t h e
F L A M E
The Newsletter of Richmond and Putney Unitarians July/August 2016
O Lord, help
me to be pure,
but not yet
(From Augustine’s Confessions)
the right conditions will not rise to the fore. Holidays,
in my mind, are not for striving but for being receptive
to joy and open to the new experience.
As many of you will be embarking on your summer
holiday it is doubtful that one of your holiday reads will
be the Confessions of Augustine! Holidays are for
relaxing and experiencing new and interesting things! We
may well not agree or even know the theology of
Augustine but I think many of us can relate to the
meaning conveyed! I know that I have had a tendency to
want reach dizzy heights of proficiency in many aspects
of life without having too put too much effort in. They say
“life is a good teacher” and I have to admit that it has
taught me on numerous occasions that rarely are there
short cuts but in my experience when I’ve made decision
to do something I often learn more about myself on the
journey!
Each of has unique features, foibles and sometimes even
characteristics of which we have little idea. When we
cease striving to be something else or somewhere else
we can look into the wonder of our being and be
receptive to the experiences around us. I love to think
that in our community that we have so people that will
be off to have many interesting and different
experiences. Some of which may be life-changing, and
as each of us changes so does our community. So I pray
that each of you don’t waste time striving for something
else but rather ground yourself and be receptive to the
experience in your hand and maybe share your
adventures in the Flame with us.
Often it is not until we push ourselves to we begin to
see the limits, usually self-imposed, that we put on
ourselves and even life. Even though I recognise the
sentiment in the above quote from Augustine there is
something about it that disturbs me a little. It has within
it an idea of what purity might be and assumes that this
purity is not deeply manifest within everyone and given
Maybe this would be a better phrase for the summer:
O Lord, help me to relax and to be open to life!
Simon
Our website : www.rpuc.o rg.uk
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Calendar for JULY/AUGUST
Every Wednesday, 2–3 pm
(Not 10 and 17 August)
Coffee with the minister
Simon will be available tat Tide tables near Richmond
Bridge if you wish to drop by for a chat. One-to-one
pastoral sessions are also bookable during this time or
at any other time needed.
Contact: Rev. Simon Ramsay
Sunday 17 July, 12.30 pm
Choir practice
A small choir, led by our director of music, Margaret
Lord, practises on the third Sunday of each month, also
introducing an unfamiliar song during the service on
that day. Periodically they have a Choir Sunday, when
with numbers swelled by visiting accomplished singers,
they sing three or four songs during the service.
New voices of all music abilities will be made most
welcome.
Contact: Margaret Lord
Every Wednesday, 7–8 pm
(Not 10 and 17 August)
Meditation
With readings, music and lots of silence, this is a
chance to find an inner stillness and peace. The sessions
are suitable for absolute beginners and are open to all,
though we ask for a voluntary contribution of £2 per
session (free to church members).
Contact: Rev. Simon Ramsay
Sunday 24 July, 12.30 pm
Bring and share lunch
A congregational lunch after the service. Please make a
dish that is enough for you and maybe one other to
ensure that everyone will be fed!
Contact:: Simon Ramsay
***
Wednesday 3 August, 1–3 pm (Holland Room)
Stitches and Stories
Friday 1 July, 7.30–9 pm
Creative Journaling
The journaling group, all warmly welcomed, shares
silence, a check-in, takes time for writing or reflection,
some time for sharing as wished. Sometimes we work
with a theme and sometimes the theme emerges out of
our check-in.
Contact: Kitty Lloyd-Lawrence, Helen Nicholls
Friday 5 August, 7.30–9 pm
Creative Journaling
This month’s theme is: What does it mean to have an
'inner spirituality'?
Contact: Kitty Lloyd-Lawrence, Helen Nicholls
Saturday 6 August, 10 am–1 am
Gardening Club
Saturday 2 July, 10 am–1 am
Gardening Club
Come for a short time or a longer time – any help or
moral support is welcome. There is a jungle to cut
down, where you can't do anything wrong!!
Contact: Margaret Lord
Sunday 21 August, 12.30 pm
Choir practice
Sunday 28 August, 12.30 pm
Bring and share lunch
Sunday 3 July, 12.30–2 pm
Management Committee Meeting
As is our tradition, these are open to all to attend, unless
a sensitive agenda item is tabled.
