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1 CALENDAR FOR MAY 2012 STOCKTON UNITARIANS Mike Tomlin presenting our cheque for £525 to Alan Winton of Guide Dogs for the Blind at the Charity Service on April 1st
1
CALENDAR
FOR MAY 2012
STOCKTON
UNITARIANS
Mike Tomlin presenting our cheque for £525 to Alan Winton of Guide Dogs for the Blind at the Charity Service on April 1st
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Memorial Service for Rev Robin Boyes
Scarborough Unitarian Church was filled to capacity on Saturday
21st April when we gathered to celebrate Robin’s life. People had
travelled from far and wide, particularly from all parts of Yorkshire
and a good contingent from Stockton, demonstrating the deep
affection held in our hearts for Robin, and our sadness at his
passing.
Rev Vernon Marshall, a very close colleague of Robin’s, conducted
the service giving us many affectionate and amusing insights into
Robin and how he had come to have such a lasting influence on
Vernon and many others. Vernon introduced Sylvia, Robin’s wife,
who gave us a lovely rendition of a poem which had been very
meaningful for her since Robin’s death - An Arundel Tomb by Philip Larkin - which concludes with the words:
and to prove Our almost-instinct almost true: What will survive of us is love.
Several people made appropriate and moving contributions
including Margaret Kirk, Jimmy Timiney, Celia Midgley, Hester
Miller, Mike Tomlin and Janet Gadsby. Jimmy recalled his visits to
Robin during his illness, and Robin’s fondness for liquorice allsorts
in lieu of cigarettes! Hester remembered the part Robin played in
establishing the Scarborough branch of the United Nations
Association and recited from a poem by Brian Patten which
included the following beautiful words:
So, how long does a man live after all? And how much does he live while he lives? We fret and ask so many questions - then when it comes to us the answer is so simple after all.
A man lives for as long as we carry him inside us, for as long as we carry the harvest of his dreams, for as long as we ourselves live, holding memories in common, a man lives.
This was a recurring theme. Celia referred to John Andrew Storey’s
hymn Undying Echoes. Margaret Kirk gave us a reading of Credo from Every Nation Kneeling. Published in 1954, this was compiled by a Unitarian Minister called Will Hayes who believed that we
should widen our horizons and see the deep connections that exist
between all religious faiths. Margaret was reading from her own,
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treasured copy of the book and she told us a fascinating story about
this particular book and its links with Robin and Scarborough Church,
as follows:
“My copy is not in very pristine condition. It was in the Scarborough Church at the time of the fire and has been badly water damaged although, amazingly, it has survived. Robin asked me if he could borrow it when he was minister at Scarborough.
There are lots of other copies of this book but this is especially important to me because it was my father`s – and Will Hayes with his universalist vision, was the reason, I think, why my father became a Unitarian in the 1950s and how I also came to be a Unitarian. It contains obituaries and tributes to Will Hayes at the time of his death when we were living in Kent. Will Hayes was minister of the Chatham church for almost 40 years. He was a pacifist, a great supporter of animal welfare and the Chatham Church was called The Church of the Great Companions.
This book`s spirit of universalism connects three people who have who been an important part of the Scarborough Unitarian Church. Robin, of course, but also Walter Robinson who was the worship leader here after Robin until his death two years ago. Walter also borrowed this book because he too believed in the importance of deepening our connections with other religious faiths.
And, Vernon Marshall was minister here at Scarborough before either of them. In 2004 he wrote an article in Faith and Freedom about Will Hayes, calling him a `neglected champion of comparative religion` and paying tribute to the contribution he had made towards our understanding of other faiths”.
Credo is printed in full on page 9.
These lovely contributions were interspersed with joyful singing of
several of Robin’s favourite hymns, music, meditation and prayers
and a delightful medley of popular tunes before and after the service
played by Jack Jowsey on the piano without a single sheet of music.
It was a remarkable, intensely moving occasion. There were many
moist eyes in the congregation but also happiness and joy as befits a
celebration of the life of a generous, kind and jovial person who
touched all our hearts.
