FROM THE DESK
‘Smile for the Camera’
Dear all, as you will see in this
newsletter, there are a quite a few photos, all of celebration: we celebrated
with Lindy at her last service, led by Lis Dyson-Jones form the welsh district
of Unitarians; and at our service of annual celebration at UMB led by Kay
Millard of Bath and Trowbridge Meeting.
We have been very fortunate to
have been left a great legacy from Lindy; in the way of direction, teaching, spiritual
guidance, and the example of leading together. What stands out the most is the
belief she had in us to lead and listen to one another, and not just leading
services - there are all the elements
that join us: fellowship, pastoral-care, visiting, talking, teaching, leading,
committee work, decision making, treasury, flowers, social events, and so much more.
Most important, I feel, is welcoming: everything we do matters. As we move forward may
we carry the tapestry of these great things with us.
As all these things belong to us,
let’s all enjoy sharing them together.
Yours sincerely.
Karl Stewart.
CELEBRATING LINDY'S MINISTRY
Almost one hundred members
and friends of the Bristol Group gathered at UMB on Saturday 4th January to
celebrate Rev, Lindy Latham’s ministry in Bristol .
Lindy moved to Bristol to be near to her Mother and was welcomed to Bristol by
our then minister, Rev Gerald Whitaker, and his wife June. After Gerald’s
premature death, Lindy was appointed as part-time minister in 2006. Her 7 years
of ministry have been much more than part time and her cheerful encouragement
of us all will be greatly missed.
The afternoon started with a
welcome from Group President Jean Bryant and lighting of the chalice candle by
Lis Dyson Jones, from the Cardiff
congregation, who led the service. In her opening words, Jean said that Lindy
had been a friend as well as a minister who had listened and supported both
congregations supporting them in all their activities. She had initiated study
and training workshops and an all age group - the "Bright Lights". Lindy
had conducted many weddings, funerals and baby namings as well as her pastoral
care work. During her ministry Unitarian Meeting became the first religious
building in Bristol to be
registered for Civil Partnerships. The first of these took place last summer
for Karl Stewart and Mark Gartside after which Lindy conducted a wedding
ceremony.
During the service there were
three hymns from the purple hymn book which Lindy introduced to the Bristol
Group: “Come sing a song with me”, “Flying Free” and “Song of Peace”. Readings
were given by Bernard Omar, President of the Frenchay Chapel, and Karl Stewart,
President of Unitarian Meeting. Delydd McAdam sang a solo, “Three Kings” by
Peter Cornelius, accompanied on the piano by Bob Cook who also played the organ
for the hymns and musical contributions.
In her address “Reflections on
Ministry” Lindy quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson who spoke of converting life into
truth. Lindy said the she had striven to speak her own truth and to create
communities of kindness. Lis Dyson Jones gave some wider reflections and after
an amusing introduction she pointed out that Lindy has been and is still making
a contribution to the wider Unitarian movement. She is currently National
President of the Ministerial Fellowship and is much respected for
the work she does with those wishing to train for the ministry. Lindy is a
founder member of the longest existing covenant group of ministers and has
given valuable help and advice to this group.
The service ended with a
Benediction and Purcell’s “Trumpet Tune” played on the organ by Bob Cook after
which Lindy was presented with flowers. There followed a splendid tea organised
by Sally Pugh and Jane Hulin. and there was entertainment including singing by
the “Bright Lights” who presented Lindy a book of photographs of some of their
meetings put together by Anna Sherman.
To close, Karl Stewart, President
of UMB, thanked everyone for coming Bristol and
beyond and said that Lindy would always be welcomed by the congregations in the
future. We all hope that she will enjoy her retirement trip to New
Zealand as much as she did her sabbatical
visit to India
a few years ago.
SUSAN WILDMAN - Chair
of UMB Trustees
WOMEN'S LEAGUE
On Friday 11th January eleven members and friends went to
the Tobacco Factory to see "Sinbad the Sailor", which we all enjoyed.
On Wednesday 19th February our AGM will be held ay the home
of Ros Pratt. Please telephone her if you plan to attend. (01275 836917)
We send our best wishes to Ray who has returned home after a
short stay at Saffron House convalescence Home. Ray will welcome any contact or
phone calls.
IVY HOUSE
We have booked Ivy House,
Warminster again for our Bristol Group retreat weekend from 9th-11th May 2014 . For
those of you who didn't join us last year, Ivy House is a Retreat Centre
located in beautiful gardens in the market town of Warminster. The brochure
says that ‘it is a place for rest, refreshment and renewal.’ There are 22
bedrooms consisting of 18 single, 2 double and 3 twin bedded rooms. All of the
rooms will be
upstairs.
If you would like to come please get a deposit cheque to Diane Roberts or Marie Eastman for £15 made payable to ‘Frenchay Chapel’ as soon as possible. Total cost for the weekend will be £115, the balance of which will be due before the event.