Wednesday 6 July, 1–3 pm (Holland Room)
Stitches and Stories
Our craft and storytelling group meets to knit, crochet
or sew items to be donated to charity. Good company
and good causes make for a lovely afternoon.
Contact: Margaret Lord
Minister’s leave
I will be on annual leave 8-21 August 2016
I will be contactable for emergencies.
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Services in JULY
All services by Rev. Simon Ramsay, unless otherwise indicated
Sunday 3 July 11 am
Eid al Fitr: At the close of the Islamic festival of Ramadan I will look at the tradition of fasting in the religious
context. Is there room within the liberal religious tradition to incorporate some form of fasting into our religious
lives?
Organist: Margaret Lord
Coffee: joint effort
(Management Committee meeting after the service - all are welcome to attend)
Sunday 10 July, 11 am
Preacher: Lindsay Stevens
Reflective, heart-centred service led by Lindsay Stevens, interfaith minister and longtime friend of the
congregation.
Organist: Margaret Lord
Coffee: David Knight
Sunday 17 July, 11 am
The inner eye of love: The comparative religion scholar William Johnson wrote a book named The Inner Eye of
Love, which looked at the world religions with the intent of seeing a golden thread of mysticism that runs through
them. Is there such a thread? And how well placed are we as Unitarians to see the deeper common themes.
Organist: Marilene Berryman
Coffee: joint effort
(Choir practice after the service)
Sunday 24 July, 11 am
Maulana Julaluddin Rumi: Who was this famous Muslim teacher and popular poet? Were his work, belief and
practices as universal as commonly perceived? I will talk about Rumi's rise to contemporary popularity but also
look at his religious tradition within his own historical context.
Organist: Christopher Johnson
Coffee: joint effort
(Bring-and-share lunch following the service - all welcome)
Sunday 31 July, 11 am
Kahlil Gibran: A message for the Middle East?: This Lebanese writer, artist and poet, most famously known for
his short work The Prophet, was no stranger to turmoil in his own life. He travelled to the United States with his
mother after being displaced from Lebanon only to return to his homeland to study and work. What does Gibran's
religious views have to teach us Unitarians?
Organist: Margaret Lord
Coffee: Brian Franklin
You are welcome to join us for coffee and fellowship after the Sunday service
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Services in AUGUST
All services by Rev. Simon Ramsay, unless otherwise indicated
Sunday 7 August, 11 am
Candles for joy and concern: Please contact me if you’re willing to read.
Organist: Clare Jones
(No Management Committee meeting this month)
Coffee: joint effort
Sunday 14 August, 11 am
Preacher: Lindsay Stevens
Reflective, heart-centred service led by Lindsay Stevens, interfaith minister and longtime friend of the
congregation.
Organist: Margaret Lord
Coffee: David Knight
Sunday 21 August, 11 am
Preacher TBA
Organist: Margaret Lord
(Choir practice after the service)
Coffee: Mary Armstrong
Sunday 28 August, 11 am
What does it mean to be a good friend?: Today I will look at friendship and what it is to be a good friend.
There will be an opportunity for you to share how your life has been affected positively by friend in a time of
need.
Organist: Christopher Johnson
Coffee: joint effort
(Bring-and-share lunch following the service - all welcome)
You are welcome to join us for coffee and fellowship after the Sunday service
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On this last point, I have found myself examining
why I spent a childhood and early adulthood
ensconced in music and yet was happy to let this lie
dormant for almost twenty years. And I think I have
the church to thank for this, as the weekly hymns,
musical voluntaries and involvement in the choir
have reignited my passion for music, encouraging
me back to the piano with renewed enthusiasm.
A couple of years ago we ran a series where
members of our congregation talked about how they
discovered Unitarianism and/or why they choose
RPUC as their spiritual home. Here, one of our
newer congregation members, Alison Dukes, talks
about her own journey that brought her here.
This reflection shares a bit about my background,
explaining my motivation to join the Unitarian faith and
about the spiritual growth I am encountering within the
inclusive and open-minded community at Richmond.
Another aspect of my spiritual path that I want to
share is the enormous gratitude that I feel, which I
am more aware of than ever before. I have had a
privileged life, but thought it was never more than
was owed to me. Holding a gratitude diary is helping
to keep me humble and grounded, thankful for the
smallest things and grateful for everything. I endorse
the use of such a journal, as I believe it can retrain
the mind to be more positive and thus happier.
