From the Desk: Row row, row the boat....
Dear All,
It's past again that quickly: time - and with all we do it's sometimes hard not allow ourselves to be consumed by it.
Yes, we are still rowing the boat on our cruise of caring, listening, sharing, giving and receiving, and all the other things we do in our ever-changing role within the movement and the Church as a whole. Sometimes keeping up with it all is a challenge, and that spirit of enquiry, I'm sure, keeps us going as we listen to each other.
Lately we have discussed a lot about the future, and reformed the search committee. This is going well, and as time elapses we look forward to sharing with you the work we have carried out so far. However we are a church of people and more so now as the space we shall use for the next few weeks gets smaller, while UMB has some much needed work done. It's with great thanks and appreciation to Susan Wildman, and the trustees; for seeing to all that goes into everything for the future of the building.
We have been greatly appreciative of the wealth of people who we have had services from of late, as we can all take the seeds of the words and thoughts that are shared by our own people and visitors. Although having said that, it's surprising what we can come up with ourselves, when it goes a little wrong.
I have enjoyed and still do, all we share together - we are doing well! As we continue to grow together and welcome new faces, I hope we are able to stand out from the crowd a little. It would be great to say 'YES WE ARE', when some one asks, 'are you there?', and 'am I welcome?'
Sustaining welcome is an important part of our shared ministry, and I hope those who have recently joined us in worship and the fellowship of the community we have, feel that you are welcome always.
Several of us have been to visit Grace Cooper, during a recent visit to hospital; we of course wish her well, and all those who are not with us on a Sunday, due to various commitments or family and health problems. You are in our thoughts and prayers, and not forgotten. When you return a warm welcome will await you.
Now then there is learning afoot; several of us from Bristol will be off this August to Great Hucklow, for Summer School, which of course is a great place to meet with many in the wider fellowship of the movement. I, as well as others, will look forward to sharing with you what we will have learned.
I look forward to all this as it unfolds, as we continue feed from this well of nourishment.
Yours, with warm wishes, Karl Stewart, Chair, UMB.
Real and Rooted - A peer social and support group for those in recovery from trauma or distress.
We meet to share skills, tools and resources for well-being and moving into renewed confidence and recovery. Each session begins with a short "grounding" visualisation - to help us feel rooted and present within ourselves and in connection with others. Activities we share will vary, including: guided meditations, relaxation and communication skills, art and healing activities, chilling out and chatting or playing board games, hosting guest speakers to talk or offer taster sessions on themes related to health and healing.
You do not need to have identified yourself as having a "mental health issue" to take part in this group: anyone can be affected by times of crisis, and needing a safe space. Please just be aware we are not an intervention group and are focusing on both "talk and share" alongside sharing skills, learning, activities and resources and easy social time together - so these sessions are probably more suitable for those moving into stability and recovery beyond peak of crisis. We hope to ensure there is plenty of signposting material to hand, for those who may need it. Come and take part or make contact via email, in advance, with any queries. day.eva@hotmail.co.uk
We are asking for small, optional contributions to cover cost of venue and are looking for volunteer fund-raisers and facilitators. We are also asking for donations of board games, healing books and dvds and art materials. We are also seeking guest visitors/teachers/healers. to offer one-off themed session from time to time. Thank you.
Eva Day
News update: Our first sessions took place on Saturday 11th and 18th July, from 2-4pm in The Reading Room at Hamilton House, Stokes Croft. After this, it seems likely we will meet fortnightly on Saturday afternoons. Those interested and wishing to confirm details / attend / get involved - please contact me or check our Facebook page called Real and Rooted.
Rajah Rammohun Roy Commemoration 2015
This is the 182nd. year that the death of the Rajah in Bristol has been commemorated in our city of Bristol. A short event is planned for Sunday 27th. Sept .(his death anniversary) starting at 12 noon at Arnos Vale Cemetery , Bath Road, Brislington ,BS4 3EW. It is a free and open event for all comers , and Unitarians are especially welcomed, since the Rajah described himself as a Hindu-Unitarian. Indeed he founded and funded the Unitarian chapel in Calcutta in 1821. He came to London in 1831 for two and a half years and met nearly all the leading Unitarians in connection with various Indian and British reforms.
Our Lord Mayor, Clare Campion-Smith, will attend along with representatives from the Indian High Commission, and up to 100 members of the public; including British Brahmo Samajis, Unitarians and interested members of the public. Lunch (payable, Indian or English ) will be available afterwards at the Whisk! cafe at the cemetery. People are welcome to come for all or part of the day as convenient for them.