David WarhurstDavid WarhurstDavid WarhurstDavid Warhurst
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News of Members and Friends
Congratulations to Jessica Dodds on achieving her Grade 4 flute
and Grade 7 singing exams.
Margaret Robinson
Denis Cheeseman’s grandson
Daniel was selected to run in the
Olympic Park run on March 31st.
This was a five mile run around
the Olympic venues finishing with
a circuit of the new Olympic
Stadium.
Daniel was in the first wave of
runners completing the course in
27 minutes 11 seconds. He was
the 11th of 5,000 runners, and
the first Yorkshireman, to cross the
finishing line in the Olympic
Stadium, applauded by 10,000
spectators (including his Mum and
Dad)! As a result he was
interviewed by the Harrogate Advertiser.
Denis Cheeseman
As treasurer of the Unitarian Peace Fellowship I recently received a
letter from Fred Jordan who is the treasurer of Kendal Church. In
it he wishes to be remembered to the folk at Stockton and he also
mentions that he rarely gets across to Teesside. In addition he says
they have a son living in Manchester and a daughter in Lisburn
(Northern Ireland) so they have quite a bit of running around to do.
This sounds like many families today where children have to leave
their home town to find the work they want.
Some of the older readers will remember Mrs Jean Wickstead
who lived in Darlington. I am sorry to announce that she died on
19th April aged 103. Molly remembers that she and Walter went
across from time to time to pick up her and her husband Owen to
bring them over for services and I can remember going across to
their bungalow with Gerald Whitaker to discuss a number of
important issues of the day. She was a most kind and generous
lady, with lots of ideas and, as Molly said, a most gracious person.
Her funeral is in Darlington on 30th April.
Mike Tomlin
Daniel in the Olympic Stadium
. . . . and the medal he was
awarded
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Unitarian General Assembly Meetings
Keele University 3rd to 6th April 2012
How quickly time flies! It doesn’t seem a fortnight since we were at
the GA meetings, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, hearing
about how other Churches were getting on, attending the business
(now for some unaccountable reason called ‘Plenary’) sessions and
all the myriad of other meetings arranged for the short three days.
We were most impressed by the accommodation and the cleanliness
and tidiness of the whole site. Keele is a university built on a campus
some 3 to 4 miles west of Stoke on Trent. Built on a sloping site it
was a good 5 to 10 minute walk from the sleeping blocks to the
building where the meetings were held. Fortunately these were all
under one roof - particularly since the weather was most unseasonal.
It was not as bad as at Leicester, I do remember, when it snowed
one day and we had to walk across a field, from where we had
breakfast, to the meetings in a snowstorm.
We felt the quality of the various
meetings we attended was up to
a good standard even though the
two motions which Margaret
Robinson and I moved were both
lost. It seemed that no one liked
the word ‘compulsory’ - against
all the ethos of Unitarianism of
freedom of thought and religious
belief. But we live to fight
another day since we felt that if
we had worded our motion on
compulsory voting to compulsory attendance at the polling booths we might have been more
successful. All this was in spite of
Margaret spelling out that we
meant compulsory attendance and not the actual making a
cross on a paper.
Celia Cartwright from Kendal
gave the address at the
Anniversary Service. She talked
GA Zette, unofficial daily newspaper of the meetings, celebrated its 50th continuous year of publication.
Stockton Unitarians have been heavily involved in i ts production for many years. Copies are available from David Warhurst - it’s a good read!
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about ‘waving not drowning’ and reminded us of the man swimming in the sea who started waving - or was he drowning. We
must start waving more otherwise we could start drowning. The
address was delivered with much power and feeling and as usual
the singing was uplifting.
One of the most interesting sessions was the Historical Society
meeting. As we are all aware this is the 100th anniversary of the
sinking of the Titanic and the speaker was Sandra Gilpin from the
Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Northern Ireland (NSPCI),
which is affiliated to the General Assembly.
