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The Liberal Christian Pic caption Officers of the Unitarian Christian Association The Rev Brian Cockroft - Honorary President The Rev Bob Pounder—Moderator The Rev Alex Bradley - Chaplin 27 Marne Avenue, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 9DW 70 Springwood Avenue, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 8JA 0161 339 6740 [email protected] 01565 754465 [email protected] Denise Birks - Secretary The Rev Jean Bradley - Retreats 28 Sunningdale Close, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 2LD 70 Springwood Avenue, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 8JA 01606 558424 [email protected] 01565 754465 [email protected] Catherine Fozard—Treasurer / Membership The Rev Jeff Gould - Events 20 Handforth Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 2LU 4A Bulkeley Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 3DJ. 01625 533110 [email protected] 01625 403509 [email protected] All copy for possible inclusion in The Herald should be emailed or posted to Editor, Dr Brian Hick 146 Sedlescombe Gardens, St Leonards on Sea, TN38 0YW 07905892103 [email protected] Dear Friends However we deal with the constant tide of events there are always new things and we are challenged to respond. We are challenged to respond because time brings change. It seems that in only two or three short decades the religious The Liberal and philosophical landscape in Britain has changed. In some ways things have changed Christian Herald for the better, in cultural terms and particularly in June 2013 - No 76 terms of women's rights and the rights of minorities. This has led hopefully, to a broad acknowledgement that diversity is something to be celebrated and accepted and not denigrated. Contents On the other hand, the increasing secularisation of our society and the accompanying discrediting of the 3 Church seem to bring the future of the Christian faith very much into question. A recent survey showed that Moderator’s Letter two-thirds of 18-24 year-olds in the UK says they have Bob Pounder no religious affiliation at all. We are all living in qualitatively different times but I do not believe that the 4 Church will die out although many church Entering Divine Life congregations are. I think that the wider Christian tradition is very much to Andrew Bethune be celebrated but it is in the contemplative tradition, in the silence of prayer that we may have a sense of the 6 presence of God and where we may seek renewal and Building Bridges transformation. At our forthcoming Summer Meeting on Derek McCauley Saturday July 27th, at Meadrow Chapel, Godalming, Surrey, we are, fortunate indeed in that there will be an introduction to Christian Meditation, offered by 8 Raymond Lamb of the World Community for Christian Preparing for the Best Meditation. Bob Pounder It is in the silence of prayer that we may we acknowl- edge God, in whom we live and move and have our being, and know that in changing times we have our 11 part to play. In changing times, let us respond in faith Books and action and let us always give witness to God's boundless love. 12 AGM—Reflections Bob Lewis Rees & Denise Birks UNITARIAN CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 14 Christian Aid Registered Charity No 101 777 1 Cathy Fozard JOIN THE UCA! 15 RENEW your subscription! UCA at Godalming Individual membership £12; Joint membership £18 Concessions £8 Cover photo: spring blossom Cheques payable to the Unitarian Christian Association should be sent to Back cover: UCA AGM, Leeds Catherine Fozard, 20 Handforth Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 2LU. - 3 - Entering Divine Life : a Lenten Retreat on the naming of God Andrew Bethune Considering that Unitarians PublicWork seeks to ‘facilitate a shared claim to be open to inspiration vision of the common good by renewing the practice of individual and collective from a diversity of religious storytelling’, beginning with Christianity, traditions, I find it strange that ‘the public narrative that has given rise to our worship rarely strays from the West’, and asks ‘Where does the story a sequence of wordy hymns, go from here?’ prayers, readings and The rationale behind the retreat is best addresses into experimental given in Claire’s words: liturgy or creative worship. The world is a mess... Every generation works to articulate the nature of the mess it finds. Part of our current mess is the loss So I was delighted when Claire of God's name. Our traditional naming of Henderson Davis, a theologian, and a God is out of date - failing to offer entry to Cambridge Unitarian, offered to lead a the divine life. This retreat explores a new ‘retreat’ at our church along with her liturgical naming of God, appropriating colleague Angela Reith. Angela is a and building on Christianity, using the musician and music therapist, and traditional liturgical tools of movement, works with Claire under the banner of