Services
*Sunday Morning Service 10.30am
*Evening Service 6.30pm (a service of prayer, music and meditation)
The minister has a blog:
The church has a new wiki which has lots of information which may be of interest to readers including photos, history, orders of service and much, much more . . .:
We are also affiliated to the UNITARIAN CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION:
This church belongs to a liberal Christian tradition which welcomes the loving, critical and enquiring spirit and, accordingly, it is founded upon an Open Trust which imposes no doctrinal tests either upon its minister or its members. We meet together simply in the spirit which is exemplified in the life and utterances of Jesus, for the worship of God and the service of humankind. Anyone accepting this free basis may become a member of this church.
The address draws on the faith and experience of the person conducting the service and it is offered to the congregation as encouragement to further reflection and thought. It is most certainly not a definitive statement with which you must agree. As our sixteenth-century Polish Socinian forbears said:
Whilst we declare our own opinions, we oppress no one. Let every person enjoy the freedom of their own judgement in religion; only let it be permitted to us also to exhibit our view of divine things, without injuring and calumniating others.
In the light of all the above we also strive for a broader understanding among religious and secular groups and endeavour, in a spirit of enquiry, to appreciate truth, beauty and goodness in whatever form of religion or philosophy these may be found.
Our services are simple in form. In the morning (Sunday, 10.30 am) this usually consists of hymns, prayers, meditations, readings, music (sometimes this is on the organ and sometimes a piano and double-bass jazz duet) and an address. After the address people are free to engage in a period of conversation with the minister about the address. The whole service lasts just over the hour and afterwards we go through into the hall to share tea, coffee and conversation.
In the evening (Sunday, 6.30pm) there is a service of prayer music and meditation centred on a period of mindful-meditation and the lighting of 'candles of joy and concern'. It lasts about three-quarters of an hour and afterwards, as in the morning, we remain together in conversation over tea and coffee.
Four times a year on Christmas Eve, Good Friday, Whitsunday and around mid-summer, we celebrate a form of liberal Christian communion. This service is a simple memorial of Jesus' life and of ALL those who have given themselves in the service of God and humankind. It is open to all, whether of this church or none. The services on Christmas Eve and Good Friday are separate services. Those on Whitsunday and at mid-summer take place immediately after the main service.
We also hold marriage services, same-sex blessings, christenings/namings/ dedications, and funeral and memorial services. These are always carefully prepared by the minister in collaboration with those involved.
Object Of The General Assembly Of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
We, the constituent congregations, societies and individual members, uniting in a spirit of mutual sympathy, tolerance and respect; and recognizing the worth and dignity of all people and their freedom to believe as their consciences dictate; and believing that truth is best served where the mind and conscience are free, acknowledge that the object of the assembly is to:
- Promote a free and enquiring religion through the worship of God and the celebration of life; the service of humanity and respect for all creation; and the upholding of the liberal Christian tradition
- Encourage and unite in fellowship with bodies which uphold the religious liberty of their members, unconstrained by the imposition of creeds
- Affirm the liberal religious heritage and learn from the spiritual, cultural and intellectual insights of all humanity
Photos
Click here to see photographs of the church