Please also let us know if you
have any special dietary requirements, if you’re able to give a lift, or if you
need a lift.
There should be a full programme
of events for the weekend and a service on Sunday morning.
WORSHIP STUDIES COURSE
Want to lead a service? But you’re not sure how?
Let theWestern Union of Unitarian
& Free Christian Churches
We are offering a three-part course, leading to a GA-recognised qualification – the Worship Studies Course Foundation Step. (You will also need to do two assessed services).
Let the
We are offering a three-part course, leading to a GA-recognised qualification – the Worship Studies Course Foundation Step. (You will also need to do two assessed services).
Session 1: So you’re going to take a service? * What is worship? * Practicalities and precautions * Choosing Readings
Session 2: Elements of a service (1) * Storytelling * The Sermon / Address * Prayer / Meditation
Session 3: Elements of a service (2) * Speech and Communication * Hymns and Music
Where: Christ Church Unitarian Chapel, Bridgwater TA6 3LZ
Dates: Saturdays 15th March, 26th April and 24th May 2014
Times: 10.00 a.m. to 4.15 p.m. (coffee/tea from 9.30 a.m. )
Total Cost: £39 (toWestern Union participants) £48
(to others) This includes a £5 registration fee, and the £10 fee for the two
assessed services. You must attend all three parts to get your District
certificate. Refreshments will be provided during the day, but please bring
your own lunch.
Total Cost: £39 (to
The course will be led by Rev.
Sue Woolley from the Midlands Unitarian District. There are still a few places
left on this course, so if you’re interested, please send a cheque for the full
amount made payable to ‘The Western Union’ to Sue Woolley, 5 Martin’s Road,
Piddington, Northamptonshire, NN7 2DN by 28th February at the
latest.
DIARY FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2014
UMB - Unitarian Meeting Bristol Brunswick
Square
WL - Women’s League, WA - Wedding Anniversary,
IM - In Memoriam, tba - to be arranged
FEBRUARY
SUN 2nd FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Rev PATRICK TIMPERLEY
UMB 6.00 pm - KATE
WHYMAN
Teas - Anna Sherman
Flowers - Susan Wildman Music - Marie Eastman
Wed 5th Frenchay 7pm ,
Kundalini meditation
SUN 9th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Mr FRANK BUTLER
UMB 4 pm -
COMMITTEE MEETING
(NO SERVICE)
SUN 16th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Mr BERNARD OMAR
UMB 6.00 pm - Mr
PAUL WHEELER
Teas - Susan Wildman Flowers - Paul Wheeler Music - Bob Cook
Mon 17th Frenchay 6 pm, Group meditation - Person Centred,
Relax into peacefulness
Wed 19th Women’s League AGM at the home of Ros Pratt
Thur 20th Frenchay 7.00 pm Group committee meeting (Open to
all)
SUN 23rd FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Mr MARK STEWART
UMB 5.45 for 6.00 pm
- DISCUSSION GROUP
(Teas - Karl Stewart) (No ‘Brights Lights’ at present)
MARCH
SUN 2ND FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Rev DAVID USHER
UMB 6.00 pm - Rev
DAVID USHER (Teas - Jane Hulin, Flowers - Sally Pugh, Music - Marie Eastman)
Wed 5th Frenchay 7 pm, Kundalini meditation
SUN 9th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Mr FRANK BUTLER
UMB 4 pm - AGM - to be confirmed. Trustees meeting 3.30 pm (NO SERVICE)
Wed 12th UMB 7 pm
Stokes Croft Educational Foundation
Trustees meeting
SUN 16th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - Mr MARTIN FIELDHOUSE
PRESIDENT OF THE WESTERN UNION
UMB 6.00 pm (tbc) (Teas – tba, Flowers – tba, Music - Bob
Cook)
Mon 17th Frenchay 6 pm, Group meditation - Person Centred, Relax into peacefulness
Sat 22nd Western Union Council meeting - Crewkerne chapel
10.30 am (tbc).
SUN 23rd FRENCHAY 10.30 am -
UMB 5.45 for 6.00 pm
- DISCUSSION GROUP (Teas - Karl Stewart)
Thur 27th Lord Mayor’s Civic Inter Faith service. 7 00 pm at
‘City Hall’ (formerly the Council House)
SUN 30th FRENCHAY 10.30 am - UMB 6pm - Congregational service.
Format tbc
PLEASE NOTE: The next Catch up sheet covering February and
March February 2014, will be ready on 2nd
March 2014 . Please send articles, details and dates of events and
services to both Karl and myself by Wed. 26th February - at the latest!.
4TH SUNDAY DISCUSSION GROUPS
On Sunday 26th January 2014 , a group of us met at UMB to plan
what we are calling the ‘4th Sunday Discussion Group’.
This will be an open group, for
anyone to attend as and when they can, on the 4th Sunday of every month from 5.45-7pm at UMB. (This will not preclude the
possibility of Bright Lights starting up again from 3-5pm on 4th Sunday, by the way.)
