BANK ST CHAPEL
MARCH 2012
2012
CALENDAR
The Minister –Contact Details
Stephen Lingwood
Bank Street Chapel
Crown Street
Bolton BL1 2RU
Vestry: 01204 528633
Home: 01204 523192
E-mail [email protected]
The Minister holds “office hours” every Tuesday afternoon in the Vestry.
Anyone is welcome to drop in to see him for any reason. He is also happy to visit anyone in
their home. The Minister is not available on Friday – his day off.
Chapel Officers.
President
Chair of Council
Treasurer
Correspondence Secretary
Minutes Secretary
Calendar Editor
Webmaster
Women’s League President
Alec Bowman
Gordon Walker
Mary Frodsham
Granville Leather
Don Gerrard
Gordon Walker
e-mail [email protected]
Anthony Mancini
e-mail [email protected]
Janet Poole
e-mail [email protected]
Independent Organisations
Non – Chapel groups meeting in our hall include those listed below. If you would like to make
contact with any of these groups, speak to the Minister or a Council member.
Narcotics Anonymous
Weight Watchers
Gamblers Anonymous
Yoga
The Anglo French Society
The Bank Street Writers
The Theosophical Society
Lizzie Jones’s History Group
Our rooms are available for hire – contact Alec Bowman – 01204 594500
Minister’s Letter
Lent is a traditional Christian period of spiritual practice and fasting in preparation for Easter.
Unitarians have, historically, not had much time for different Christian seasons and festivals; as
Kahlil Gibran said “you’re everyday life is your religion” – no particular time or place is more
“holy” than any other.
But I think there is something to be said for using a particular period of time to go deeper into
your faith. This is not simply a matter of “giving something up.” It’s a matter of going deeper,
taking up a spiritual practice, and being disciplined in your spiritual journey.
One way you can do this this Lent is to come along to our Lent course “The Way to Freedom”
on Wednesday nights. Another is to make every effort to come to Sunday services. During Lent
we will be reflecting more deeply on Jesus’ teaching on how to live a transformed life. Jesus
did not teach “beliefs” as much as a way of life characterised by freedom, humility,
compassion, hospitality, justice, universal love and non-violence. It is this radical way of life we
will be exploring during Lent.
Join us on that journey.
Stephen
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
Membership of Bank Street Unitarian Chapel
Would you like to become a member of Bank Street Unitarian Chapel? Becoming a member
means committing to the spiritual purposes of the congregation and joining in its ministry. We
are a congregation that is run democratically by its own members so membership is something
very special.
If you have been attending Bank Street and would like to commit to membership then please
speak to the Minister to find out more. We will welcome new members on 13th May on
Membership Sunday.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
Mothering Sunday 18th March
In March our all–age service will not be on the first Sunday of the month as usual, but will be
on the 18th March for Mothering Sunday. The next all-age First Sunday Service will be for Palm
Sunday on 1st April.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
be – an alternative worship gathering
Thursday 1st March, 8.15pm: Taizé Service
“Be” our alternative worship gathering will return on Thursday 1st Match with a service using
the distinctive chants and songs from the international ecumenical community in Taizé,
France. From then on we will then be running meditative worship every Thursday night.
Please come along to experience a different way of worship.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
Bank Street Meditation
Monday 12th March 12.30pm and Tuesday 13th March 7.30pm
Bank Street Meditation is a meditation and prayer group for all experiences and backgrounds.
Anyone is welcome to come and experience inclusive meditation drawing on a variety of
traditions. Monday and Tuesday sessions are identical and you can choose which one is more
convenient for you.
The theme of the March gathering will be “The Breath of God.”
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
The Way to Freedom: An ecumenical Lent course
Wednesdays at 7.30pm
Is freedom just a matter of freedom of choice? What is religious freedom? How does science
and technology affect human wellbeing? What caused the riots last summer and what can we
do about it? What is the use of spiritual community? What can we do about suffering? Is
there life after death? Is killing ever right? What lessons do we take from the death of Jesus?
The Way to Freedom is a course loosely based on the poem “Stations on the Way to Freedom”
by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was one of the greatest theologians of
the twentieth century and was executed for resisting Hitler in 1945. This is a Christian
ecumenical course provided by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
The course will run on Wednesday nights at 7.30pm at the Chapel, beginning on 29th February
and ending on 4th April.
This is a chance to take up something during Lent to inspire your spiritual journey and explore
some really interesting topics in a relaxed informal group. All welcome.
