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We provide a focus for liberal religious worship and reflection and a centre of fellowship for people of religious sentiment.

NEWS
 CHURCH NOTES FOR NOVEMBER 2008

CHURCH STEWARDS

2   November              Sybil Poulson and Molly Ratcliffe
9   November              Freda and Derek Worthington
16 November              Margaret and John Fitzpatrick
23 November              Jean Jackson and Barbara Pollitt
30 November              Laurie Lancashire and Allan Hodgert

CHURCH FLOWERS

2   November              Church Flowers
9   November              In memory of Rowena Entwistle
16 November              Mrs Dorothy Stott In loving memory of Harvey
23 November              In memory of Mr & Mrs J Davenport
30 November              Mr & Mrs R Wilkinson In memory of Joshua  

Distributors: Edna Wilkinson and Margaret Pollard 

SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE ROTA

1   November              Molly Ratcliffe and Betty Kenyon
8   November              Anne and Roger Mills
15 November              Jean Maden and Margaret Pollard
22 November              Margaret Fitzpatrick and Margaret Miller
29 November              Pat Haworth and Jean Taylor

LUNCHEON CIRCLE

Because of the music exams we shall meet one week later than usual on Tuesday 25 November at 12.30pm .  The organisers are Harry, June, Marc and Michael.  Please let Harry know if you are unable to attend.

 WOMEN’S LEAGUE             

Thursday, 6 November at 7.30pm    Margaret Fitzpatrick “From student nurse to Q.A.”
Thursday, 20 November at 7.30pm     To be announced.

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP

We shall meet on Wednesday, 26 November at 7.30pm . Speaker to be announced.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN NOVEMBER

3   November              7.30pm             Efforts
10 November              7.30pm             Finance
25 November              7.30pm             Trustees

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Volunteers are sought for two representatives to attend the G.A. ANNUAL CONFERENCE at Chester College from Wednesday, 15 April to Saturday, 18 April 2009 .  If you are interested in attending, please give your name to the Chair of Congregation Mr Neville Kenyon or to Church Secretary 
Mrs Marian Price.

HARVEST SUPPER THANKS

The Efforts Committee thank everyone who supported us and all those who helped in any way to make this a very enjoyable and successful evening.  We made a profit of £104.

100 CLUB

Nine months into this year’s 100 CLUB and we have 57 members to date.  The annual fee is £12 half of which goes into Church Funds - £342 this year,  plus an extra 28% of the £6 you donate if you are registered for Gift Aid,  £62 this year so £404 in total. Well done! It’s a great help to Church Funds.  This also a reminder that your renewal subscription for 2009 falls due in December.  Why not consider another number, it only works out at 23p per week?  Best of luck to you all in 2009.

CHARITY FOR THE 2009 APPEAL

Our current appeal for Home-Start will end on 31st December. Our appeal for next year will be for arc, the Arthritis Research Campaign. This charity was founded in 1936, and raises funds to promote medical research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritic conditions; to educate medical students, doctors and allied healthcare professionals about arthritis; and to provide information to the general public.

arc is the fourth largest medical research charity in the UK and the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to investigating arthritis in all its forms. Millions of pounds are provided every year for grants funding research, education and training.

Our appeal will start on February 8th at a special service at which Helen Dixon from arc will give an address. For more information about arc see www.arc.org.uk

THANKS

Muriel smith wants to thank all those people who so generously give gifts for fund-raising raffles throughout the year.  They are all very much appreciated.  Thank you.

TRAIDCRAFT

The deadline for anyone who wishes to order goods from the Traidcraft Christmas Catalogue is Sunday, November 9^th.  Please let Anne Mills have orders as soon as possible before then, so that she can send for and distribute orders before her holidays.  Thank you.