Sandra, who is married to Rev Ian Gilpin, minister of the NSPCI
Church at Comber, Newtonards, is a most enthusiastic amateur
historian. Many of the men who were associated with the
shipbuilder Harland and Wolf, which built the Titanic, were born
and brought up in Comber and were associated with the NSPCI
church. Sandra took us through the history of the Church, the
families and their stories with copies of letters and photographs.
It was an interesting and different slant on the Titanic. One point
she did make was that the memorial to Thomas Andrews, a
member of the Harland family who was the ship’s architect and
who lost his life on the ship, was a most simple affair and merely
said ‘lost at sea’. The hullabaloo about the sinking really started after the film “A Night to Remember“ was issued in 1972 and the momentum had increased steadily since then.
So thank you everyone for sending me to the meetings as your
delegate. I much appreciated your trust.
Mike Tomlin
SUNDAY MAY 20th:-
Material for the June Calendar to be in
the hands of the Editor, David Warhurst,
please. My email address is:
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Activities in April
The month began with our annual
charity service, conducted by Jane and
Mike Tomlin. We were priviliged to
welcome to our service three
representatives and two lovely dogs
from Guide Dogs for the Blind. During the service Alan Winton and his dog
Gypsy spoke to us about all the work
and fund raising which goes in to
providing around 4,500 guide dogs for
blind people in Britain.
We were staggered to hear that it costs
£49,000 for the whole working life (10
years) of a guide dog. A lot of this is spent in the first two years
when the dogs are trained. There are special breeding programmes
which produce a pool of 1,300 dogs each year from which those to be
trained are selected. It was reassuring to hear that at the end of their
working lives the dogs go into retirement and great care is taken to
make sure they go to good homes.
It was especially moving to hear Alan describe how Gypsy looks after
him. “She keeps me right and she gave me a future” he said. It left
us in no doubt that this was a most worthwhile charity to support.
In the following week it was time for some of us to go to Keele for
the General Assembly meetings and these are reported in full on
pages5 and 6.
On April 8th, Easter Sunday, we welcomed back
Barry Thomas. As I was away from home for
my youngest grandson’s first birthday, I missed
this service but several people have told me
what a good service this was with Barry’s
particular approach to the celebration of Easter.
Next up was a morning service taken by Victor
Ball on April 15th. His subject was Peace. Victor drew on Judaeo-Christian and Hindu traditions
for this service and we were invited to write our
own thoughts about Peace on tags which were
then hung on Victor’s Peace Tree. Victor is
involved with the Interfaith Foundation in
Gypsy (left) and her friend
Victor’s Peace Tree
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Newcastle upon Tyne which is promoting the idea of a Peace Tree
Day on Friday June 1st. For more details see page 10.
On 20th April we held our Musical Evening - Music and
Entertainment - compered by Alan Wilkinson. We enjoyed flute
solos by Jessica Dodds, songs by Margaret and Peter Whitham and
John Turner, a ‘politically correct’ fairy story by Margaret Robinson,
monologues by Peter Whitham and David Warhurst, instrumental
solos by Alan Wilkinson, a piano duet by Margaret Whitham and
Jane Tomlin and Barber Shop style songs by the MIH Quartet who
were giving their first public performance (and very good it was,
too). Tasty refreshments were served and the evening was rounded
off with some old favourites - Music Hall songs led by Jane Tomlin
with Margaret Whitham on the piano. All in all it was a most
enjoyable evening - many thanks to all who contributed.
The following day was the Memorial Service for Rev Robin Boyes
and this is fully reported on pages 2 and 3. Finally on Sunday 22nd
April Rev Margaret Kirk took the theme Still Waters for her service. With readings from Kindness - a Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom and Blessed are the Meek from Intimations of Grandeur by Jacob Trapp, Margaret drew our attention to the much undervalued qualities of
gentleness, self-restraint and humility. Modern society tends to
equate such characteristics with weakness and submissiveness
whereas, in reality, they are lovely qualities which are linked with
inner strength and greater happiness.