This year the remarkable and spectacular tomb (Chattri or mausoleum) of the Rajah will be the theme of the day. Various speakers will describe its design, financing and building, its importance as a site of pilgrimage and its recent restoration. It is a landmark grave in Bristol and attracts many visitors.
The Commemoration will start beside the chattri at noon , and then move into the restored Anglican chapel for the talks. People are welcome to come for all or part of the day , which is usually a friendly and interesting occasion. Afterwards some people take the opportunity to look around the cemetery ; a calm and beautiful oasis of 45 acres with interesting flora and fauna, four elegant buildings, and really beautiful monumental masonry.
Carla Contractor, Frenchay Chapel and Trustee of Arnos Vale.
New National Women’s League Profile - Profile Of Joy Foster, President 2015/2016
I am from Aberdare, a former coal mining area in the SE Wales District, approximately 24 miles, 40 minutes from Cardiff, the capital of Wales. After leaving the local primary school at 11, I attended Clive Hall School in Llandaff, in Cardiff. I spent all my childhood holidays in Saundersfoot and Tenby. I love the coast with a passion especially the West Wales coast of Pembrokeshire.
Another special childhood memory I have is attending Highland Place Unitarian Church Sunday school, although for only a short time, as I went away to school so lost contact with my local friends and community. I well remember going with the Sunday school to a Unitarian Youth Centre called Cwmwrdu in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. I remember having the most fantastic time! The warmth and friendship of the Sunday school leaders have stayed with me to this day. Most of those leaders still serve as an important part of our church life even now.
I am married to Tony, who coincidentally will be serving as District President this year, a two -year role which he is very proud to be doing. I have one daughter, Joanna, who lives and works in London, and has done since she left Magdalen College Oxford 18 years ago. She is getting married in July, her husband-to-be comes from the Basque region of Spain. I will be proud to have him as my son in law.
Some of my interests are water-colour painting, swimming, scrabble, also millinery and jewellery making. In 2007 I registered a small business, called Spangles, working from home making tiaras, hats and fascinators for weddings. I don't take on too many commitments of late due to my church commitments.
I support a number of animal charities and over the years I have kept many animals including dogs, rabbits and ducks(I had regular orders for their eggs). I now only have a stray cat that lives with us as and when he pleases. I call him Dennis(as in Menace), but my husband says he should be called O'Malley as he definitely an "Alley Cat" always on the look out for a fight.
Unitarianism means 'home' to me, in the sense that when I came to it I realised I was a Unitarian all along. It is important to me to be a free thinker. I can't imagine my life without being connected to a Unitarian faith, in as much as, if I moved from South Wales I would have to find another Unitarian church/chapel to belong to. My faith is personal to me, each to their own I say as long as it does no harm to a living soul, or animal who we share this earth with. I like the freedom being a Unitarian gives me. I try to live by the maxim of, treat others as you would like to be treated.
I love my church and its building, which dates back to 1860. I set up a children's weekly Sunday school at Highland Place four years ago this July.
I have served as a Branch President and District President and enjoy attending the GA meetings. I am nervous at the prospect of being National President but hopefully I will learn as I go along the ins and outs of the business side of it all!
I look forward with gusto to seeing your churches and Chapels, meeting you all, and sharing each others news and views. I am very proud to be your National President, I will do my very best to serve you well.
With Love, Joy Foster
Women's League
Ten of us enjoyed the National President Joy Foster's visit on 28th June. We had lunch in Alveston and then took Joy, her husband and Dilys Evans, all from the Aberdare congregation, to see the Frenchay Chapel. St Stephen's café has not yet re-opened so the last meeting took place at 'Café Retreat' - the café on the Downs, but it was so windy that we had to meet inside. We saw Shaun's friends on the way!
Our next meeting will be on 2nd September at 2.30 pm when we shall go to the Arnolfini see Richard Long's exhibition. Please contact Susan (01454 412993) for details.
Susan Wildman
Modern Church Annual Conference 13-16 July 2015, High Leigh: Seeking the Sacred: Christianity in dialogue with other religions and the world
I thoroughly enjoyed this event. It was my first Modern Church conference, and I was excited about the prospect of meeting many new people interested in Progressive Christianity, as well as engaging with the topic of learning from other faiths. I refer people to the conference website for more information about the speakers- I am offering my personal response to the conference as a whole. See http://www.modernchurch.org.uk/mc-events/annual-conference/past-conferences/2015.html for info on the conference, plus recordings of all the main speaker sessions. There were about 90 people attending the conference. This was great, as I had the opportunity to meet so many new people interested in progressive Christianity, most of whom were not attenders of PCN local groups. The conference is a real community, with Modern Church members coming back year after year. As a result, the event felt like being with a family, and I was made to feel very welcome.