AN INVITATION

Home-Start is holding its AGM in our upstairs room on 28 November.  A light lunch will be available from 11.30am followed by the AGM at 12.00 noon .  We are to be honoured by the presence of the mayor of Bury, Councillor Peter Ashworth.  The guest speaker will be our patron Ivan Lewis M.P. Everyone is welcome but please sign up on the notice board if you intend to come.

TOY STALL

On Saturday, 1 November, Betty and Molly will be serving morning coffee.  The time as usual will be from 10.00am onwards until 12.00 noon .  On this occasion there will be a toy stall in aid of Home-Start in the vestibule.  The toys are all brand new and are being sold at absolutely knock down prices.  They have been generously donated by a kind friend.  You will be amazed at what we have to sell.  This stall could solve your problems for Christmas presents and Birthday presents for the coming year.  Please do tell your friends and do come and see what we have for sale.

BURY CHRISTMAS FAIR

SATURDAY, 6  DECEMBER   11.00AM TO 2.00PM

We are holding a Christmas Fair as part of the         Christmas Tree Weekend and are asking for donations for the various stalls to be brought to church during November.

Sunday 16 November – items for the Tombola  to Joe Ashworth

Sunday 23 November – items for a Christmas Colours Stall – gold, silver, red or green to be handed to Molly Ratcliffe

Sunday 30 November – items for a Chocolate Tombola to June Seddon or Beryl Bowden

Cake Stall – Cakes can be brought on Friday evening, December 5^th or Saturday morning for 
 Rene Hollos.

Raffle – Muriel Smith is organising a raffle with a      Christmas Hamper.  A list of items needed for the hamper will appear on the notice board from the beginning of November.  Please sign your name against the item you would like to donate and give it to Muriel before 30 November.  Thank you.

 There is a meeting of the Efforts Committee on Monday, November 3 at 7.30pm .  We will discuss the Christmas Tree Weekend and the Christmas Fair at this meeting and anyone who is involved or would like to help in any way is welcome to attend.

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Christmas Lunch at Bury Unitarian Church will be on Sunday, 21^st December.  A menu will appear on the notice board later this month.  Tickets will be on sale after morning service on 7^th and 14^th December.

CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS TREES

The first weekend in December will see our second Christmas Tree Event; last year the church was beautifully-decorated with a variety of trees representing our own organizations and outside ones, and we hope that this year’s event will be just as good, if not better.  Please help us by supporting the event.  If you wish to decorate a tree please speak to Molly Ratcliffe or Betty Kenyon.

Approximate times for the Festival are:

Friday, 5^th December – 3.00pm to 8.00pm
Saturday, 6^th December – 10.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday, 7^th December – 1.00pm to 6.00pm

 We hope that there will be carol singing and organ music in the worship area on the Saturday; on the Sunday, the Square Street Singers will give a short concert at 6.00pm

Coffee and mince-pies will be available throughout the Festival.  Help with catering and stewarding will be required and if you are able to assist in any way please speak to Molly or Betty.

CHRISTMAS CARD TREE

As an addition to our usual facilities for sending Christmas cards to each other, using a newly constructed post box, there will be a Christmas tree in the foyer of the church.  Congregation members will be invited, for a single donation to church funds, to hang a single greeting card on the tree to everyone.  This could be in addition to, or as an alternative to sending individual cards,

CALENDAR DEADLINE

All items for the January Calendar should be in the yellow folder by Sunday 14^th December please.  Any late items can be ‘phoned through or e-mailed by Monday evening, 15^th December.

PORCH BOXES

On Sunday, 7^th December we will be collecting for the Porch Box Appeal  a charity which helps homeless people as they are re-housed.  Boxes will be placed in the entrance hall in which to place your gifts.  A list of appropriate items to include will be on the notice-board in the lounge.  The Charity Committee is most grateful for your generosity in support of these worthwhile causes.  