I think the powers of synchronicity played their part in
my discovery of the church, in that it felt like a
meaningful coincidence to walk through the doors at
this particular time in my life. I realised that some may
turn to faith at time of need; however, I wanted for
nothing and had been fortunate never to have suffered
hardship, illness, bereavement or any major upset.
A focus on one’s personal happiness might sound
egocentric, but I prefer the interpretation a friend
gave – that my journey sounded like a lesson in
becoming good – a better person. I would
remonstrate that this was too simplistic an
explanation and prefer to think of it as a shift of
identity – one which can offer a sense of
connection, purpose and ethical direction.
However, I had privately been reading works on
spirituality by a variety of authors, which was a
new-found interest I shared with my best friend in
Dorset. She was undergoing a similar life course,
and we enjoyed sharing book recommendations with
each other. Whilst this brought us close, we both
acknowledged how beneficial it would be to find
like-minded people locally. This was my
motivation, and one Sunday in February I decided to
approach the church and enjoy a service.
With this in mind, I look forward to developing my
budding spiritual practice further within the
environment of the church and know this will be
made possible by the supportive community at
Richmond. I already have much to thank them for
and look forward to continued growth amongst
people with whom I share common values.
To narrow down what it is I enjoy about the church
and the community, I have prioritised four areas that
I value the most:
1) The learning gained from services, which provide
such valuable food for thought.
Alison Dukes
To read more personal accounts from the RPUC
congregation past and present, visit
http://richmondtestimonies.tumblr.com/, or go to the
‘Links’ page of our website at rpuc.org.uk and click
on the link. If you haven’t written your own
‘testimony’, we’d love to read it. Please write your
own thoughts in your own words and send your
contribution to the newsletter email on the back page.
2) The knowledge and practice of meditation, which
is opening up a whole new world to me.
3) The social connection gained from belonging to a
community and engaging with others.
4) The rekindling of my joy of music.
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Unitarian bishop in London!). More than even a fascinating historical account, collection of valuable insights into aspects of spirituality, materialism and
feminism, or food for thought on the centrality of a
human Jesus, the booklet sets into harsh perspective
our churches’ challenges in the UK, which all but pale
into insignificance against their experience.
I won’t even begin to try summarising the content –
read it for yourself – just to say, while we fret about
potential attrition as a movement or set about sabotaging ourselves as a congregation, just ponder on
the history and the real and present struggles of our
spiritual sisters and brothers. Oppressed and often
persecuted under the Communist regime and many
of its predecessors, losing to the state (and still fighting to regain) many of its assets including schools,
buildings and even archives, they kept their flame
burning by subterfuge and compromise – hence their
saying ‘better a living dog than a dead lion’.
Transylvania is ever associated in Western imagination with the fictional legend of Count Dracula but
this richly endowed region, which has oscillated between various tribes, empires and degrees of autonomy over the centuries, was perhaps the first nation to
officially declare religious tolerance, under Unitarian
King John Sigismund in 1568. Today it is part of Romania but a sizeable proportion of its population is of
Hungarian origin. I borrowed from the rack at RPUC
a booklet ‘Hungarian Unitarians in Transylvania’, a
collection of addresses given by one of their scarce
women ministers to our Western Union a couple of
years ago*. Their Church, with its confession of faith
and degree of centralised hierarchy, outwardly contrasts with the liberal direction of UK/US Unitarianism but has enjoyed a long-standing cross-fertilisation
including ministerial visits (indeed, my father often
joked about having enjoyed a pint with a Romanian
David Strachan
* ‘Hungarian Unitarians in Transylvania’ by Maria Pap ©2015,
published by The Western Union of Unitarian and Free Christian
Churches (available to purchase direct, see inside cover).
The Flame is off to St Swithin’s-on-Sea in
August for its annual summer vacation and
will be back in September, all suntanned (or
rain-lashed), bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
If during the long and languid summer days
you feel inspired to put pen to paper or
digit to touchscreen, feel free to send your
contributions to us for publication. This
newsletter is open to all. Deadline for
submissions: 20th August. Happy holidays!
