Warwick

Unitarians

April/May2014 Newsletter & Diary

Worship on Sundays 4:30 pm At High Street Chapel, Warwick 6th April Short Service + AGM 4th May: The Minister 13th April: Palm Sunday 11th May: The Minister 20th April: Easter Sunday 18th May: Diane Rutter 27th April: The Minister 25th May: The Minister

Each service lasts one hour, afterwards refreshment and chat Additional Services and Activities on P3 of Newsletter

Minister’s letter

Dear Friends, By the time you read this Easter will be approaching. For those first followers and friends of Jesus it was a time of great change and transition; losing the presence of their friend, the grief and pain of loss, and then finding the strength to go on guided by his teachings. This newness of purpose which the disciples found could be one way of understanding the mystery of resurrection. When we turn change and loss into opportunities for further growth and development then we show that same spirit, and become channels for that Divine Spirit which according to the Scripture "bloweth where it listeth". In other words, we cannot fully know where the Spirit will lead us - but we have to remain open to new ways of being. To stay the same is never an option. We continually change whether we want to or not. The challenge is to embrace the change rather than to fight it. One change is that this will be the final edition of the newsletter edited by John. We thank him for his hard work, diligence, and for the quality of the product he has produced over some nearly 30 editions. We are so grateful to him, and to Barbara, and we look forward to continuing to see them in chapel when they can make it to services. What form the newsletter will take for the future is something that the Committee are considering, along with other issues concerning the growth and future of the chapel. The Easter story reminds us that change is not to be feared. What seems to be the end of an era can turn out to be the dawn of a new day.

Ant Page 2

WHAT’S ON At Warwick Unitarians

April Friday 4th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by the Minister.

Sunday 6th 4:30pm Short Service followed by our Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 8thth 2:00pm Carpet Bowls (See back page)

Friday 11th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship conducted by the Minister.

Friday 11th 7:30pm Concert (See page 5)

Sunday 13th 4:30pm Palm Sunday service conducted by the Minister.

Friday 18th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 1:00pm Good Friday Service lead by the Minister followed by Hot Cross Buns.

Sunday 20th 4:30pm Easter Service conducted by the Minister

Friday 25th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by the Minister.

Sunday 27th 4:30pm Service conducted by the Minister

May Friday 2nd 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by the Minister

Sunday 4th 4:30pm Service conducted by the Minister

Friday 9th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship conducted by the Minister

Sunday 11th 4:30pm Service conducted by the Minister

Tuesday 13th 2:00pm Carpet Bowls (See back page)

Friday 16th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by the Minister

Sunday 18th 4:30pm Service conducted by Diane Rutter

Friday 23rd 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by Diane Rutter

Sunday 25th 4:30pm Service conducted by the Minister

Friday 30th 10:30am to noon. Coffee and conversation. 12:15pm Lunchtime Worship lead by the Minister

Saturday 31st 7:30pm Concert (See page 7)

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Walking with the Unitarians In connection with the Chapel, the group has enjoyed many happy hours in the fresh air (and rain) walking together in the wonderful Warwickshire countryside” The ‘regulars’ make a point of going out whatever the weather (well almost); the ‘occasionals’ usually prefer the fine days. All are made welcome.

We issue sheets showing dates and venues on a monthly basis. These will be supplied to our known ramblers each month. Enquiries about joining our rambling group can be made to our treasurer Cherry Dodd on 01926 491311. It is not necessary to be of a Unitarian disposition to be a member, and there is no membership fee! Most rambles start at 10am on Sundays.

Here we see a few intrepid ramblers from our congregation walking near our Unitarian holiday retreat at ‘The Nightingale Centre’ at Great Hucklow in Derbyshire Peak District.

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From our friends across the waves Leonard and Judy are well, although I suspect a bit pushed for time so we don’t have anything ready to publish in this Newsletter. No doubt we will hear from them shortly. Page 4

Forthcoming event

Annual General Meeting The Chapel AGM will be held on Sunday 6th April immediately after the 4.30 service. We shall hear brief reports on the year from our Minister Ant and from the Treasurer Cherry, from the Secretary Elaine and from the Chairman. We may discuss the motions for the General Assembly to be held in mid April at Towcester and decide on our group opinion on them if possible. We shall also elect the members of our Executive Committee for the coming year. New nominations for membership of the committee would be welcome in advance of the meeting.

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Forthcoming event

Piano Concert Friday 11th April at 7:30pm

We are again fortunate to welcome the amazing ROB COLLEY to entertain us.