Suggestions for Goods Suitable for Porch Boxes

Washing up liquid                      Bin liners
Dish cloths                                Disposable nappies
Tea towels                                 Nappy sacks
Pan scrubs                                Tins of food (soup, beans, etc)
Toilet rolls                                  Rice
Light bulbs                                 Pasta
Shower gel                                 Tea bags
Shampoo                                   Coffee
Furniture polish

SHOEBOX APPEAL 2008

Once again the Junior Church Committee will be filling shoeboxes in support of ’Lifeshare’ the Manchester-based charity for homeless people.  Gifts can be brought to church on Sundays, 23^rd and 30^th November.  More empty shoeboxes are needed please.  A list of suitable items to be included in the boxes will be on the church notice board in the lounge.  

Suggestions for Items to be Included in Shoeboxes

ALL                                                      MEN

Woolly hats       Sweets                         Disposable razors 
Gloves              Christmas card                 

Scarves Briefs                                      WOMEN

Socks                                                   Toiletries
Toothbrushes                                         One item e.g.
Toothpaste                                            Hand cream,
Pens                                                     Moisturiser,
Chocolate bars                                      Nail varnish

 At the service on 7^th December representatives of ‘Lifeshare’ and the ‘Porch Box Appeal’ will be present to receive our gifts.  The Mayor will be present and there will be a retiring collection for ‘Lifeshare’.

FROM THE ARCHIVES!!

Heywood – 75 years ago!

About 35 years ago, 3 churches combined to form our present congregation at Bury Unitarian Church . One of those churches was Britain Hill, in Heywood. Here are a few events recorded between 1927 and 1938 in their “Monthly Messenger”:

The Choir Sermons were preached on July 3^rd, 1927 , by the Rev. W. T. Bushrod, of Chesham. Although the Choir rendered their part of the service in a very efficient manner, attendance by the congregation was said to be “bad”, and exhortations were made for attendances at public worship to be increased to show appreciation of the work of the choir throughout the year.  

The Ladies Sewing Circle, a formidable force at the time, had 3 mentions in the August, 1927,”Messenger: a trip to Penwortham by train from Heywood Station, at a cost of 3/8; a char-a-banc trip to York , Harrogate and Knaresborough; and a Garden Party.

The Annual Summer Picnic of the Rochdale Fellowship of Churches, which should have been held at Todmorden, had to be cancelled because of wet weather. Instead, tea was served in the Schoolroom, and this was followed by a “most instructive and interesting” address on the eclipse which was due to take place four days later, on June 29^th.

Leonard Shaw and Elsie Smith, father and mother of Rodney Shaw of our own congregation, were married on June 25^th, 1927 , at St. Luke’s Church, Heywood.   

Rodney Shaw himself was christened by Rev. J. Prestwich Rosling on the 30^th June 1933 at Britain Hill.  

Rev. John W. Lee terminated his ministry at Britain Hill on the 9^th July 1933 . He was presented with a Grandmother Westminster Chime Clock and a wallet containing “Treasury Notes”.  

In January 1938 the Dramatic Society presented a comedy by Vincent Douglas called “The Optomist” which played to some 200 persons and made “substantial profits”.

On March 12^th the Plaza Dance Band played at a dance arranged by the Table Tennis Club. Tickets were priced at 1/6 (7½p. in today’s money!) 

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

The very first funeral I attended was that of a great-uncle.  I believe I was ten years old at the time.  My parents had not prepared me for what I was to experience, and I found myself in the front row of mourners, inappropriately dressed for the occasion and ill-equipped to deal with the variety of emotions that overcame me.  I vowed from that moment that if I were ever to be responsible for arranging or conducting a funeral, it would be a positive experience for all parties concerned.

The earliest memory I have of losing someone in the theatre of war was at the age of eleven.  My English teacher at school was called from the classroom in order to receive a telephone call, informing her that her nephew had been killed in action in the Vietnam War.  The members of my class joined me in the confusion, lack of understanding and eventual sympathy we offered to our teacher, who was visibly distraught.  The conflict in Southeast Asia coloured my childhood and teenage years potently, and I eventually knew several people whose lives were lost to that conflict.  Such events are to be honoured in our season of Remembrancetide, as we honour lives lived and ended, in our worship.

