty Rules of Love” based on the

spiritual teachings of Rumi, and this is what some of them say:

- Try not to resist changes that may come your way. How do you know that the

side you are used to is better than the one to come?

- What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose to

look into the night and see the dawn. Time is needed for the crescent moon to

be full.

- The path to truth is a labour of the heart, not the head.

- When we know ourselves, we know God.

- Choose love. Without the sweet life of love, living is a burden.

And I say that perhaps this is a time to relent, to relax and loosen ourselves so that

we can be open to a new view of love.

Have a fruitful wilderness.........

With my love...... Lindy

Frenchay Windows - What A Pane!

PLEASE COME TO THE MEETING ARRANGED

WEDNESDAY 7TH MARCH 2012

at FRENCHAY CHAPEL

at 7.00 p.m.

We need to form a working party

with a team of volunteers

to organise and co-ordinate future

fund-raising events

so that we can get the much needed cash

to help pay for the replacement and repair of

the windows at The Frenchay Chapel.

For more information contact

Lindy: Telephone 0117 950 7906

Email: lindy@belindalatham.co.uk

Pauline Furnivall - Telephone: 0117 956 8310

Email:



Womenʼs League

The Womenʼs League AGM was held at Sylvia Bartlettʼs home on Thursday

23rd July. Sylvia provided a very nice tea and a card was sent to our

President Ros Pratt who has broken a rib. Donations of money were sent to

the Women;s League National project. A cheque from the National League

will be presented to ʻCombat Stressʼ at the General Assembly in April.

Money was also sent to the India Fund. Membership of the Bristol WL is £4

and should be paid to Sylvia Bartlett our Treasurer. Susan will attend the

next Central Committee meeting in Birmingham on 1st March. Our next

meeting will be on Wednesday 14th March in the Bristol Guild where we

shall meet Olga Jennings for tea at 2.45pm.. - all friends welcome.

Thank you Grace for your poem, Iʼm sure that Ros will appreciate it.

SUSAN WILDMAN

Bristol Diverse Open Doors Day

As part of the Open Doors trail on Sunday 26th February, the Quʼran Academy on

Abingdon Road in Fishponds put on a full programme of events. Karl and I went

along at 4.15pm, and were warmly welcomed. First of all we were invited to sit in

on afternoon prayers, which was their third of five prayer times that day. We were

then taken into another part of the building, where there was a lovely buffet of lots

of yummy Arabic food, savoury and sweet, as well as a glossy display of posters

explaining different aspects of Islamic religion and culture.

We then sat down for a talk ʻDemystifying Islamʼ, which lasted for well over an

hour, and was delivered with a very informative power-point presentation. The talk

went over the basic tenets of Islam, as well as speaking to some of the commonly

held preconceptions about Islam in our society. One of the points that was strongly

emphasised was their belief in One God, which they believe to be the same as the

Christian and Jewish God. They also talked about the status of Jesus as one of

their high prophets, along with Abraham, Moses, David and Mohammed.

There were people from several different faith backgrounds and none in the

audience, including a Rabbi. After the talk there was a question and answerperiod,

during which such topics as ʻis Islam an proselytising religionʼ, ʻwomenʼs

rights in Islamʼ and 'Muslim attitudes towards homosexuality' came up. To

conclude the visit we sat in on the sunset prayers, which involved more recitation

from the Quʼran than the first set of prayers.

One of the aspects of our visit that struck me is the 5 daily prayer times observed

in Islam. It reminded me of my experience living in a Catholic Benedictine

Monastery in Germany, where 5 daily prayer times are also observed, which focus

on the recitation of the psalms. This model of ʻcoming back to Godʼ, just for 5 or 10

minutes at regular intervals throughout the day, seems like it could be a very

grounding principal, and a way to lead a more balanced, God-centred life. Far

from finding it a chore, the people at the Quʼran Academy really cherish their

prayer observances.

The Qu'ran Academy was just one of many religious buildings open to the public

on Sunday, including our own UMB. It seems like this Open Doors event is tailormade

for Unitarians, with our central tenet of looking for wisdom in all the religious

traditions of the world.

MARK GARTSIDE

Diary For March 2012

UMB - Unitarian Meeting Bristol, Brunswick Square,

WL - Women’s League, WA - Wedding Anniversary,

IM - In Memoriam, tba - to be arranged, tbc - to be confirmed

SUN 4th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - THE MINISTER. Address by

Mrs Barbara Clifford, President

of the National Women’s League

UMB 6.00 pm - THE MINISTER

Flowers - Mrs J Whitaker

Teas - Mrs J Whitaker

Wed 7th Frenchay 7.00pm. ‘Frenchay windows’. See page 4

SUN 11th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - MR BERNARD OMAR

NO SERVICE AT UMB

Wed 14TH 2.45 pm Women’s League tea at Bristol Guild with

Olga Jennings

UMB 7.00 pm. UMB Trustees meeting, followed by UMB

AGM at 7.30 pm

Thur 15th UMB 7.00 pm Stokes Croft Educational Foundation

SUN 18th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - The MINISTER

UMB 6.00 pm - The MINISTER

Flowers - Mrs F Webster

Teas - Mrs F Webster

SUN 25th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - THE MINISTER

UMB 3.00 PM - 5.00 pm ‘BRIGHT LIGHTS”

With John Harley, Unitarian National Youth Officer.