A Unitarian and Quaker, who passionately believes in Christianity’s value I re-discovered Christian faith through being a member of a 12-step recovery fellowship, and am very interested in the interplay between spirituality and personal growth. I enjoyed the chats between the sessions as much as the sessions themselves. The conference was a co-operation between the Modern Church and the World Congress of Faiths (http://www.worldfaiths.org/ ). It felt a very equal partnership, with both organisations (and individuals) keen to learn from each other. On the first evening, we were treated to a very hands-on exploration of spirituality from Justine Huxley from St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace ( https://www.stethelburgas.org/). Justine argued that the younger generation want to build a better world, and that religions and dogmas are much less important than action and communication. The second day started with a discussion on ‘Revelation and Scripture in Abrahamic Faiths’, and much common ground was found between the faiths. The concept of revelation was also explored and questioned. Dr. Elizabeth Harris then gave us a personal story of her encounter with Thereveda Buddhism during her ten-year stay in Sri Lanka. She reminded us that Buddhism has many forms and that she deeply experienced only one strand of this philosophy and religion. Dr. Nikki Singh and Rev. John Parry’s Sikh-Christian dialogue was very warmly received. We saw how lived experience of religion leads to deep commitment to a spiritual path, and also to deep respect for other people’s paths and for the communities of faith. Day Three started with a lecture by Dr. Perry Schmidt-Leukel entitled ‘Religious Pluralism in 13 theses’, which was philosophical and a lesson in the logic of plurality and was very positively received. This lecture was a reminder to me that even though we all shared a passion for Progressive Christianity, what engaged some people at the conference did not engage others. A good reminder that unity does not require conformity! There were a number of workshops in the afternoon, which helped us get to know each other a bit better. Personally, one thing I would have enjoyed is more opportunities to interact with each other in the sessions. A Hindu-Christian dialogue took place in the late afternoon, but I needed a break so missed this, unfortunately. The final day brought the faith stories together by looking at the issues that affect all of the world religions. We looked at the role religion plays in the violence and conflict of contemporary society from Dr. Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi. Finally, Harriet Crabtree, Director of the UK Inter-Faith Network, gave us an overview of the development of inter-faith dialogue in the UK in the last 25 years, and then looked ahead to future challenges and opportunities. Throughout the conference there were plenty of opportunities to worship together. Again, this had a multi-faith emphasis. A body meditation preceded each Morning Prayer, and elements from the different world faiths were threaded into the Anglican worship. I really appreciated the shared worship.A few personal reflections on the conference:
I felt a lot of gratitude to the clergy who serve (or served) in their local churches, sometimes with great opposition
High Leigh is a beautiful and inspiring place to spend time reflecting
As the prayer goes, ‘Seek first to understand, rather than to be understood’. This is a real strength of the Modern Church
Above all, meeting other people, and building relationships, was key to me
God?! What is that?
Written by Jonathan Clatworthy
‘Seeking The Sacred’ was the title of last week’s annual conference of Modern Church together with the World Congress of Faiths.
We heard speakers from a wide range of different faith traditions, and in some cases representatives of different traditions in dialogue with each other. At one point it was suggested that the word ‘God’ is misleading because it means so many different things to different people. This is a problem it shares with abstract nouns in general. ‘Courage’ or ‘honesty’ can mean different things to different people. These days, as we all know, so does ‘marriage’. Western Christians can agree about certain propositions about God – like the ones in the Creeds – while still thinking of God in very different ways. I keep coming across people who don’t believe in God because the God they were taught to believe in is a monster whose existence can only be deplored. Then there is the sectarianism. At various times some enthusiastic young evangelicals have tried to convince me that Allah is not God . I explained that Allah is the Arabic word for God, used by Arabic-speaking Christians, but they preferred to believe that Muslims worship a false god. When it comes to comparing the Abrahamic faiths with eastern traditions the matter gets trickier still. The tidy western mind asks whether Buddhists believe in God: but which Buddhists, and what would count as their equivalent to ‘God’? I spent one session listening to a Jain describing his faith. He told us that Jains don’t believe in gods. But that didn’t stop him talking about ‘divine spirit’. What’s that, if it isn’t God? I am no expert in eastern faiths but I think the overall historical development was something like this. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors knew they had to interact with forces they did not understand. They thought of them as agents with wills of their own, and tried to relate to them, with prayers and sacrifices. The sun, the moon, trees and rivers had a numinous quality. They thought they could relate to them. Behind these spiritual entities, anthropologists have found, there was often a sense of an ultimate unifying force holding together all the disparate forces. It was often identified with the sky god and often had no cult (because there was no need to plead with it) and therefore could easily get forgotten. Knowing which god to approach for what was a complicated business. In historical Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece there was a trend to simplify by incorporating all the gods into one. Over time, though, this trend was overshadowed by a more radical idea coming from the Jews, that there is only one god. So all the different forces of nature were the direct actions of the one God.
