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Brighton UnitariansBrighton Unitarians
NewsletterNewsletter
September 2013September 2013
Sustaining a sacred space
in the heart of Brighton
2
Welcome
We welcome all who seek a better life through spir-
itual and intellectual exploration.
We have respect for all faiths, coupled with a mod-
ern religious outlook that encourages freedom of
individual thought and conscience.
We welcome all who believe that religion is wider
than any one sect and deeper than any one set of
opinions.
We do not impose a particular creed on our mem-
bers or ministers.
We affirm the worth of all people regardless of age,
nationality, gender, sexual orientation, ability or
background.
We seek to provide strength and encouragement
for the spiritual journey and daily living.
We believe that all life on our planet is intercon-
nected.
We believe that how a person lives is a measure of
their faith.
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Pulpit arrangements for September All services start at 11 a.m.
01 Jef Jones
Piano: Kathy Pitt
08 David Darling
Piano: Josh Mills
15 Poetry Group
Piano: Nick Andrews
22 Jef Jones. Equinox Service
Piano: Pamela Nickels
29 Stephen Crowther
Piano: Nick Andrews
And at 6.30-7.30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Members and visitors are politely reminded that our church is a sacred
space. If you need to speak to others before a service starts, or you ar-
rive after the start, please be as quiet as possible. Thank you.
Worthing Unitarians
Worthing Unitarians meet at The Friends Meeting House, 34 Mill
Road, West Worthing, the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 2.45
p.m. To contact the Worthing Minister, the Reverend Jane Barton, tel-
ephone 01903 202477 or email [email protected].
01 Reflective meeting with music, silence, candle lighting.
15 What is Truth? Religious Perceptions of Reality.
Speaker: Rev Peter Roberts.
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Dates for your Diary (All events take place in Brighton Unitarian
Church unless otherwise stated).
Sunday 1st September, following the service: Special General Meeting. See
page 7.
Friday 6th September: Lunchtime Concerts start again, running through to De-
cember. See pages 12 and 13 for the programme and page 9 for a piece on to-
day’s performer.
Saturday 7th September, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Makers Boutique. Handmade con-
temporary arts and crafts. For more information, go to
www.makersboutique.co.uk
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September: Big Sussex Market, part of Brighton
& Hove Food & Drink Festival, returns to New Road, Jubilee Street and Jubi-
lee Square. New Road will be closed to cars, but access to the church on Sunday
for those attending the service will be allowed, just ask the stewards.
Friday 13th September, 7.30 - 8.30 p.m.: Sacred Sounds of Ancient India – A
musical Journey to the Origin of Sound. Admission: £15/ £12 conc. Experi-
ence the magic of sound with Professor Surinder Singh & team and listen to an-
cient Indian string and percussion instruments. See page 8.
Saturday 14th September, 10.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.: Connecting with your Angels
workshop. £55. See page 7.
Sunday 15th September, 1 - 4 p.m.: Heritage Open Day. Our church will be
open on this afternoon only during this annual weekend event. Volunteers
needed to spend an hour or so in the church while it’s open.
Sunday 15th September, 6 p.m.: Neo-Tokyo & Real Tokyo: Visions of the City
in Japanese Contemporary. A book talk by Adrian Favell, author of Before
and After Superflat: A Short History of Japanese Contemporary Art, published
by Blue Kingfisher (2012). Free admission. See page 6.
Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September: Brighton Balboa. This weekend event
starts with a social event on Friday evening, with dance workshops on Saturday
and Sunday. There’ll also be a tea dance and evening of war-time dancing and
Sunday roast at the Seven Stars. Prices range from £12 for the Saturday evening
dance, through Saturday workshops for £30 and £59 for the whole weekend. Go
to www.brightonbalboa.co.uk for full details and e-mail brightonbal-
[email protected] to register.
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Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October: The Meditational Fellowship. The Medita-
tional Fellowship meets twice yearly in the lovely retreat centre of Ivy House in
Warminster. This group was founded and run by Rev David Monk from whom
Richard Bober took over. The weekend comprises instruction, silent meditation,
music, perhaps chanting, some kind of physical activity such as circle dancing,
spiritual nourishment from epilogues and the Sunday service. Although it is un-
der the umbrella of the Unitarian movement all are welcome regardless of belief
or non-belief. Indeed Meditation is totally free from religious dogma. Partici-
pants are asked to bring poems, music etc. to contribute to the weekend which is
a wonderful healing experience. Please contact Brenda Knopf for further details
and booking form on 02380 555333.