Dates For April

SUN 1st FRENCHAY 10.30 am - THE MINISTER

UMB 6.00 pm - THE MINISTER

Flowers- Ms J Hulin

Teas - tba

Tues 3rd - Fri 6th Unitarian General Assembly at Keele University

Fri 30th UMB 7.00pm. ‘Madonna Evening’ with Mark Gartside. More details

in the March newsletter. Date is TBC.

ʻForgivenessʼ

Forgiveness, as an act of love, is felt, not achieved. It can be given but it

may not always be received. It cannot be bestowed as either a triumph over

another person, or as the means to secure their humiliation or

acquiescence

It is most healing, most profound when it grows out of humility and realism,

a hard won sense that whether you are entirely to blame in these events

and I am blameless, there is in each of us insufficiencies and imperfections

that can be our greatest teachers.

You may not recognise forgiveness even you have experienced it, for what

we are seeking to know better is subtle, multi-layered and contains an

element of magic. You will, however, feel it in you body. Something - very

nearly a ʻThingʼ -has left you. You are no longer carrying the load you were;

you have put it down. Anger may have gIven way to sorrow or regret. Rage

may have flattened out into indifference or pity. Into what seemed black and

white has crept a little grey.

The muscular tensions that you had come to assume were normal are

eased. You are less vulnerable to infection or far more serious illness. Your

immune system lifts. Your face muscles let down. Food tastes better. The

world looks better. Depression radically diminishes. You are more available

to other people and to yourself, yet you think about yourself less, and less

anxiously.

Forgiveness does not lead to false reunions. There may be some people

whom we are better never to see, to hear from, or even to think about for

more than a few moments at any time. Letting people go from our thoughts,

releasing them from any wish or that we could harm them or that they will

be harmed, brings cleansing, sometimes exhilarating, freedom.



From the book ʻForgiveness and Other Acts of Loveʼ by Stephanie Dowrick,

on which the six week course at UMB after Easter will be based. Please see

Julian Woodʼs article on page 8 for detail of this course.

Bright Lights -

Ready For New Olympic Sports?

Balloon hockey at the January Bright Lights afternoon.

Tossing pancakes at the February meeting, It was our 5th anniversary!.

Our next meeting will be on Sunday 25th March when our National Youth Officer,

John Harley will visit us. His theme for the afternoon will be -

ʻStory telling and puppet makingʼ



A Correction

In the ʻFrenchay Mattersʼ article of the newsletter last month, it was said that the

minimum contribution per member to the collection, is £1.50. not £1.00. This is as

agreed at the Frenchay AGM in 2009.



Alison Short

Alison has now moved in to her new flat in Sheffield.

Her address and ʻphone number are:

43 Backmoor Court

Backmoor

SHEFFIELD



Minister's Report. Feb. 8th 2012

As I have recently presented reports to both committee meetings, I will endeavour

to keep this brief relating to issues relevant to both congregations. Some items

will come under “future planning”. A fuller report will be presented at the AGM.

Thank you to the group for your generous contribution to my new lap top

computer.

•

There will be a new “Conversation” Group starting at UMB in April on

“Values for Living” This will be held on Monday evenings for about 6 weeks.

Details in next news letter.

•

I would also like to consider a daytime “monthly meeting” at Frenchay for

friendship and shared interests of some kind.

•

The Muslim Dialogue has invited us to join them in creating a “faith in

action” programme. Our first project may be to organise a Blood Donor session at

UMB inviting as many faith groups as possible to take part. Barry Baker from

Frenchay has offered to help organise this.

Evening Course on 'Forgiveness

and Other Acts of Love'

We will be running another six-session course at UMB after Easter, following on

from the successful 'Voyage of Discovery' course run last Autumn.

It will be based on a book by my favourite writer- the Australian inter-faith minister

and psychotherapist Stephanie Dowrick- called 'Forgiveness and Other Acts of

Love'. The book covers six of humanity's guiding values-courage, fidelity, restraint,

generosity, tolerance and forgiveness- and we will discuss one of these values at

each session. The author's website is . A

short extract from the chapter on Forgiveness is on page 8 of this newsletter..

The course will run for six sessions, from 23rd April over six or seven weeks. It is

open to members of the public as well as chapel attendees. It will be facilitated by

Lindy in a similar style to the course last Autumn.

Commitment to come to as many sessions as possible is important for the

cohesion of the group.

If you would like to attend the course, please contact Lindy or me:

Julian Wood. or 0117 902 9125

JULIAN WOOD

Frenchay News

Unitarian worthies" especially local ones are being identified for a small

booklet being compiled by Frenchay's Jeffrey Spittle who would welcome

information which could be emailed or posted to me please. He mentions

Cossham, of Cossham Hospital fame, who I had not realised was Unitarian.

I have just heard from Rev Peter Godfrey about Rev Edward Taggart, Minister

of Little Portland Street Chapel, Regent Street, London when attended by

Charles Dickens. "Edward Taggart was a Bristolian. (His) family were

members of Lewin's Mead".

Window fund raising. Please support the meeting at Frenchay Chapel on

March 7th at 7 pm. More details on page 9.

Meanwhile book Tuesday 22nd May for the "Antiques Roadshow" when we

can bring items to be professionally valued.

BERNARD OMAR

All Life Is Connected

Inspired by Chief Seattle and Taken From

ʻGathering In Prayerʼ by Roger Courtney

No matter how different someone is from us, they are part of the human family,

one of Godʼs children to be valued and treated with dignity.