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CALENDAR FOR
OCTOBER AND
NOVEMBER 2013
STOCKTON
UNITARIANS
Celebrating Pat and Alan Wilkinson’s Golden Wedding
Anniversary on August 17th - more pictures inside.
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Special Places, Music and Spirituality – a personal revelation
I was all set to write a piece about my special, spiritual place
following June Pettitt’s service a few weeks ago. Whenever I feel
troubled or stressed, I guide myself to my special place in my
head: Saltburn beach, autumn time, coming up to dusk, a few dark
clouds hiding the sun and a cool refreshing, breeze coming off the
North Sea. When I go there, physically or mentally, I relax and let
that breeze go through me.
Yesterday my favourite band, Coldplay, released a new song and I
heard it for the first time this morning. “Atlas” is a slow paced,
atmospheric tune with poetic, fantasy type lyrics. I love it; I look
forward to hearing it live one day.
What does this have to do with my special, spiritual place? Upon
my third listening of the song, I closed my eyes and I was
effortlessly taken to my beach. Moreover, as I relaxed, I became
aware that I wasn’t just sitting on the beach but floating above it;
not just feeling the breeze on my face but being uplifted by it; the
sea breeze intertwining with the sweeping chords of the song,
making me feel at peace. After four minutes of sheer relaxation, I
was back in the room and feeling not only refreshed but also that I
had just had a spiritual experience. It felt wonderful but at the
same time perplexing. It wasn’t a hymn praising God or the
wonders of life, but a pop song written for an upcoming film. Was it
really spiritual or am I just becoming a bit too fanatical about my
favourite band?
Music has always played a massive role in my life. My Mum was a
singer, songwriter and musician. My Dad is a bass player and I
grew up listening to music every single day. My taste in music has
always been pop and rock based, as that’s what I grew up with,
Queen and Coldplay being my absolute favourite bands. I became a
fan of Classical music only a year or so ago and am currently
enjoying learning about different composers, instrumentation,
periods and so on. Music has shaped who I am and what I do, but I
had never linked my love of music to my spirituality before. I
always ignorantly assumed the only link music had with spiritual
practice was in singing hymns; something I had no interest in when
I was younger.
As I develop my personal link with spirituality, I recognise the
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importance of hymns from the
meanings of the words to the
sense of togetherness and worship
that comes from singing with the
whole congregation. I also
recognise the link between my
favourite music and the
development of spirituality.
There’s a real power in music. I
can think of songs that transport
me back to a happy event or
memory; songs that take me back
to times so sad that even in the
present day I will shed fresh tears;
songs that make me feel like people I have lost are right there with
me.
There’s been many a time, usually when something is worrying me,
that I’ll pick one of my favourite songs and listen to it two or three
times, each time concentrating on a different aspect; the lyrics, the
rhythm, the bass line, etc. I’ll do this until the fog in my mind has
lifted, I have organised my thoughts, I am calmer and I generally
feel more able to face the world. What are these experiences if not
spiritual? Or at least meditational which can go hand in hand with
self development and discovery?
All of a sudden, music feels even more special and important upon
discovering this link, which was hidden from me in plain sight, the
clues were all around me. I can really understand now how people
can feel more in touch with their beliefs and grateful for life by
partaking in things that they enjoy and feel a connection with. It’s
been a wonderful revelation for me.
Melody Dixon-Oliver
Saltburn Beach
Photo taken on August 7th
looking towards Redcar
Quotation:Quotation:Quotation:Quotation:
. . . That is why . . . That is why . . . That is why . . . That is why ---- I keep returning, thirsty, to this place I keep returning, thirsty, to this place I keep returning, thirsty, to this place I keep returning, thirsty, to this place that is older than my understanding, younger than my that is older than my understanding, younger than my that is older than my understanding, younger than my that is older than my understanding, younger than my broken spirit.broken spirit.broken spirit.broken spirit.
Kenneth C Steven, from a poem about IonaKenneth C Steven, from a poem about IonaKenneth C Steven, from a poem about IonaKenneth C Steven, from a poem about Iona (included by June Pettitt in her service on August 18th)(included by June Pettitt in her service on August 18th)(included by June Pettitt in her service on August 18th)(included by June Pettitt in her service on August 18th)
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Mike’s Musings
Sponsored Walk
As I reported in our last Calendar we had at that time raised over
£100. I am delighted to now report that we have raised £246. Is
there anyone out there who has any sponsor money please? If so I
would love to receive it.
May I say a special thank you to the young people who raised at
least £100 between them. Thank you very much.