If you cannot make it on Wednesday nights there is an opportunity to take the course at other
churches:
Wednesdays 2.30pm and 7.30pm starting 29th February: Bolton Methodist Mission (house
groups) for venues and other information call Bolton Methodist Mission on 01204 522569
Tuesdays 7.30pm starting 28th February: Bolton Quaker Meeting, Silverwell Street, enquiries
to Margaret Johnston c/o the Meeting House or 01204 393029
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
Exploring World Religions: Islam
Monday 19th March 7.30pm
Unitarianism draws from a variety of spiritual traditions and recognises truth and wisdom in
many religions. As a way to explore those religions we are holding a monthly discussion group
called “Exploring World Religions.” In this group we will learn about different religions and also
explore our own experiences and thoughts about them. You are welcome to attend one,
some, or all of them. The next session will be about Islam.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
A Spring Walk
As the weather slowly improves we are thinking about having a gentle spring walk somewhere
near Bolton in the coming weeks. If this is something you might be interested in please see the
Minister.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys
Easter Services
We will be holding a variety of services over the Easter period:
Sunday 1st April 10.45am Palm Sunday: We will gather outside Preston’s Jewellers at the
beginning of the service and parade into the Chapel as we re-enact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
Thursday 5th April 8.15pm Maundy Thursday Communion Service: A meditative worship
service featuring the sharing of bread and wine in memory of the meal Jesus shared with his
friends. This will be followed between 9pm and 10pm by a time for silent prayer.
Friday 6th April 11am Good Friday ecumenical service: We will be hosting the town centre
churches service remembering Jesus’ death on the cross. This will be followed by the Chapel
being open for quiet prayer between 12 noon and 3pm.
Sunday 8th April Easter Sunday: A joyous celebration of spring, resurrection and the life of
Jesus.
Inspiring Spiritual Journeys:
Growth Summary for 2011
At this time of the year it’s a good idea to take stock of how we’re doing as a congregation.
The good news is that we’re growing in spirit, in strength, and in outreach. We approved our
mission statement last year and we’ve really been living it out. Numbers don’t tell the whole
story, but here’s some numbers that are worth celebrating.
We launched our new website in 2011 and pages on it were viewed 8156 times. In addition we
had 39 people who “liked” our Facebook page and 334 “followers” on Twitter. We appeared
30 times on Bolton FM and 4 times in The Bolton News.
We aimed to get 50 first-time visitors to our Sunday service and we actually got 94 first-time
visitors, a fantastic achievement. Twenty of those visitors returned a second or third time. Our
average Sunday morning attendance went from 30 to 31.6. This may seem like a small
increase, but it does represent a turnaround from numbers that have been steadily declining
for several years.
We welcomed three new people into membership in 2011, but unfortunately due to the death
of members our membership number remained steady at 53 members.
As I say numbers don’t tell the whole story, but it they do point to a change of direction and
we should be very proud of this.
Stephen
Engaging with the World
Discussing General Assembly Motions
Sunday 25th March
After the service on the 25th March we will have a chance to talk about what motions are
being brought before the General Assembly Annual Meetings in Keele. This is an important
way in which we engage with the issues and social justice concerns of the wider Unitarian
community.
Our Open-Hearted Community:
Supporting the Mission of Bank Street Unitarian Chapel
Every now and then it is worth reminding ourselves of what it takes to keep Bank Street
Unitarian Chapel running and ask if we are doing all we can to support our beloved
community. To do all we do right now requires a full-time minister, a director of music, as well
as countless volunteer hours put in my members in all sorts of different ways. It also takes a
considerable amount of money. It is worth baring these facts in mind:
• It takes about £1000 a week to keep Bank Street running
• Luckily we have income from other sources: about £400 from renting the building and
car park, about £200 from investments, bank interest, etc.; £100 from other fundraising;
and about £75 from a grant specifically to help to pay for a minister.
• This still leaves about £225 a week that we need to raise from direct giving from our
membership.
• This means we need the average member to be giving about £4.50 every week for us to
continue to operate. This assumes that every member is attending every week; if every
member does not attend and give every week the average will have to be considerably
higher than this.
We do not impose any set amount for membership at Bank Street Unitarian Chapel. We
believe it has to be up to individual conscience. But we ask you to bear these facts in mind
as you consider your contribution.
Our Open-Hearted Community:
Joan Melling
We have a number of members who are no longer able to attend Chapel but are still part of
our community. Joan Melling is living in the Clough Care Home and I see her often. She still
thinks of the Chapel often and has asked me to pass on her best wishes and love to everyone.
Stephen.
Food for Thought.
This month, June has suggested ‘A Friendship Blessing’ from John O’Donohue’s Anam Cara.
‘Anam Cara’ comes from the traditional Celtic idea of soul friendship – that souls can meet and
form friendships. When this happens, you have found your ‘Anam Cara’
May you be blessed with good friends.
May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.
May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love,
warmth, feeling and forgiveness.