The last service in April, after we go to press, will be our annual GA Experience Service taken by Margaret Robinson and Mike Tomlin on April 29th, bringing a very busy month to a close. We have
continued to enjoy great richness and variety in our services and
other activities and we are most grateful to all those who devote so
much time and effort to providing these for us.
David Warhurst
Oh!verheard:
J**e T**l*n - ”This song is full of double-entendres - if you don’t
catch them all ask me later”!
The song in question? - Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do . . .
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CredoCredoCredoCredo
I believe in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind. I believe in human nature; that the good of man is of God, And that the bad passes away. I believe in human love; that it is the most beautiful thing in the universe, and that where love is God is. I believe in the divinity of man; that we are all sons of God, And it doth not yet appear what we shall be.
I believe that the universe is planned for good; that an unseen tide helps every good cause. I believe in the immortality of every good deed and every true thought. I believe in the creative value of suffering. I believe knowledge is the foundation of sympathy. I believe in the satisfaction of work well done, and in the approval of those we love. I believe in growth; that all things flow, and that no creed, religion or philosophy, no form of government or social order, or standard of beauty, no code of morals is final and perfect.
I believe in sunshine, fresh air, friendship, calm sleep and beautiful thoughts. I believe in the awful mountains, the infinite stars and the wind blowing in from the sea. I believe in the hawthorn when it is white, in all gentle things, and I stoop my ear to the silence of the earth. I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows.
I believe in the Now and Here. I believe in a power that is in ourselves that makes for righteousness. I believe that the only way to reach the Kingdom of Heaven is to have the Kingdom of Heaven in our hearts.
Will Hayes
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Newcastle Peace Tree Day
There are a number of peace tree projects around the world – perhaps the most famous is Yoko Ono’s interactive artwork WISH TREE which began in 1996. There is even an ORIGAMI PEACE TREE based in Russia. And most recently, starting on World Peace Day September 21st 2011, a global peace tree was ‘planted’ in Newcastle
which everyone can help grow by ‘tending’ it. The food and water are messages of support for world peace which become the leaves & fruit of the tree.
The PEACE TREE DAY, which we hope Newcastle City Council will support, is an annual festival for children and families of
every culture and faith to share and celebrate peace and diversity together. It was founded by educator/filmmaker Mitra Sen, the producer/director of the award-winning film The Peace Tree.
In 2004, Mitra Sen produced and directed the film The Peace Tree, which shares the story of two little girls, one Muslim and one Christian, who dream of celebrating each other's festivals, Christmas and Eid. While working on the film, Mitra Sen came up with
the concept of a Peace Tree that brings cultural and faith symbols together on one tree.
Then, in 2006, Mayor David Miller proclaimed June 1st as Peace Tree
Day in the city of Toronto. Many other cities followed, and now children, families and communities in Canada, the United States, the Bahamas, India, Pakistan, Australia, Ireland and also England are creating Peace Trees. (www.peacetreeday.com)
The proposal is for Newcastle to proclaim and hold a Peace Tree Day on Friday June 1st 2012 when representatives of the faith communities of the city can come together in a spirit of unity and peace. As well
honouring one another’s traditions through readings, music and prayers, there will be an opportunity to view Mitra Sen’s award-winning film The Peace Tree and a short film of Prem Rawat, an international Ambassador for Peace, speaking at the European
Parliament in Brussels.
For further information please contact:
Victor Ball (Interfaith Foundation) [email protected] Joe Mitchell (Words of Peace Global) 0191 2131 990
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Dates for Your Diary
Friday 4th to Monday 7th May - Foy Conference “Who Dunnit – Innit” at the Nightingale Centre.
Saturday 12th May from 10.30am to 12.30pm - Children’s Group
meets at church. !Please note the change of date!
Monday 14th May at 7.15pm - Engagement Group meets at church, topic Charles Dickens.
Monday 21st May at 7.00pm - the Worship Group meets at
church.
Wednesday 30th May at 7.15pm - the Church Council meets at
church.