Donations
We have had two most generous donations recently and I would like
to thank the donors for them. It is good to know we still have good
friends.
Holidays
This is the month when everyone is recounting their holiday tales -
unless of course the holidays happened so long ago you’ve
forgotten about them and are looking forward to the next lot.
Our trip abroad this year was via Eurostar and SNCF to the
Dordogne district of Southern France.
The countryside from the French coast to mid France is not very
interesting - huge fields of wheat which, by the time we saw them
in early September, were already harvested. Going further South
the land became much more interesting - hills , huge forests and
smaller fields - so the countryside had more of a British look.
We eventually reached our destination - a tiny village named
Rocamador. Its name comes from the fact that the village is built on
the side of a 500 foot cliff dedicated to Saint Amador who is said to
have performed many miracles. The chapels built there were the
site of the third most visited shrine of a black Madonna in Western
Europe during the Middle Ages and only fell into decline following
the 100 Years War.
Certainly the setting was awe inspiring with a castle at the top of
the cliff dropping precipitously down to the village below. Just how
many men were killed building the castle is not revealed in the
official history!
Like most Continental rivers the Dordogne was hugely wide . At
least twice the width of the Tees at Middlesbrough and subject to
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flooding when the snows melt in the
Massif Centrale which is where the
Dordogne rises.
It was an interesting holiday - and
we still like train holidays even with
the journey times.
The Lindisfarne Gospels
I don’t know if any of our readers
managed to get to Durham this
summer to see the exhibition
containing the Lindisfarne Gospels.
Jane and I went with our
granddaughter and were fascinated
by the exhibits.
The exhibition told of the history of
the gospels copied out by dozens of
monks in the North East in the
period from the 6th to the 9th
Century. There was almost an
industry of the copying of the gospels - some quite plain and others
much more elaborate and beautifully decorated.
The exhibition culminated with a view of the most celebrated gospel
and the colours, for a book copied out in the 9th Century and using
only natural materials for the coloured inks, were lovely and so fresh
looking.
It has been a most successful exhibition. The Gospels now go back
to the British Museum and will not be on show for at least eight
years and the page we saw will not be shown for another 100 years,
such is the fragility of the colours.
Another memory to be stored in the mind.
Mike Tomlin
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 17th:-
Material for the December 2013/January 2014 Calendar
to be in the hands of the Editor, David Warhurst, please.
My email address is:
Our hard working Treasurer,
snapped in a less familiar
role on 15th September!
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News of Members and Friends
Congratulations
To Pat and Alan Wilkinson who
celebrated their Golden Wedding
Anniversary on Saturday 17th
August. We were all invited to join
them at the church Coffee Morning
for which Pat and Alan provided
delicious refreshments. During that
morning it was, in fact, 50 years to
the minute since Pat and Alan had
been married in our previous
church building.
They spoke movingly of the important
part which Stockton Unitarian Church had
played in bringing them together and of
how much they valued the many friends
and family who had helped them along
the way to this wonderful moment. We
raised glasses of champagne to toast Pat
and Alan and enjoyed pieces of their
celebration wedding anniversary cake.
To Glenis and Billy Beech who celebrated their Golden Wedding
Anniversary on 5th October. Glenis met Billy at the Stockton
Unitarian Youth Club which he joined with Terry Hopkins (Pat
Wilkinson’s brother) in the early 60s. They were married in the
Church on the 5th October 1963. Glenis and Billy will be celebrating
at their local football club on the Isle of Man, where they live - see
also Glenis’s letter on page 14.
We are sorry to report that David Sickling is in North Tees
Hospital while some heart problems are having attention. We send
him our love and best wishes and look forward to having him back
Pat and Alan check the
time exactly 50 years
after their wedding
Pat and Alan cut the Cake
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with us on Sundays before long.
Hospital treatment also dominates the news of our friends at
Newcastle Unitarian church. Eleanor Broad has had a few spells in
hospital but is happily back home with things in place to make life a
little easier for her.
Maurice Large spent a few days in hospital recently but is home
once again although undergoing treatment for a heart condition.
Ruth Healey is in North Tyneside hospital at present but hopes to be
returning to her new sheltered housing accommodation in North
Shields as soon as possible.
We wish them all better health in the coming weeks.
Hazel and David Warhurst
Obituary
Don Squires, husband of Josie, died on 3rd of
August. He was born in Stockton on 1st of April
1929. He was a well travelled and well educated
man, never talking about himself and his interests
unless he was asked. He was open and honest with
a certainty about his opinions - no greys with Don,
only blacks and whites. His funeral, conducted by
Peter Whitham, was held in St Bede's Chapel at
Teesside Crematorium on the 19th of August.