May this change you.
May it transfigure that which is negative, distant or cold in you.
May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship and affinity of belonging.
May you treasure your friends.
May you be good to them and may you be there for them; may they bring you all the
blessings, challenges, truth and light that you need for your journey.
May you never be isolated, but may you always be in the gentle nest of belonging,
With your anam cara.
Women’s League.
Our meeting on February 7th coincided with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles
Dickens, so we held an open meeting in the form of a birthday party.
This was very well attended, and several of us gave readings from the more humorous side of
Dickens work. Bubbles and cake were greatly enjoyed, and through a raffle and donations we
raised £135 for the Women’s League charity, Combat Stress.
All in all, a super evening.
Huge thanks to our talented performers, and to those who supplied the lovely refreshments.
Our next meeting will be at 7-30 pm on Tuesday, February 28th
The Women’s League District Meeting will take place at Padiham on Saturday, 10th March at 200 pm. Please indicate if you wish to attend on the notice on the board.
As usual, we will try to arrange lifts for all who need them.
Women’s League Birthdays.
5th March
11th March
Judith Crompton
Dorothy Evans
The Organ Fund.
After a wonderful start, contributions to the Organ Fund have rather fallen off recently. The
situation is as follows:
We originally set ourselves a target of £15,000, based on quotations received for the work
needed. So far, we have raised a little less than half that amount. The money is to be spent in
three lots of approximately £5000 each, and we have already completed the first part of the
work at a cost of a little over £5000. This work has enabled us, along with Keith’s expertise, to
keep the organ in use.
To complete the second and third phases, which should ensure that our wonderful organ will
continue to perform to its full capabilities for many years to come, we still need to raise
between seven and eight thousand pounds.
There is no way that this work can be done properly ‘on the cheap’, and so far we have not
been successful in obtaining grant funds.
Your Council asks you to renew your efforts for the Organ Fund – every donation, however
small is very welcome.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Congregation of Bank Street Chapel will take place after
the service on Sunday, April 1st 2012. This is your democratic opportunity to have your say
about any matters concerning the running of our Chapel, and the direction it is taking. In
particular, this year you will be asked to vote on the question:
Do we wish (as far as the law allows us) to treat same sex couples in the same
way that we treat different sex couples in our ministry ?
The Light Hearted Page.
I have never quite understood the, popularity of audience participation shows and quizzes on
TV and radio, or why folk are willing to be humiliated just for a few moments of fame – or
notoriety.
The follwing are actual questions and answers from a variety of such shows – all from the UK.
(Q = question master, C = contestant)
Q – How many kings of England have been called Henry?
C - Er, well I know about Henry the Eighth. Er, er, Three?
Q – Where is Cambridge University?
C – Geography isn’t my strong point.
Q – There is a clue in the question
C - Leicester?
Q – What is the capital of Italy?
C – France.
Q – France is another country. Try again.
C – Oh, um, Benidorm.
Q – Wrong – sorry. Lets try a different question. In which country is the Parthenon?
C – Sorry, I don’t know.
Q – Try a guess then.
C – Paris?
Q – Oscar Wilde, Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Archer all wrote books about being in
what - Prison or The Conservative Party?
C – The Conservative Party.
Q – For ten points, what is the mationality of the Pope?
C - I think I know that one. Is it Jewish?
Q – What was Gandhi’s first name?
C – Goosey? (and this was University Challenge!!)
Q – What happened in Dallas on November 22,1963?
C – I don’t know. I wasn’t watching it then.
Q – Which jungle character clad in a loincloth did Johnny Weissmuller play?
C – Jesus?
Q – What religion was Guy Fawkes?
C – Jewish.
Q – That’s close enough.
Q – How long did the Six Day war between Egypt and Israel last?
C – (long pause) Fourteen days.
Poetry Corner.
Extracts from both of these poems were used in a TV drama just recently, and I thought them
worth looking up. First, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Love’s Philosophy.
The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another’s being mingle –
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain’d its brother.
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea –
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
Next, Lord Byron.
She Walks in Beauty.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair’d the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Rotas for March.
Preachers,
4th March
11th March
18th March
25th March
1st April
The Minister
“
“
“
“
Welcomers.
Veronica
4th March
th
11 March
Evelyn
th
Bill
18 March
th
25 March
Adrienne
st
1 April
Gordon
Named Welcomers – ask a friend to help you.
Refreshments.
4th March
11th March
18th March
25th March
1st April
Adrienne and Brian
June and Sue
Janet and Barbara
Janet and Ron
Evelyn and Bill
Flowers
4th March
11th March
18th March
25th March
1st April
Ann Parker
Barbara Woodward
Christine and Granville
Evelyn Hardman
The Choir