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YOUR RPUC
An Inclusive Community
I have undertaken to renovate the main church noticeboard (which you might have ‘noticed’ has a temporary
replacement), involving (1) attaching a new surface of
special composite material to the old, (2) vinyl background colour of the selected shade of blue, then finally
(3) the chalice logo(s) and lettering per the agreed content which I'm pleased has been finalised. For tbose
who don't know, I hoped to complete stage (1) the other
weekend when I was in London for a few days. I
picked up the cut to size material ordered from the supplier but tragically the wind caught the panel attached
to my roof rack and it buckled, so I shall have to order
a new piece! I confessed to the congregation on the
Sunday following and hereby don sackcloth and ashes
(probably an improvement on my usual attire ...). I shall
reattempt it, with extra transport precautions, on my
next visit – probably in July.
At RPUC we aim to be open and inclusive to
everyone who walks through our doors, and
transparent in our governance. Any member of
the congregation is entitled to attend our church
management committee meetings, which usually
take place on the first Sunday of the month, after
the service. We also circulate the minutes from
these meetings to anyone who requests to see
them. If you wish to be included on the mailing
list for management committee minutes please
contact us via the newsletter email:
[email protected].
Newsletter
If you have picked up this newsletter in church
and would like to receive it every month by email,
please contact: [email protected].
David Strachan
Food Bank Collection
We collect dried and tinned food for the Vineyard
food bank. Please donate food to help the poorer
members of our community. You can leave your
items in the plastic box in the vestry
Urban Unitarians Meetup is a group for twenty- and thirtysomething Unitarians who want to get together socially in
London. The group was established on Meetup.com
five years ago and has grown to over 200 members.
Anyone can join at the click of a button, so we don’t
expect to meet more than a fraction of this number.
However, we see it as another way to spread the
Unitarian message and to bring people together. We
promote any events that are not Sunday services in
order to appeal to those who might not be interested in
traditional Sunday worship. For more information go
to www.meetup.com/urban-unitarians or contact Kate
Dean on [email protected].
We die. That may be the meaning of life.
But we do language. That may be the
measure of our lives.
Maya Angelou
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by poor families in inner cities, and indeed his servants
would have enjoyed reading his novels because his
books feature servants as characters in a way that few
other nineteenth-century novels did. Many of his
novels were published in instalments. Dickens was
known as a great walker. He recorded buildings,
sounds and smells during the day and the night (the
Thames was never clean, and fog features in various
novels); the people he observed became the inspiration
for his characters. Dickens seems to have a real gift for
inventing names. Have you ever come across someone
with one of these surnames? Mr Pumblechook, Abel
Magwitch (Great Expectations), Martin Chuzzlewit, a
pupil of Mr Pecksniff. What about Bob Cratchit , longsuffering clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas
Carol), or Clara Peggotty, David Copperfield’s
devoted nurse.
Favourite
Places
Interesting places to visit,
on and off the beaten track
Inside the museum the rooms are small and furnished
with prints and rare books. In the dining room Charles
and his wife Catherine are portrayed entertaining their
friends, and the taped background chatter feels genuine.
The morning room is devoted to Catherine and her
pursuits such as embroidery. Two daughters were born
in this house, so there’s obviously a nursery as well as a
kitchen, wash-house and scullery. In most rooms, a few
audio comments come on almost as you walk in. In the
drawing room there’s a huge mirror, several prints and
sherry glasses; in this room Charles and friends would
act out theatrical scenes. There is, of course, a study
with an impressive desk and a garden wine cellar.
Catherine’s sister lived with them and died prematurely
there; their grief is often cited as the reason for seeking
another house elsewhere.
The Charles Dickens Museum, Bloomsbury
A recent article in the Guardian suggested that London
should have a day devoted to Mrs Dalloway (the
character created by Virginia Woolf) in the same way
that Dublin has a Bloomsday celebrating Leopold
Bloom in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses; tourism has
apparently given a boost to the Dublin economy.
Mrs Dalloway is certainly set in London, with the
action covering just twenty-four hours, but personally,
if London were to have a special day, I think Charles
Dickens (1812–1870) would be a more appropriate
author to celebrate. So, which of his fictional characters
should be chosen? Maybe a visit to the Charles Dickens
Museum, the only remaining London home of the
author, will help us choose.
As you wander from room to room you notice items
representing all stages of his life as an author, including
manuscripts, rare editions and paintings. Indeed, the
museum is a most evocative time-capsule; no wonder
the building is often used for filming and photo shoots.
Perhaps that’s why they’re closed on Mondays.