Our thoughts go out to Josie at this time of
bereavement.
Margaret Whitham
New Engagement Group
All are welcome to attend the planning
meeting of a new Engagement Group on
Wednesday 30th October 2013 at
7.15pm at church.
Refreshments will be provided. Please come along and bring
your ideas and suggestions of topics for consideration.
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Autumn Activities
Two Testaments - Two Gods
It was still really summer - and pretty hot as well - on August 4th
when we got off to a good start for this period with an interesting
service taken by Tony McNiele. Tony, accompanied by Marijka,
entitled his address Two Testaments - Two Gods. On his preaching
travels Tony, to his regret, had lost his much used copy of The Bible
complete with lots of notes and annotations which he had made. He
had replaced this with a copy of the New English Bible which was
based on new translations from the original texts.
Tony contrasted the Old Testament (692 pages) with the New
Testament (205 pages, only 90 of which comprise the four
Gospels). The Old Testament is very much concerned with the
Jewish faith - sometimes known as the Hebrew Bible - and Tony
reminded us of many of the fascinating stories it contains, very
much wrapped up in the mythology of the times with flawed
characters fearful of the wrath of God. The New Testament is, by
contrast, much more about personal spirituality - about a good man
teaching through stories and parables, recognising the worth of all.
There was much further discussion over tea!
Because of family commitments I missed the next service and I am
indebted to Jane Tomlin for the following notes:
Beloved Community
On 11 August we had our first visit from Rev Nicky Jenkins from
Chorlton Unitarian Church. This was a quiet reflective service, well
delivered in a soft voice, with all the hymns from Sing Your Faith.
Nicky said that the task of religion is the creation of a beloved
community embracing the web of all life. This is the vision and we
can only attempt to achieve it.
There was a ritual of joys and sorrows as we were invited to drop a
pebble into a bowl of water and remember those things for which
we are thankful as well as those where we have concerns. Nicky’s
own concern was for her son who had not been in touch since
dropping out of University.
Her address pointed out the dilemma of individualism - the constant
pressure in today’s world for satisfying only ourselves. If we were
truly satisfied and if this really worked should we not be more
content? We need to build right relationships and remember that
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God is in the spaces between people and so we joined in the following
words of affirmation:
We affirm that love is our greatest purpose.
Accepting one another is the truest form of faithful living.
The search for truth is our constant star.
We pledge our hearts, minds and hands:
To challenge injustice with courage;
To find hope in times of fear;
And to live out our Unitarian values everyday as a beloved
community.
Thus do we convenant with each other and with all that is sacred
in life.
Revs Josh Snyder and Barbara Gadon
Jane Tomlin
Prayers in the Wind
August 18th was the occasion of Stockton church’s annual visit to our
friends at St Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel, York. This time only a
small group of three of us were able to go, but the effort was amply
rewarded by a most interesting service about Tibet entitled Prayers in
the Wind. The service, conducted by Myrna Michel, included a talk by
Adrian Lovett and Rowena Field about their recent visit to Tibet. We
learned about the history of Tibet, the Chinese invasion in 1950 and
subsequent repression, and the importance of Buddhism to the
Tibetan community. 6,000 monasteries were destroyed but those
remaining are very well cared for despite continuing relentless attacks
on the monastery way of life.
Adrian and Rowena concluded by
explaining the significance of Prayers
in the Wind. This refers to the
Tibetan desire to send blessings
around the world. They do this by
creating colourful flags adorned with
prayers, mantras and symbols which
are then hung out to flutter in the
wind. Their tradition holds that these
blessings are carried in the wind for
the benefit of other living beings,
spreading goodwill and compassion. Adrian and Rowena unfurled
prayer flags across the chancel for us to appreciate.
Tibetan Prayer Flags
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Spiritual Places
In the evening we returned to Stockton for our own service by Rev
June Pettitt. June’s theme was Spiritual Places - Special Places.
June had been to a Sheffield Interfaith event at which participants
were invited to “come and tell us about a place which is important
in your spiritual lives”.
June explored the many and varied aspects which can make a place
special for us - whether it’s the place itself or the special people
which may be associated with it for us. She mentioned places which
were special for her and several members of the congregation
shared theirs with us. It was a very thought provoking service
which also inspired Melody to write the lovely article printed on
pages 2 and 3 of this Calendar.
Who Are You? Where does the World come from?