Saturday 19th October, 2.30 p.m.: Organ Recital. At Hastings Unitarian Meet-
ing Place, South Place. Suggested donation £5.
For more events in the UK, go to www.ukunitarians.org.uk/pulse/ (for district
events) or www.unitarian.org.uk/index.shtml (UK-wide).
Committee meetings are held in the evening of the second Monday of every
month. If you would like to have something raised, please talk to a member of
the committee (see inside back page or a member in church).
Jef Jones is available in the church on Wednesday afternoons. Phone Jef if you
wish to see him.
Did you know? The following of our members take
services at other Unitarian churches and chapels
Jef Jones Kate Whyman Phillida Simpson
Stephen Crowther Francis Clark-Lowes Estelle Taylor
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Japan is the land of techno-
futurism, wild anime fantasies, and
endlessly bizarre sub-cultures. It is
also a country devastated by natural
disasters, nuclear meltdowns, politi-
cal apathy and spectacular social de-
cline. All of this is reflected in its
extraordinary contemporary art
which - apart from famous names
like Takashi Murakami and Yoshito-
mo Nara - is little known or under-
stood in the West.
In this special event organised for
the Brighton Japan 2013 festival,
the author Adrian Favell will pre-
sent a comprehensive visual intro-
duction to art in Japan since 1990,
focusing on recent and emerging
trends to be found in its pulsating capi-
tal city, Tokyo.
Adrian Favell is a professor of sociolo-
gy at Sciences Po, Paris and contributes
to magazines such as Art Forum and Art
in America. http://
www.adrianfavell.com
Information provided by one of the organisers
Adrian Favell
Neo-Tokyo & Real Tokyo:
Visions of the City in Japanese Contemporary Art
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Toiletries for ‘Off the
Fence’
On 22nd September, the day of our
autumn equinox service, we en-
courage you to bring and donate
toiletries for the Mayor’s appeal
on behalf of ‘Off the Fence.’ This
is a charity which exists to tackle
‘social and spiritual poverty in the
City of Brighton & Hove.’ For fur-
ther details go to:
www.offthefence.org.uk/. There
will be a collection box.
Notice of Special General Meeting
An SGM will be held after the service on 1st September to con-
sider proposed changes to the Constitution.
These arise from proposals made by a Sub-Committee on Procedure which
was set up after the last AGM, and which defined its aims as follows:
1. To encourage maximum participation by its committed members in the
management of the church.
2. To create a free and comfortable atmosphere in which members can ex-
press their true preferences
3. To have a Management Committee which honours the history and tradi-
tion of the church, while at the same time embracing new directions and
possibilities.
Members are urged to attend.
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Simple Gifts scheme - can you help?
The Rev Rob Gregson has sent out a plea to anyone who can donate the fol-
lowing items for the office of Simple Gifts, a social outreach enterprise set up
by a group led by District Minister David Usher:
A small refrigerator--box size would do fine
Vacuum cleaner or small "dust vac"
Large rolls of paper for crafts
Colouring pens (not the permanent kind)
Table tennis balls and bats
If you’d like to know more, or have something to donate, please contact Rev.
Rob Gregson, SimpleGifts (Unitarian Centre for Social Action), Mansford
Street Unitarian Chapel, 117 Mansford Street, London E2 6LX.
Mobile: 07411 280667; email: [email protected]
web: www.simplegiftsucsa.org.uk
Sacred Sounds of Ancient India – A musical Journey
to the Origin of Sound “He who has heard the Naad can’t be sad – life becomes a celebration & filled
with laughter” (Nanak Dev)
Experience the magic of sound with Professor Surinder Singh & team and lis-
ten to ancient Indian string and percussion instruments, which have almost
been lost during the last centuries and are still a rare sight outside India:
Saranda, Sarangi, Rabab, Dilruba, Taus and Jori.