The genesis of the discussion
group is twofold: it follows on from several years of discussion groups /
workshops held at UMB on a weekday evening, and it also allows us to hold an
event at 6pm at UMB on a Sunday evening, so that there will be something going
on at UMB every week at 6pm in case new people turn up. (Note, UMB have decided
to hold a monthly committee meeting on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 4-6pm , so there’ll be someone there if anyone
turns up a 6pm , at least to chat and
give information.)
At our first meeting on 26th
January we agreed on a list of subjects to discuss at each meeting:
* 23rd February 2014 : ‘Is poverty inevitable? Will the
poor always be with us?’
* 23rd March 2014 : ‘Why bother with religion?’
* 27th April 2014 : ‘Why should we care for the environment
when most of the world doesn’t?’
* 25th May 2014 : ‘How much do we know / understand about
depression?’
* 22nd June 2014 : ‘Is there such a thing as Grace?’
* 27th July 2014 : ‘Is there a place for God in the modern
world?’
* 24th August 2014 : ‘How do you forgive, and is it
necessary?’
* 28th September 2014 : ‘What can we do about loneliness?’
This list is by no means
exhaustive, and may be subject to change or modification if the group feels so
inclined. Of course there’s also room for people not present at our initial
meeting to suggest topics.
We agreed on a format for the
group, which would start with making teas and coffees and bringing them to
circle. At 6pm we would light the
chalice and have some opening words. The facilitator would then introduce the
theme, and everyone would have the opportunity to introduce themselves /
briefly ‘check-in’ with the rest of the group. If the topic was of specialist
interest we might invite a knowledgeable person to give us some background
information. We’d then pass round a ‘talking stick’ or ‘talking stone’ to allow
everyone in the group to air their initial thoughts on the topic without
responses. We would then open up the discussion to the group, where we might
respond to each other and exchange ideas. At 5 minutes before the end we would
go round the circle, again with stick / stone for people to sum up their
closing thoughts, again without responses. We would finish with closing words
from the facilitator, extinguishing the candle together. (Note, we would like
to rotate facilitators each month if possible.)
We also came up with some ground
rules for the group, which could be expanded or edited as we go along:
* Active listening: show that
we’re listening by not fidgeting, etc.
* Tolerance and acceptance that
we are a diverse group of people, bound to have differences in opinion.
* Allow the facilitator to move
the discussion on
* Respect each other’s
experiences and opinions: no put-down’s
* Learn from each other and try
to get to know one another better
* Confidentiality: do not
discussion what any one says about themselves outside of the group
* Be welcoming to each other and
offer one another’s ideas the hospitality of our listening.
Mark Stewart, January
2014
For a month over July and August
2014, the Western Union of Unitarians will be hosting
Rev. Maria Pap, Unitarian Minister from Romania ,
along with her husband and teenage daughter, for an exchange visit.
The plan is for the party to stay
for a week at a time in 4 locations around the Southwest, including a week
within the Bristol / Bath
area.
An exact schedule for the visit
is still be drawn up, but there is the possibility that the family might need
to be put up in the Bristol area for a week, as well as taking services and
putting on talks and events at our chapels.
If anyone is potentially able to
host the family, please get in touch with Martin Fieldhouse, Western Union
President, at the email address pyrenmount@btopenworld.com,
or call Mark Stewart on 0117 2398464.
BEST OF THE WEB- INSPIRING RADIO SHOWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
by Julian Wood
1) www.onbeing.org- On Being weekly radio program with
Krista Tippett. Pick any of the episodes, they are all excellent, and each one
has a webpage full of info, links and ideas. e.g. this one on Alain de Botton http://www.onbeing.org/program/alain-de-botton-school-life-atheists/4821
2) Spirit of Things radio show, ABC National (Australia
public broadcaster)- Another fantastic multi-faith radio show, with excellent
guests and topics. e.g. this one on my favourite writer Stephanie Dowrick http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/spiritofthings/heavenly-words2c-music-26-experience/5161494
3) Encounters- Again, from ABC National. This show is on the
pressures of adolescence, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/encounter/the-hour-of-the-stranger/5154800
4) Something Understood- Excellent religious/ spiritual
program on BBC Radio 4, to listen any time for up to a week online, presented
by Mark Tully http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qn7f
THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION AT UMB
The annual celebration was enjoyed by all who came and it
was well attended as you will see by the pictures. There were several speeches
made, one from the Lord Mayor, our new members Mark, Anna and Julian, as well
as from Susan as the chair of the trustees. We thank every one who took part in
to make it a worth while celebration as always, and thank you for coming just
to be there. Yours, Karl Stewart, Chair.
PHOTOS FROM SERVICE WITH LORD MAYOR
The collection for the Lord Mayor’s fund for children at the
UMB Anniversary Service raised a total of £55. Paul Wheeler has sent a cheque
has been sent and a letter of thanks has been received.