These are the questions posed at the beginning of the book
Sophie’s World by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. These are
questions which mankind has been asking since the dawn of
civilisation, and which the world’s great religious traditions have
attempted to answer. In our service on 25th August, Victor Ball took
Sophie’s questions as our starting point and went on to consider
some of the answers offered by both the world’s religions and the
scientific community.
Victor discussed the usual explanations offered such as the Big
Bang theory (what came before the bang?!), that God created
everything out of nothing, spontaneous creation. All beg further
questions - there are no simple answers. Victor gave us much food
for thought and concluded with a quotation from the book:
The past is a dream;
the future is a possibility;
the present is the stage upon which our life is performed.
The Stone and the Star Sing
This quotation, taken from Kahlil Gibran's book "The Garden of The
Prophet", was the title of Jimmy Timiney’s service on September
1st. Using a lovely selection of hymns, poetry, meditation, and
responsive readings Jim built his service around the remarkable
properties of stones in their many different forms from meteorites
to pebbles.
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Human beings have used stones since the beginning of time,
particularly for buildings which make a statement about religious
faith - monasteries, cathedrals and mystical places like Stonehenge
- which still have the ability to make people stand back in awe.
Some scientists would like to strip out emotion but if we can open
our minds - wide eyed - we may glimpse the bigger picture and be
at one with the Universe and the Spirit within it.
'You and the stone are one, there is a difference only in the
heart beat'
‘The stone and the star sing, the one with the other, in perfect
unison'.
Compassion
This was the subject of Chris Pilkington’s service on 8th September.
Chris drew our attention to the recently updated vision statement of
the Unitarian peace fellowship, which now refers to the Charter for
Compassion launched by Karen Armstrong. The Charter aims to
build a global community where all live in mutual respect. The
tragedy is that religions which have compassion at their heart seem
to be the cause of so much strife in the world.
Chris said that compassion is not a soft option. Many different faith
groups, including our own General Assembly, have signed up to the
Charter. For warring communities, such as Syria and Pakistan, it
takes not just compassion but also acts of forgiveness to make it
work. The Charter seeks to bring out the compassion in everyone.
Peace
Victor Ball’s service on September 15th came shortly after
Parliament rejected government plans to go into some kind of
military action, with the USA, against the Syrian government’s
alleged use of chemical weapons. Following this President Obama
also drew back from the military option. Victor remarked that a
week is, indeed, a long time in politics, and contrasted events this
time with the headlong rush to war with Iraq some years ago. This
time round things have been different - perhaps we have learned.
The irony is that the argument about chemical weapons has
obscured the death and hardship already inflicted by conventional
weapons. To those affected these have been equally devastating to
families and communities. Victor concluded with the hope that these
questions will be now heard more and more, and that one day we
will live in dignity. This is the hope that we should be sharing.
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A Service for Harvest - the First Day of Autumn
This was 22nd of September for which the Worship Group had devised a delightful service for our Harvest celebration. Interspersed with appropriate hymns, readings and prayers, we were invited to partake
of Italian olive bread, Irish bread, cottage loaf and water. As usual in recent years, produce donated was directed to the Mary Thompson Fund to help asylum seekers who, despite the picture presented by some sections of the press, do suffer severe hardship while their
applications are considered.
Who do you trust?
This was the question posed by Alan Ruston on September 29th, the last service in this period. It was a pleasure to
welcome Alan to take our service - he is the author of our official church history, published in 1988. Alan delivered an entertaining and thoughtful examination of
the place of Trust in society today. Surveys suggest that most people feel that trust has declined.
Trust is a kind of mutuality of commitment to each other. It’s a religious and moral concept. Trust is a compliment, distrust is an insult. However, a growing culture of
suspicion in society has generated increasing levels of distrust. Whatever happened to My word is my bond?! We Unitarians are not immune from this - the
consultant running our Task Force review some years ago cited the lack of trust he observed between our committees and the GA.
So Alan posed the question to us - what can be done about it? Can the Genie be put back in the bottle? It has to start with putting our own house in order - greater trust between ourselves. It can be done. The example of the trust demonstrated by the wonderful volunteers at
last year’s Olympics is a case in point. Let us set our course to create it and sustain so much that we value in our lives.
That concludes this review of another set of uplifting and interesting meetings for worship. As always we are most grateful to those who take our services, our excellent organists and everyone who contributed.
David Warhurst
Alan holding a copy
of his book
‘Stockton’s First
Dissenters’
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Bring the Happy is a project about happiness, an attempt to map moments and memories of happiness in
Stockton. Invisible Flock will occupy a disused shop in
Stockton and transform it into a giant 3-D map of the town.