Professor Singh enchants and deeply touches with his finely nuanced voice,
supported by these instruments, which strike their chords deep within the
strings of the heart and resonate the soul to sing its darkest pain and deepest
joy.
Professor Singh is the founder of Raj Academy Conservatoire, one of the larg-
est schools for Classical Indian Music in UK, and Naad Yoga Council, an as-
sociation of Naad Yoga teachers and practitioners dedicated to preserve and
share this ancient art. For more information please go to
www.naadyogacouncil.com.
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Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society
Winter Series Lectures 2013 – 2014
One of BUC’s regular hirers, the Society’s winter calendar is below. Members
of that society are admitted free, visitors pay just £3. Talks start at 7.30 p.m.
October 11th 2013 Jill Cook – “Ice Age Art”
November 8th 2013
Mike Fulford – “Silchester: Iron Age to Roman: Preliminary results from the
continuing excavations of the Roman Town”
December 12th 2013
AGM
January 10th 2014 David Rudling – “From Roundhouse to Roman Villa”
February 14th 2014 Miles Russell – “Tribe and Prejudice – excavating the late Iron Age”
The lecture is about the Bournemouth University excavations of an Iron Age
Banjo enclosure
March 14th 2014 Paul Garwood – “Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project: new visions and ho-
rizons in landscape archaeology”
Friday Lunchtime Concerts
By Evelyn Hale
After an August break, these recommence in September, and
run through to mid-December (see pages 12 & 13). The sea-
son will get off to a unique start on 6th September with a
programme of music for the harp, played by an attractive
and talented young lady whom some of us heard at an exhibi-
tion in Hove Town Hall recently. We were so impressed that
we encouraged our Administrator to book her for one of our
concerts - and here she is. Do come and share the delight!
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Combining free vocal workshops on a variety of singing styles, with eight
hours of non-stop performance from vocalists, bands and choirs, this event
offers something for everyone.
If you’re a singer-songwriter; jazz singer; a choir looking for new members;
or just someone who’d like to have a go, do come and join us!
See www.bremf.org.uk for more information or to sign up, or email
Brighton Early Music Festival 2012 runs from 25th October – 10th Novem-
ber 2013 and offers 22 varied musical events in some of Brighton’s most
iconic buildings. See the brochure at www.bremf.org.uk and book tickets
from 4th September.
Brighton Early Music
Festival PASSION FOR
SINGING SINGATHON
Saturday 21st September 2013 at
Brighton Unitarian Church.
Join Brighton Early Music Festival
for a day celebrating our Passion for
Singing.
Brighton Unitarian Church would like to welcome the Brighton Early Music
Festival choir back to their regular rehearsal evening from this month.
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BUC Summer Picnic Here are some photos from our very enjoyable picnic last month.
Jars of Grace
Thank you to all those who put their small change in the Jars of Grace for
Medical Aid for Palestinians during May, June and July. We sent a cheque
for £58.85, for which the charity was very grateful.
12
Lunchtime Concerts September and October 2013
Fridays 12.30 pm to 1.15 pm (doors 12.15 pm). All tickets
£3.50. Raising money for the Building Appeal Fund
September
Friday 06 September: Magdalena Reising (singer and harpist) performing a wide se-
lection of classical, popular and original works.
Friday 13 September: Joe Ward (piano), Marion Adler (soprano), Deirdre Francis
(mezzo) and Karen Rash (flute). A September Selection: songs, sonatas, solos and
other seductive sounds for piano, soprano, mezzo and flute, including pieces and
songs by Handel, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Chopin.
Friday 20 September: Caroline Collingridge (flute) and Margaret Grimsdell
(piano). J S Bach sonata for flute and basso continuo BWV1035; C. Saint-Saëns
Romance for flute and piano; Barry Mills four pieces for flute; and Cecilia McDowall
six pastiches for flute and piano.
Friday 27 September: Red Gray (soprano) and Glen Capra (piano). A Spanish pro-
gramme including works by Granados, de Falla, Montsalvatge and Rodrigo.
October
Friday 04 October: Nick Andrews and Friends, featuring soprano Rosie Evans.
Friday 11 October: Glen Capra (piano) and Ian Glen (bassoon) playing Mozart,
Mossolov, Carr and Piazzolla.