The early Christian Church referred to any “believer” who had died as a “saint,” not because the person had necessarily led a particularly holy or devout life, but because the individual had died still holding the faith.  We will mark the season of Remembrancetide with our services of All Souls’ Day (2 November) and Remembrance Sunday (9 November).  Both dates are occasions for thanksgiving for all lives that have touched us and left us a legacy that continues in our own understanding of life and its mysteries.  In our liberal dissenting tradition, saints can be identified in the many humble folk who have progressed our faith onward through simple tasks and devoted service to others.  No beatification or canonization is required.  How we deal with death may be unique to each of us, but we can all value the persons who have died, knowing that their efforts to proclaim freedom, reason and tolerance are very much part of the inheritance we enjoy today.    

JEFF

FUNERAL WORKSHOP                                          SATURDAY, 1  NOVEMBER, BURY

The minister will facilitate a gathering that will assist participants in making choices about the plans for their own funeral, and enable those taking part to reflect on their own mortality.  The afternoon event will begin at one o’clock , and end at four o’clock with a cup of tea.  There will be no charge for this workshop, which will be held in the Bury Church Coffee Lounge.  If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with Jeff (telephone 0161 764 4925).  It would be helpful to know how many people intend to take part, but please feel free to attend without giving prior notice.  Please feel free to invite a friend or colleague, if you know of anyone who might be interested in the topic.

THEOPHILUS LINDSEY—THE RELUCTANT DISSENTER?

Throughout the month of November, Unitarians and Free Christians will mark the bicentenary of the death of Theophilus Lindsey (1723-1808).  Was he just a pious and learned minister, or one of the most controversial and important clergymen of the later eighteenth century?  Lindsey left the priesthood of the Anglican Church in 1773, finding that he could no longer subscribe to the creeds of the Church.  In April 1774 he established the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in Great Britain , based in a converted auction room in Essex Street , London , just off the Strand .  The General Assembly would not exist without his faithful witness and vision.  In order to commemorate this bicentenary, the Sunday morning services of both the Ainsworth and Bury congregations on 23 November will focus on the life and ministry of Theophilus Lindsey.  The minister will have taken part in a special commemorative weekend of events in London , the previous week.

BOOK CLUB FOR NOVEMBER

The final meeting of the Ainsworth and Bury congregations Book Club will take place on Monday, 24 November, from 7.30 to 9 p.m. , in the Coffee Lounge of the Bury Church .  Paul Scott’s Staying On (the sequel to The Raj Quartet) will be discussed.  The books for the months of January, February and March 2009 also will be chosen.  Please feel free to attend, even if you have not read the book, and have not previously been to a meeting.  We share light refreshments and opinions about the books we have read!  

COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME!

No sooner has the season of Harvest Festival ended, than we prepare to mark it once more, but this time, in true American style!  On Thursday, 27 November, there will be a short worship service to celebrate American Thanksgiving Day at the Ainsworth Presbyterian (Unitarian) Chapel, beginning at 6.30 p.m.   Several of the minister’s compatriots, who serve a variety of denominations in this country as clergy, will contribute to the service.  The evening will conclude with a four-course turkey dinner, served in the Schoolroom from seven o’clock .  Songs, a special Thanksgiving Day quiz and appropriate table decorations, will all combine to create an authentic holiday celebration.  Tickets are available from Mrs Ivy Partington, 6 Harley Avenue , Ainsworth, Bolton , BL2 5RN (telephone 0161 797 8826) and from Mr Harry Taylor at Bury Church Sunday services:  £7.50 (Adults); £5 (Youth); Free (under-fives).  Please bring your own beverages of choice.

INTRODUCTORY BOOKLET:

A FAITH WORTH THINKING ABOUT
 
click here for a free download

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