You are invited to explore the map, discover what and where
makes others happy, and in turn submit your own happy
moments or memory. At the end of the three weeks the
memories collected will be taken and transformed into Bring the
Happy Live.
Bring the Happy (town centre) shop 7th to 25th October 2013
(Monday to Saturday), 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Bring the Happy Live at the ARC, Stockton Friday 1st
November at 7.00pm and Saturday 2nd November at 2.00pm
and 8.00pm, prices £10 with £7.50 for concessions and £5 for
people who have donated memories.
Knit ‘n’ Natter
A new group to meet monthly on
a Tuesday lunch-time from
12.00 to 2.00pm. First meeting
Tuesday 5th November 2013 at
church.
Bring along your knitting,
sewing, crochet, craft activities
and your lunch. Work while you
chat and enjoy tea or coffee.
We’d love to meet you there.
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Letters (1)
Hello David
Re: Glenis and Billy Beech Golden Wedding on 5th October
I thought it would be nice to share our 50th Wedding Anniversary
with our friends at Stockton Unitarian Church. I met Billy at the
Stockton Unitarian Youth Club when he joined with Terry Hopkins
(Pat Wilkinson’s brother) in the early 60s, and we went on to be
married in the Church on the 5th October 1963. Just six months
after we were married we moved with my family, Tom & Elsie
Phillips and my brother Terry, to the Isle of Man.
We have a lovely life on the Island and have been fortunate to bring
up our two children here (Jane & Richard) and now have five
grandchildren (four girls and finally a boy born just over a year
ago).
We will be celebrating our Golden Wedding with family and friends
at a party to be held at our local Football Club, in which Billy is very
much involved, as I am sure some of you will imagine!
Thank you so much for sending the Calendar each month, I love
catching up with all your news. Best wishes and love to all our
friends at Stockton Unitarian Church
Glenis Beech
Letters (2)
Dear Hazel,
That's a wonderful calendar, beautifully presented. But not all
image! I found the accounts of the service and their addresses very
illuminating, and just shows how active the SUC is. So I wish you
well for the Initiative. You have all worked so hard on increasing the
congregation: it is time such energy was rewarded...
Thank you for sending it and extending my contact with the
congregation.
A note about the Watford Fellowship. Last Sunday, we welcomed a
woman from South Africa, a jazz singer, who is taking the course on
taking a service. Her plans for the service included providing all the
music, and taking over the piano for a solo at some point. I was
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greatly looking forward to it, as were we all. But it didn't happen -
the Meeting House was closed, the caretaker away, nobody in the
congregation could remember the security number, and none of the
contact telephone numbers had anything but an answering service.
We ended up outside in the garden, listening to the birds for
music, trying to sing the arranged hymns from memory - fortunately
I did at least have the hymn book - and being very impressed by this
lady's ability to adapt to a totally unforeseen situation. We now all
have the security number...
Best wishes
Wendy (Williams)
Letters (3)
Dear Hazel and David
Sorry to be only just replying to the info re the Workshop with
Marketwise Strategies. We saw off our friends from France at
Newcastle airport yesterday afternoon and are now trying to catch
up on things. We have put the date and time in our diary (Saturday
12th October from 10am to 1pm) and will do our best to be there.
We had a wonderful second occasion celebrating our Golden
Wedding Anniversary, this time with a special lunch at the Claireville
Hotel on Saturday 21st September when family and friends came
from far and wide (France, Germany and Austria) as well as
from various parts of this country. The festivities continued
afterwards at our home. Our friends from France stayed with us for
nine days and, as well as taking them on outings closer to home, we
went on a day trip by train to London where we fitted in a tour of the
state rooms of Buckingham Palace and the gardens followed by a
tour of London on an open top bus.
Now we are getting back to normal. Alan is mowing the lawns and I
have to face ironing the four loads of washing I have just done,
fortunately being able to get it all dried outside thanks to the
continuing good weather!
Hope to see you soon.
Regards
Pat and Alan
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From the Editor’s Desk . . .
First I want to say that I am sorry that this issue
of the Calendar will be reaching you a week or
so later than planned. This is due to other
demands on my time. Regrettably this will
happen from time to time. I hope it has not
inconvenienced readers too much. I try to make
sure that each Calendar includes enough
forward information about services and the like
to ensure that a few days delay does not leave
readers in the dark.