Further east this monotheistic development had no equivalent. The forces of nature and society continued to be expressed as a variety of different gods, but, as in the west, over time the idea of relating separately to each one lost popularity. Whereas the west put all its eggs in the basket of one god, whom they then exalted to supreme universal status, the east allowed the significance of all its gods to decline. To a westerner this may look like atheism. However it may just mean that with their different history they divide up spiritual reality differently. The Chinese use of the term ‘heaven’ and concepts like ‘nirvana’ are different from what easterners would normally mean by a ‘god’, but they still appeal to that underlying transcendent unity that makes the universe function as it does. To me, the western usage has the advantage of affirming that we can relate to this transcendent spiritual reality. We are not alone in the universe. The eastern usage has the advantage of reminding us that we do not understand what it is we are relating to. It is beyond our understanding. Imagining that we are competent to understand it has far too often led to conflict. Our relationship with God is like the relationship of a domestic cat to its owner: we appreciate being fed and enjoy the cuddles, but we haven’t got the faintest idea what our owner is up to most of the time.
The Guest House
By Rumi (13th Century Sufi poet)
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Mindfulness meditation - A reflection
Recently I attended an afternoon Mindfulness workshop. I have been practising mindfulness meditation on and off for over a decade, and for the last year and a half, I've managed to sit down nearly every day, to try and focus on my breathing for just 20 minutes.
This is certainly a discipline, but one which I feel is worth while. I really notice if I've missed a day.
For something as seemingly simple as sitting for 20 minutes and concentrating on your breath, I come up with all manner of excuses to avoid doing it. I notice a great resistance to it within myself. But I'm also drawn to its necessity.
So there I sit, trying to keep my attention on my breathing; trying to keep my focus on where my breathing is most tangible – the rise and fall of my tummy, its flow through my nose. Sometimes I say to myself 'breathe in... breathe out...' to try and keep my focus on the breath, while still trying to follow its natural ebb and flow; not trying to control or lead it.
Of course distractions come in which draw my focus away from the breath – thoughts and feelings: regrets, ideas, plans; worry, excitement, anxiety. Then there are physical sensations: tiredness, fullness, hunger; aches and discomfort. Then there are distractions from outside: noises in the house or on the street; too hot, too cold, and interruptions. But the idea is to acknowledge all these things as they arise, but then to let them go. Our usual process is to create associations, dredge up memories, unfold a narrative about every little thing that comes into our awareness; and before we know it, we're lost in our imagining, projecting into the future, or back into the past, and no longer focusing on our breath here in the present. The idea of mindfulness is to recognise this habit, this pattern, and to gently cut it off at the pass, thereby creating a space in our minds. One metaphor that I find useful is to imagine our mind like a mirror, with Autumn leaves scattered across it – gusts of wind come, stirring them up, blowing them hither and thither. We can never get a true reflection in our mind's mirror with this flurry of activity constantly going on at its surface. In the practice of mindfulness meditation we take a broom to the mirror of our mind, and gently and steadily sweep the leaves away. Of course they blow back again – this is not a process we will ever complete – but this sweeping might allow us occasional glimpses of true reflection.
Mindfulness is certainly not a one-stop fix to cure your neurosis, to suddenly be at one with the universe, and to be able to understand its intricate mysteries. But it's analogous with my gym membership: I've been regularly going to the gym for over a decade too – once, sometimes even twice a week – and yet I'm still 4 stone overweight. But imagine how overweight I'd be if I never went to the gym at all! Likewise with mindfulness meditation; I'm still neurotic and anxious and mentally undisciplined – but I'd be a lot more so if I never practiced it at all :-)
Mark Stewart