Saturday 2nd June at 1.00pm - Scarborough ‘Big Lunch’ - see
page 12.
Wednesday 27th June at 7.00pm - the Northern Unitarian Association (NUA) Committee meets at Stockton Unitarian Church.
Monday 9th July-Friday 13th July 2012 Unitarian Discovery Holiday at Great Hucklow. Theme - “Ways of Seeing - All in the Eye of the Beholder” This is a new venture which is hoped will be more of a holiday with some intellectual input. Time to relax, sing, worship and have fun together, walk or explore the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. There will be time to look at the theme from a religious, arts and social point of view. See poster for details.
Margaret Robinson
Definitions that fit so well they should be in a dictionary:
ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in
the middle..
BEAUTY PARLOR: A place where women curl up and dye.
CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people.
COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out.
EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage.
INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.
MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better.
RAISIN: Grape with sunburn.
SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time.
TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction.
TOMORROW: One of the greatest labour saving devices of today.
YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed.
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Exploring Creation Spirituality
On Holy Island
Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd of June
“Creation Spirituality is an ancient tradition� an amazing gathering place” - Matthew Fox
Come and share in a journey of elemental connection and playful celebration
The weekend begins with Dinner on Friday evening and ends on Sunday evening at 6.00pm
There will be time for discussions and talks, meditation,and a range of activities including marking out and
walking a labyrinth on the beach, making ‘charm stonesand creating a mandala
The cost of the whole weekend is £120.00 per person which includes accommodation, all meals (vegetarian),
workshops and materials
There are only 7 places available so please book early!
For information and booking please contact: Victor on: 07581 210695
or Glynis on: 07989 737865 or e-mail: [email protected]
A non-returnable deposit of £50.00 is required by Saturday 12th May
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Services in May and June
May 6th 6.00 pm: Mike Tomlin - Christian Aid Service
May 13th 6.00 pm: Rev Margaret Kirk
May 20th 10.45 am: Rev Michael Unwin
May 27th 6.00 pm: Victor Ball
June 3rd 6.00 pm: To be announced
June 10th 6.00 pm: Victor Ball
June 17th 10.45 am: To be announced - Father’s Day
June 24th 6.00 pm: Rev Margaret Kirk
Organists Welcome Rota
May 6th: Margaret Whitham Peter Whitham
May 13th: Jane Tomlin Margaret Whitham
May 20th: Joan Unwin Mike Tomlin
May 27th: Margaret Robinson Hazel Warhurst
June 3rd: Margaret Whitham Molly Rudge
June 10th: Jane Tomlin Denis Cheeseman
June 17th: Joan Unwin Margaret Robinson
June 24th: Margaret Robinson Joan Unwin
Flowers Sunday Tea Rota
May 6th: Mrs Smith and Mrs Fish To be announced
May 13th: Mrs Unwin To be announced
May 20th: Mrs Squires To be announced
May 27th: Mrs Rowe To be announced
June 3rd: Flower Fund To be announced
Saturday Coffee Morning Rota:
May 5th: Margaret and Peter Whitham
May 12th: Hazel and David Warhurst
May 19th: Freda Laverick and Denis Cheeseman
May 26th: Molly Rudge and Josie Squires
June 4th: Margaret and Peter Whitham
Coffee Mornings are held every
Saturday from 10.00am to 11.30am
Photo Credits for this Edition:
Pages 1 and 4: Denis Cheeseman;
pages 5, 7 and 16: Hazel and David Warhurst
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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
Chair: Edna Anderson 315 Surbiton Road
� 01642 643179 Stockton-on-Tees
TS19 7SA
Secretary: Margaret Robinson 25 Sheepfoote Hill
� 01642 782219 The Meadowings
Yarm
TS15 9QH
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 believe that religion is a deeply personal matter. Our
core belief is that every person must be free to form his or her
own religious ideas. We have no set creeds. Instead we offer
encouragement and help in the individual search for the true
meaning and purpose of life.
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
The MIH Quartet plus Denis entertaining us during the Musical Evening on 21st April