It has been exceptionally busy for us throughout the summer and
early autumn. Our growing band of grandchildren have kept us on
our toes - two trips down to Keynsham, sleepovers at our house
and several (very enjoyable) days out with them. We’ve had two
visits to York. One is mentioned on page 9. The other was
representing Stockton, with Margaret Robinson, at Myrna Michel’s
leaving event on 29th September. This was a lovely service and
tribute to Myrna. After delicious refreshments we were treated to a
delightful presentation of music and poetry in Myrna’s honour,
involving many of the musicians who have performed at concerts in
the Chapel.
On the previous day we hot footed it up to Edinburgh to represent
the NUA and Stockton at the Scottish Unitarian Association’s Bi-
centenary day of celebrations. This began with an excellent
dramatic and musical presentation by our Scottish friends, re-
enacting the development of Unitarianism in Scotland and the
events which led to the formation of the SUA in 1813, shortly after
the passing of the Unitarian Relief Act of 1813. It was such an
interesting story and so well done. After refreshments the day
concluded with a service conducted by the President of the GA, Rev
Bill Darlison.
In amongst all this have been our usual regular commitments -
Hazel’s Parish Council work and organisation of the village Sports
Day in September, NUA accounts for me and frequent requests to
help out with coach driving for Atkinsons.
There is much pleasure to be had from all of these activities, but it
has been a bit ‘full on’ at times. The summer seems to have flashed
past! “What about holidays?” you might well ask. Well, we did
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manage a relaxing mid-week
break at Hucklow with our
British IRF friends and, at
the end of that week, a six
hour c ru i se on the
Manchester Ship Canal from
Manchester to Liverpool. It
was fascinating to see this
tremendous engineering
achievement from early last
century still carrying large
sea-going ships into the
heart of Manchester. It
makes HS2 seem like a piece
of cake!
Never far from our thoughts have been my niece Emily, husband
Mark and their little son Archie who was born in July with a multitude
of health problems which are life-threatening and life-limiting. They
have gone through a terribly difficult time, almost permanently in
hospital in Manchester. We can only marvel at their tenacity and
dedication to doing everything humanly possible to make Archie as
comfortable as they can.
We keep looking forward to quieter times which never seem to
come! With the NUA AGM weekend and Growth Workshop imminent
it looks like there will be plenty more to occupy us as the nights
draw in. Hey ho . . . .
David WarhurstDavid WarhurstDavid WarhurstDavid Warhurst
A large vessel entering
the Ship Canal through the
lock from the River Mersey
Quotation:Quotation:Quotation:Quotation:
I try to treat everyone I meet as an old I try to treat everyone I meet as an old I try to treat everyone I meet as an old I try to treat everyone I meet as an old friend.friend.friend.friend.
The Dalai LamaThe Dalai LamaThe Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama
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Dates for Your Diary
Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October - Junior Weekend for 7 to 11
year olds at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, theme Raging
Planet.
Saturday 5th October from 10.45am to 12.30pm - Children’s
Group meets at church.
Sunday 6th October at 11.00am – Fellowship Service at Newcastle
Unitarian Church, worship leader Rev Celia Midgley. Stockton
Unitarians are cordially invited to attend.
Wednesday 9th October at 7.15pm – Amnesty Teesside Local
Group meets in the church.
Saturday 12th October from 10.00am to 1.00pm - Northern
Unitarian Association (NUA) Growth Initiative second workshop at
Stockton Unitarian Church. All church members and friends are
invited to attend.
Saturday 12th October from 1.30pm to 4.30pm - NUA Annual
General Meeting at Stockton Unitarian Church, guest speaker
Marion Baker, Vice President of the General Assembly. Those
attending the Growth Workshop in the morning are most welcome
to stay for this event - please bring a packed lunch. Drinks will be
provided. Marion will also be conducting the service at Stockton on
Sunday 13th October as part of the NUA weekend events.
Sunday 20th October - first annual Unitarian Day of Prayer for
Peace following a motion passed at the 2013 Annual Meetings.
Unitarians are encouraged to hold collections on that day for the
Unitarian Peace Fellowship Annual Appeal which, this year, is
dedicated to the British Red Cross for the Syria Crisis Appeal.
Friday 25th to Sunday 27th October - Unitarian Women’s Group
(UWG) weekend at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow. Theme
Blossom - Who do you think you are? Hazel Warhurst and Margaret
Robinson are going.
Saturday 26th October at 10.00am - Fairtrade Extravaganza at
Egglescliffe CE Primary School, Butts Lane, Egglescliffe.
Wednesday 30th October at 7.15pm - first planning meeting for a
new Engagement Group at the church - see page 7.
Saturday 2nd November from 10.45am to 12.30pm - Children’s
Group meets at church.