Head of Piano Studies at Rugby School, Rob’s last appearance here at the Chapel drew a capacity audience Details and tickets from our secretary Elaine (01926 611964) Page 5

Choices

In the course of the last 50 years the vistas of our potential have expanded dramatically, as the physical limitations of our mobility have been broken down. We no longer have to live in the same village where we were born and go to the same school our parents went to, buy the same limited range of products from the same local shops. We are now inundated with enriching opportunities, variety and choice. Indeed our supposed freedom to choose, which sometimes becomes almost a burden in itself, flatters our spirits with the suggestion of sophistication. (you can’t ask for a coffee even at the simple station café – you have to know whether you want it flat white, macchiato, latte, Americano, cappuccino. Easier to ask for a cup of British Rail tea?) At every stage in our daily lives we are surrounded by overt or cleverly designed hidden promptings to direct our choices. Turn on the TV, open a paper, look in the mailbox, log on to your emails, watch a film – everywhere there are subtle hints on how to satisfy our supposed hunger to buy something special for ourselves, often with the implication that we deserve it, for reasons that are not specified. The result? Not, curiously, a greater differentiation between individuals, communities, nations but a global homogenisation which leaves us with a common sameness to our near identical lives and with risk-free outlets for our purchases (McDonalds are comfortingly the same wherever you go in the world – you can be sure of the choices you make there, whenever you move away from your home base). Every High Street has the same stores. Everyone wears the same clothes, though we seem to have an infinite variety on offer to us.

Is this what we really value and want? As Spring turns the garden from a pallid range of dull browns and greens to a wonderfully vibrant patchwork of colourful flowers and shrubs (in our case with many thanks too to Victor and Stuart!) is it not good just to enjoy the richness of Nature and the varied beauty of life as God has given it to us without the normalising hand of capitalism? Perhaps Lent is a time to forswear purchases and just look around us at what is already there. Our Chapel Garden (pictured on front page). Malcolm Burns

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Answers to the quiz questions in the last newsletter.

Name of a well known

person.

1. Tommy Steel

2. Noel Coward

3. Nicholas

Parsons

4. Judy Garland

5. Tom Cruse.

British Towns

6. Minehead

7. Oxford

8. Newcastle

9. Oldham

10. Wellington

Sweets

11. Tic Tac

12. Black Magic

13. Bounty

14. After Eight

15 Match Makers

Trees

16. Plane

17. Beech

18. Spruce

19. Yew

20. Cypress

Flowers

21. Cowslip

22. Snowdrop

23. Golden Rod

24. Daisy

25. Viola

Cherry (No not the name of a flower, it’s the person who supplied the quiz!) Page 6

Forthcoming event

Concert Saturday 31st May In the Autumn of last year, Stuart Cook a member of the Warwick Unitarian Chapel organised a concert of music to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. It was well received with a good attendance in spite of the inclement weather. Based on the experience it was decided to plan a light Spring Concert in May of 2014 using a similar format. Plans are well Advanced for the next concert which will be given on Saturday 31st May 2014 at 7:30pm with the Calisto flute and guitar duo with the Hasley Clarinet Trio playing works by Warterson, Gade, Mendelssohn, Piazola and Stravinsky. There will also be a Soprano song by Roger Quilter entitled Love’s Philosophy. This promises to be a stimulating and challenging performance; an early 19th and 20th century master work. Please come and enjoy the experience. As with our last concert and with our Unitarian ethos of charitable giving, proceeds will be donated to a worthy charity. Page 7

Macular Degeneration? Bring in your Bottle Tops! In the chapel kitchen is a large plastic box for milk bottle tops. Perhaps you have wondered why these are collected and how they are recycled. The plastic is P2 and on each bottle top is a triangle with 2 in the centre. These can be recycled and are turned into garden furniture. I collect them from the kitchen and store them in my garage until my sister in law visits from Andover, and she takes them home. They are then taken to the Chantry centre there, and when they have enough, are transported on to Southampton where they are sold. Money raised is donated to the Southampton Eye research unit which specialises in macular degeneration. The returns are small, but as so many people contribute their bottle tops, it is worth the effort, and hopefully the research unit will be able to find a cure for macular degeneration. Thank you for supporting this scheme.

Cherry

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Report

A Great Meal 21st March As usual, this event was beautifully implemented. Some thirty people enjoyed the excellent spread provided by the firm of high class professional caterers previously employed by Hilary and Victor. It was splendid; bottles of red and white wine were included on each table to compliment the cuisine. Afterwards, Cherry produced sheets containing a short quiz. This was completed in a jovial atmosphere prior to general circulation and chat. As Malcolm Sadler remarked – “Hilary and Victor did a marvellous job, and everybody behaved themselves!”.