48 Doughty Street is fifteen minutes’ walk from the
Foundling Museum (described in an earlier ‘Favourite
Places’ article), so, after leading a tour recently, I made
my way to Doughty Street on foot, just as Dickens
would have done after worshipping in the Foundling
Hospital Chapel. Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby
were written in Doughty Street, and when he lived
there Dickens was already achieving celebrity and
recognition as a great storyteller. Today, his Georgian
terraced house has a dark-blue plaque; it was erected by
the London County Council before the days of the
GLC. The museum has an enormous collection relating
to Dickens and attracts visitors from around the world.
If we were to have a London-based ‘character’ to echo
Bloomsday, perhaps we should have an Oliver day. The
Lionel Bart musical of Oliver based on this story is
incredibly well known by children and adults. The
museum uses the strap line ‘I want some more’, spoken
by young Oliver in the workhouse, to decorate bowls
on sale in the shop and to encourage donors. However,
perhaps that name is too bound up with Cromwell, the
Lord Protector, and might cause confusion.
His work as a campaigner on behalf of the underprivileged features as much as his work as a great
novelist. He was keen to point out the problems faced
If Oliver is not to be the subject for a celebratory
London Day how about Tiny Tim from A Christmas
Carol? Written in six weeks, A Christmas Carol sold
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6,000 copies in the six days between its release and
Christmas Eve that same year and has never been out of
print since. Although Scrooge reforms at the end and
Tiny Tim was very brave in overcoming his physical
difficulties, I don’t believe either one should be the
figure for London.
How about A Tale of Two Cities (the two cities being
Paris and London)? Indeed in July the museum is
celebrating Bastille Week with a costumed reading of
the novel about all the uncertainties and upheavals of
the French Revolution. What names can I remember?
Sydney Carton was an action man, Madame Defarge
(the bloodthirsty one who wove the names of those
destined to be guillotined into her knitting) was of
course French, as was Charles Darnay, an aristocrat
who renounced his family name and emigrated to
London. Sydney Carton is not sufficiently well known
for ‘Cartonday’.
Chanting in TW10
Perhaps Great Expectations could be a candidate:
there’s Pip, a well-intentioned lad who later lived in
London. But, like Miss Havisham and Estella, he’s not
exactly appealing.
At the end of May, as part of our ongoing ‘Interfaith
Dialogues’ programme, Jonny Gilbert (representative
of the Soka Gakkai International in community in
Richmond) delivered an interesting talk on Nichirin
Buddhism and liberty. A bit of audience particiaption
is now becoming something of a tradition at our
Interfaith events, and on this occasion Jonny led us in
chanting the Nichirin Buddhist mantra of ‘Nam Myoho
Renge Kyo’ (roughly translated as Devotion to the
Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra or Glory to the Sutra of
the Lotus of the Supreme Law), explaining how in his
order chanting is often preferred to the more silent
practice of meditation that we are more familiar with.
No character seems quite right to replicate
‘Bloomsday’. Perhaps we could simply settle on a
‘Dickens Day’.
Several ideas have sprung to mind during my visit to
the museum and I can do little more than suggest you
visit – but not on a Monday. As a result of its growing
popularity this small museum will have timed entry
from 1 July this year to ensure that visitors can fully
absorb the atmosphere.
I couldn’t resist the imaginative gifts in the shop, and
of course there’s a cafe and delightful garden offering
an oasis in the heart of Bloomsbury.
Interfaith Dialogues are occasional events where
practitioners of other liberal faiths come and tell us
about their beliefs and practices. Watch out for details
of upcoming events in the Flame.
Pamela Scott
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RICHMOND AND PUTNEY UNITARIANS
We are a radically inclusive community
of open hearts and open minds, where
individuals are free to trust their
conscience in matters of spiritual
inquiry, and the inherent worth and
dignity of all humankind is celebrated,
irrespective of race, social status,
gender or sexual orientation.
Ormond Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6TH
www.rpuc.org.uk
Facebook: richmondandputneyunitarianchurch
Twitter: RPUnitarian
Find us …
We are ten minutes’ walk from Richmond Station
(Southwest Trains, London Overground and
District Line) and two minutes’ walk from the bus
station. Cars can enter Ormond Road one way
only (from the Richmond Bridge end).
Contacts
Minister
Rev. Simon Ramsay
07915 618549
[email protected]
Newsletter editor
David Watson
[email protected]
General inquiries
[email protected]
020 8332 9675 (answering machine)
Lettings inquiries
[email protected]
Postal correspondence to the church address in
the first instance.
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