Tuesday 5th November from 12 noon to 2.00pm - first meeting
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of the Knit and Natter Group at the church - see page 13.
Friday 8th to Sunday 10th November - Unitarian Communication
Co-ordinators Network (UCCN) Conference at the Nightingale
Centre, Great Hucklow, theme Improving Unitarian Visibility. Learn
to blog, make videos and produce newsletters, plus much more.
Friday 8th to Sunday 10th November - Unitarian Peace Fellowship
Retreat at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, theme Inner and
Outer Peace.
Saturday 9th November from 10.30am to 4.30pm - Safeguarding
Training at Merseyside by Rev John Harley and Liz Hills.
Wednesday 13th November at 7.15pm – Amnesty Teesside Local
Group meets in the church.
Thursday 14th November at 6.30pm - Northern Unitarian
Association (NUA) Committee meeting at Stockton.
Friday 15th to Sunday 17th November - Inter Weekend for 11 to
14 year olds at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, theme Make
Believe.
Friday 15th to Sunday 17th November - Senior Weekend for 14
to 17 year olds at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, theme
The Power of Listening.
Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th November - Unitarian Association
for Lay Ministry (UALM) meets at Great Hucklow for its annual
conference, theme Seasonal Services.
Saturday 23rd November from 10.00am to 4.30pm - Yorkshire
Unitarian Union (YUU) Worship Studies Course continues at St
Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel, York .
Saturday 7th December from 10.45am to 12.30pm - Children’s
Group meets at church.
Thursday 12th December at 7.00pm - Yarm School Community
Carol Concert (admission free - retiring collection), an evening for
the whole community. Get into the Christmas spirit with traditional
carols, much loved choral works and musical items. The concert will
feature Yarm School Musicians and Yarm School Choral Society.
Margaret Robinson will be singing with the Choral Society - ask her
for tickets or get them from Strickland and Holt, Yarm High Street.
Sunday 13th to Wednesday 16th April 2014 - Unitarian General
Assembly Annual Meetings at Whittlebury Hall, Towcester,
Northamptonshire.
Margaret Robinson
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Amnesty Teesside Report
Our Amnesty Teesside Local Group continues to meet on a
monthly basis in our church. We select from Amnesty’s current
campaigns and send letters and emails as appropriate. Recent
campaigns we have supported included:
• An appeal to release Herman Wallace who had spent 41 years
in solitary confinement in Louisiana, USA. Herman was
released at the beginning of October but sadly died from
terminal cancer on 4th October. • An appeal to release Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, a teacher’s
representative, from imprisonment in Bahrain. • A campaign to help protect civilians in Syria; • An appeal for the release of Gao Zhisheng (China);
• Lobbying our MP about the new law threatening freedom of
expression in UK - the Lobby Bill; He is supportive and voted
against the bill.
• A campaign to protect rights of refugees at the ‘gate of
Europe’ (Greece). • A campaign to release the ’Guesthouse Six’ - six people
detained illegally in China.
Following the detailed reply we received from Alex Cunningham
MP on the issue of violence against women in Afghanistan, Alex
took up the issue with Baroness Warsi, the government minister
responsible for this issue and this elicited a long and detailed reply
showing that this issue is being taken very seriously by her
department.
The next meeting will be held on November 13th. Why not come
along and add your support to this important work.
URGENT REQUEST:
At our latest meeting we identified that for our Group to be
formally registered and listed on the Amnesty website, so that other people can find us, we need a minimum of
10 members prepared to pay £10 per annum
and be in sympathy with the work of the Group.
Currently we have 7. So we need 3 more to join us. It is not necessary to attend meetings
regularly to support our work.
WE NEED (3 OF) YOU . . . . !!!