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UNITARIANISM

FREEDOM + REASON + TOLERANCE An over simplification? Come and find out more

at Warwick Chapel

The team Minister: Rev. Anthony Howe, Kingswood Parsonage, Packhorse Lane, Hollywood, B47 5DQ. Tel:01564 823278. email: ant howe@hotmail.com Lay Assistant to the ministry Diane Rutter Tel:07871215920 Chairperson Malcolm Burns 01926 831559 Secretary Elaine Nomura 01926 611964 Treasurer Cherry Dodd 01926 491311 Committee Stuart Cook 02476 305983 Malcolm Sadler 01789 205571 Marilyn Waters Chris Thompson Music Peter Flower 07508 042 694

Lettings Secretary Angela Jefferies, 07976 555 979 Our Chapel is a multi-purpose venue and in addition to its main purpose, our religious services and activities, we are able to hire out the facilities. These facilities include the main chapel, this doubles as an excellent function room. This is complimented by an adjoining modern kitchen and toilet suite. There is full disabled access. Hirers also have the use of our beautiful award winning garden. This garden is eminently suited to barbeques and summer parties etc.

Website development Angela Jefferies Newsletter Minister – Ant Howe Editor & web liaison – John Warren Liaison with committee and proof reading – Malcolm Sadler See back page for contributions info.

Additional help is forthcoming from various other members of the congregation, often

un- noticed, but very welcome.

Contacts Chapel Address: High Street Chapel, High Street, Warwick, CV34 4AX. (You will find us almost opposite the historic half timbered “Lord Lycester’s Hospital” building). Chapel telephone 01926 410395 (with answerphone)

Unitarian General Assembly: Essex Hall, Essex Street, Strand, London, WC2R 3HY.

Kingswood: Our sister congregation at Kingswood is situated on Packhorse Lane, Hollywood, Worcestershire, B47 5QD. They meet for worship every Sunday at 11am.

Unitarian Universalist Church, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA: We have an excellent relationship with a group of American friends. This includes visits; they make us so very welcome in their homes and take us sight seeing. We have also enjoyed welcoming them here to sample the delights of Warwick.

Handy Websites Warwick Unitarians See our back newsletterswww.warwickunitarians.org.uk Unitarian General Assembly and Unitarian Societieswww.unitarian.org.uk Midland Unitarian Association www.midland-unitarian-association.org.uk UU Church Massachusetts (Our friends)www.nsuu.org Take a look at Ant’s recent sermons on Abletochoose.blogspot.com

If you need to make contact during the week….. The Minister’s office hours are WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY from 11am -7pm and he is available for ‘phone calls and visits by arrangement during these hours. If you need us on other days and at other times, please call the appropriate person. MONDAY: Lay Assistant Diane 07871 215 920 TUESDAYS: Lay Assistant Diane 07871 215 920 WEDNESDAYS: The Minister 01564 823 278 THURSDAYS: The Minister 01564 823 278 SATURDAYS: The Minister 01564 823 278 (Urgent matters only please)

Don’t forget to attend the Annual General

Meeting on Sunday 6th

April and find out about

the Warwick Unitarian Constitution.

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Warwick Unitarian Chapel is a spiritual community. We encourage all our members, visitors, and friends to find a level of belief with which they feel comfortable. We meet for worship to give thanks, and to celebrate our common bond of friendship and fellowship.

WE WALMLY WELCOME VISITORS

Don’t forget:

Carpet Bowls 2:00pm Tuesdays 8th April & 13th May You don’t need any special skills. Come along and have a go. £1 to play including tea and cake half way through. We usually get between 9 and 12 to these social afternoons. ‘really good fun’

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From our recently published brochure:-

WHO ARE WE?

Within our community today at Warwick there are those who would consider themselves to be Christians, whereas others share only some of the Christian beliefs.

There are those who have come to us from other backgrounds – atheist, humanist and agnostic.

Labels are not so important to Unitarians – our shared bond is one of friendship and the aim of seeking deeper meaning in our lives.

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Please continue to send in your articles to the Newsletter. Please do not send copies of published articles, however good they are, unless you have express permission from the author/publisher.

If you have contributions or articles for the June/July Newsletter, please send to John Warren, Email: johnwarren25@tiscali.co.uk or 34 Heath Croft Road, Sutton Coldfield, B75 6RL

Tel: 0121 308 3106 Deadline May 18th please. (These will then be forwarded to your new editor)

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