Friday 18 October: Rachel Firmager (cello) and James Shenton (piano) playing Ja-
nacek's marvellously quirky and evocative piece "A Tale" plus the first performance of
James’s own sonata, which is a deeply spiritual and meditative work.
Friday 25 October: Louise Gledhill (soprano), Cathrine Long (soprano) and Lesley-
Anne Sammons (piano). "Music for a while”.... A celebration of Benjamin Britten.
13
Lunchtime Concerts November and December 2013
Fridays 12.30 pm to 1.15 pm (doors 12.15 pm). All tickets
£3.50. Raising money for the Building Appeal Fund
November
Friday 01 November: Lyndsay Cumming (saxophone) and Nick Andrews (piano)
will play a selection of saxophone music from across the eras, including Telemann's
sonata in C minor for soprano saxophone, the delightful concerto for alto saxophone
by Ronald Binge and playful swing and ragtime works by Rudy Wiedoeft.
Friday 08 November: Yoshio Akiyama (baritone) will sing songs by Gerald Finzi,
Franz Schubert, Reynaldo Hahn and a selection of traditional Japanese songs.
Friday 15 November: Gabriel Jones (piano) and Marianne Wright (soprano). Grad-
uates of Trinity College of Music will perform a selection of French and English
songs, including the Arriettes Oubliées by Debussy.
Friday 22 November: Enjoy more music from the jazz greats with singer Pamela
Nickels, Wook Hamilton on clarinet and accompanist/pianist Josh Mills.
Friday 29 November: Nick Andrews and Friends, featuring a piano recital by Oliver
Turvey who will perform pieces by Bach, Schumann and Carl Vine.
December
Friday 06 December: Joss Peach, award-winning jazz pianist who can be seen busk-
ing from time to time in Brighton on his golden piano, will perform classic jazz, boo-
gie woogie and "originals".
Friday 13 December: A Bunch of Daphs return with their Advent and Christmas pro-
gramme.
14
Fundraising update
The figure on the ladder to the right is the
amount we have raised since the beginning of
October 2012, the start of our new financial
year.
Francis Clark-Lowes sometimes hosts a German
group in the church hall, a social evening where
the invited guests aim to speak only German.
Those attending make a collection for the Build-
ing Appeal Fund and since the beginning of the
year they’ve raised £88.50. Our thanks to Fran-
cis and his guests.
When Marcia Bellamy, Red Gray and Glen
Capra performed Stephen Plaice’s opera theatre
piece In and Out of Love at our church during
the Fringe Festival in May, they kindly said that
they’d donate half the door takings to us. We re-
ceived £497 in July, a great boost to our Fund.
Thank you for this gift and great performances.
The June/July series of Lunchtime Concerts
added £485.50 to the Building Appeal Fund.
The next series starts on 6th September and takes us through to and includ-
ing some dates in December. See pages 12 and 13.
The Autumn Fair has been cancelled. The plan is to have a fair in March
2014. More in a future Newsletter.
Fundraising is an ongoing activity, since our historic building requires reg-
ular maintenance and repair. The Fundraising Committee meets regularly to
discuss progress on existing projects and to think of further ways to raise
money. The portico and heating system are the next major works to be con-
sidered.
How much raised?
£4,956
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Brighton Unitarian Church
New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF. Tel: 01273 696022
Email: [email protected]
www.brightonunitarian.org.uk
Lay Leader, Jef Jones
incl. pastoral Tel: 01273 710452
care [email protected]
Chair Fanny Tulley
c/o Brighton Unitarian Church
Treasurer Christine Clark-Lowes
Tel: 01273 602168
Secretary Phillida Simpson
c/o Brighton Unitarian Church
Administrator Marion Bance
Newsletter Christine & Francis Clark-Lowes
Tel: 01273 602168
All items for the October 2013 Newsletter
by Sunday 22nd September please
16
Rites of PassageRites of Passage
If you’re planning a If you’re planning a
WeddingWedding
oror
Civil PartnershipCivil Partnership
Why not come to Why not come to
Brighton Unitarian Church? Brighton Unitarian Church?
Contact
Marion Bance
on
01273 696022
We will help you to plan your per-
fect day. Our church has both a pi-
ano and an organ and the space is
ideal for your flower arrange-
ments, whether large or small.