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Services in October, November and December
October 6th 6.00 pm: Rev Celia Midgley
October 13th 6.00 pm: Marion Baker, GA Vice-President
0ctober 20th 6.00 pm: Rev Victor Ball
October 27th 6.00 pm: Barry Thomas
November 3rd 6.00 pm: Rev Margaret Kirk
November 10th 6.00 pm: Elizabeth Buie
November 17th 6.00 pm: Rev Victor Ball
November 24th 6.00 pm: To be announced
December 1st 6.00 pm Peter Whitham - Human Rights
December 8th 3.00 pm Tree Dressing and Gift Service
December 15th 3.00 pm: Christmas Celebration
December 22nd 6.00 pm Hazel Warhurst - Winter Solstice
December 25th No Service - Christmas Day
December 29th 6.00 pm: To be announced
Organists Welcome Rota
October 6th: Margaret Whitham Hazel Warhurst
October 13th: Jane Tomlin Mike Tomlin
October 20th: Joan Unwin Molly Rudge
October 27th: Margaret Robinson Joan Unwin
November 3rd: Margaret Whitham Margaret Robinson
November 10th: Jane Tomlin Jean Watson
November 17th: Joan Unwin Margaret Whitham
November 24th: Margaret Robinson Peter Whitham
December 1st: Margaret Whitham Hazel Warhurst
December 8th: Jane Tomlin Mike Tomlin December 15th: Joan Unwin Molly Rudge December 22nd: Margaret Robinson Margaret Whitham December 25th: No Service - Christmas Day
December 29th: Margaret Whitham Margaret Robinson
Flowers Sunday Tea Rota
October 6th: Mrs Squires Melody Dixon-Oliver
October 13th: Mrs Wood To be announced
October 20th: Mrs Watson To be announced
October 27th: Mrs Gaffney & Mrs Smith To be announced
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Flowers Sunday Tea Rota
November 3rd: Mrs Jones To be announced
November 10th: Vera Holmes To be announced
November 17th: Hazel and David Warhurst To be announced
November 24th: Mrs Rudge and Mrs Watson To be announced
December 1st: Mrs Wilkinson To be announced December 8th: To be announced December 15th: To be announced December 22nd: To be announced
December 29th: To be announced
Saturday Coffee Morning Rota
October 5th: Hazel and David Warhurst October 12th: Margaret and Peter Whitham
October 19th: Freda Laverick
October 26th: Molly Rudge and Josie Squires
November 2nd: Hazel and David Warhurst
November 9th: Margaret and Peter Whitham
November 16th: Freda Laverick
November 23rd: Molly Rudge and Josie Squires
November 30th: Margaret Robinson
December 7th: Hazel and David Warhurst December 14th: Margaret and Peter Whitham December 21st: Freda Laverick December 28th: No coffee morning
Coffee Mornings are held every
Saturday from 10.00am to 11.30am
Photo Credits for this Edition:
Pages 1,3,5, top of page 6,12 and 17: David Warhurst;
Page 6 (lower) Pat and Alan Wilkinson; Page 9:Wikipedia.
Anyone unable to carry out a designated
duty on any of the above rotas is
requested to organise a swop
arrangement to ensure that the job is
covered by someone else. Thank you
Christmas
Tree
23
Church Directory
Church Address: Wellington Street, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1QQ
Church Telephone Number: 01642 671115
Church email address: [email protected]
Church Website: www.stocktonunitarians.org.uk
Church Facebook Page: Unitarians in and around Stockton-on-Tees
Chair: Jean Watson 10 Albany Road
� 01642 658376 Norton
Stockton-0n-Tees
TS20 2QX
Secretary: Margaret Robinson 2 The Meadowings
� 01642 782219 Yarm
TS15 9QR
Treasurer: Mike Tomlin 1 The Oval
� 01642 592145 Brookfield
Middlesbrough
TS5 8ET
Lettings Edna Anderson 315 Surbiton Road
Secretary and � 01642 643179 Stockton-on-Tees
Women’s League TS19 7SA
Contact:
Worship Margaret Whitham 2 Burn Valley Road
Committee � 01429 298641 Hartlepool
Co-ordinator: TS26 9BS
Flower Jean Watson 10 Albany Road
Secretary: � 01642 658376 Norton
Stockton-0n-Tees
TS20 2QX
Calendar David Warhurst “Greenlee Lough”
Editor: �01609 882442 18 Priory Way
Ingleby Arncliffe
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL6 3LR
Email: [email protected]
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Unitarians: ‘Many Beliefs - One Faith’
As Unitarians we find a bond of unity in shared values, for example: • The nurture of life’s spiritual dimension.
• The use of reason and honest doubt in the search for truth.
• Mutual respect and goodwill in personal relations.
• Constructive tolerance and openness towards the sincerely held
beliefs of others.
• Peace, compassion, justice and democracy in human affairs.
• Reverence for the earth and our natural heritage.
We are always pleased to assist with the celebration of special
occasions such as naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals and
dedications. You do not need to be a member.
For further information please contact: -
The Secretary, telephone (01642) 782219
email: [email protected]
or look at www.stocktonunitarians.org.uk
or Facebook: Unitarians in and around Stockton-on-Tees
Remembrance Sunday - 10th November
White Poppies for a Culture of Peace
Hazel Warhurst will have white poppies available from
Saturday 20th October for anyone wishing to wear one as
a symbol of their individual commitment to world peace.