music, silence and words, with PublicWork. opportunities for discussion and conversation. The framework is drawn Claire had been hugely supportive and from Christian theology in dialogue with helpful back in 2011 as we planned and discourses such as depth psychology. ran an ‘Away Day’ for Cambridge church The aim is to offer entry to a contemporary members, and my expectations were vision and practice of human flourishing. high. I was one of nine who took part. Most ‘Entering Divine Life’ was different from were Cambridge Unitarians, two had that ‘Away Day’. Participants had to previously worshipped regularly with us, commit to five Saturday afternoons and another had known of an earlier during Lent - they couldn’t simply drop retreat Claire and Angela ran in London. in and out. Because running the retreat What happened at the retreat? That is was part of the leaders’ work portfolio, hard to describe in a way that conveys participants had to pay to attend. what it was like to be there. We have become used to a church There was a theme for each weekly activities costing nothing or next to session - God as mother, father, lover, nothing. The church committee provided beloved - all coming together into the new the accommodation free, and the event Easter liturgy, which was only figuratively happened in our beautiful oak-panelled about Easter. The last session was longer church. than the others, since it concluded sharing a simple meal together. - 4 - Movement, dance, music, symbolic ac- ‘We experienced in beloved community our tions, silence, listening, words, conversa- own uniqueness, our personal expression tion all featured in the retreat. Patterns of God in the world. My prayer is that ran through from one week to the next. We some of this work can be expanded to our had homework to do during the week - set- church services, helping us to form a more ting aside ten minutes a day for medita- supportive and inspirational conscious- tion. It sounds easy, but did not come ness of what we, as a congregation, have naturally to all of us. to offer the world’. Some of the language was undoubtedly Christian, but for me, the retreat impinged PublicWork offers a ‘bespoke’ consultancy on my inner life in a psychological way, service, which I understand to mean they rather than a theological one. It encour- can tailor their programmes to suit the aged me to consider the person I am, or organisation hiring them, and so I am think I am, the influences that brought me happy to recommend PublicWork to other to this point, aspects of myself that have Unitarian communities. troubled me over the years, how to deal with a recent major change in my life. The Andrew Bethune retreat gave me a meditational tool and a framework of ideas for ongoing reflection. (http://www.publicwork.co.uk/ Sabrina Lewins, summed up the value of aboutus.html). the retreat for our church : - 5 - Building bridges Derek McCauley The relationship between the Unitarian and Free Christian movement and the national Christian ecumenical scene is not what it might seem. The General Assembly is neither a Full nor even an Observer Member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), the main ecumenical body. I won’t go into the history of this decision nor seek to At Lambeth Palace, December 2012 explore if it might change, however, despite this lack of formal recognition Unitarians retain an engagement with the national has attended for the General Assembly and Christian churches. This can take various we recently hosted the group at Essex Hall forms; formal and informal, through various for six months. Everything discussed is “off groups but increasingly networks of interest. the record” and on the basis of “no This question was raised at the recent surprises”. It was an interesting experience Annual Meetings in the Executive Committee to stand in for Karen the day after the House Report. of Commons vote on same sex marriage meeting at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Despite not being a member of Churches premises in Eccleston Square! I was also Together in Britain and Ireland the General able to circulate our consultation document Assembly has continued to be invited to the on assisted dying. Churches Public Issues Network, which recently resumed regular meetings. This The General Assembly continues its associa- network brings focuses upon issues of public tion with the Churches Legislative Advisory policy as they affect the churches and Service (CLAS), formerly known as the communities and amongst planned work is Churches Main Committee, and Alan Ruston to produce resources for the next General and I attend regularly. The meetings, which Election. A major project has been called are chaired by a Bishop of The Church of “Good Society”, in part a response to the Big England who sits in the House of Lords, Society initiative, which highlights the work feature high quality speakers on aspects of of local churches in local communities.