Transcript

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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:

[email protected]

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

19

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

20

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 . . . . !!!

21

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

22

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]

24

���������������������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ����������������������

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.


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