Oldham Unitarians

NEWSLETTER

May – August 2010

Dates for your Diary …

Sunday Services 11.00 - 12.00

May
02. Service conducted by Rev. Dr. David Doel
09. Service conducted by Danny Crosby
16. Service conducted by Joyce Ashcroft
23. Service conducted by Danny Crosby (12.00 Whit Walks)
30. Service conducted by Shammy Webster

June
06. Service conducted by Rev Dr David Doel
13. Service conducted by Danny Crosby
20. Service conducted by Aled Jones
27. Service conducted by Danny Crosby

July
04. Service conducted by Rev Dr David Doel
11. Service conducted by Mike Cuerden
18. Service conducted by Chrissie Wilkie
25. Service conducted by Penny Johnson

August
01. Service conducted by Rev Robert Pounder
08. Service conducted by Rev Dr David Doel
15. Service conducted by Rev Robert Pounder
22. Service conducted by Chrissie Wilkie
29. Service conducted by Rev Robert Pounder

Dear Readers and members,

This newsletter covers spring and summer and as I write a sense of renewal sustains us at Chapel. We have at last secured the services of a half-time minister in Bob Pounder and the paperwork should be completed soon. Bob will start in August and we are looking forward to working together as congregation, committee and minister to foster the growth of Unitarianism in Oldham.

Welcome, Bob. We are pleased to have you back. Danny Crosby also takes up ministerial duties at Altrincham and Urmston in the summer. For the past nine months he has been everything we could have hoped for in a student pastor. He has always played a full role at Chapel, beyond that of a student, and has led like a minister. We thank you Danny and wish you all the best for the future.

Trevor Clarke

A message from our new minister

Dear Friends,

Our time at Unitarian College Manchester and at Luther King House is rapidly coming to a close. The classroom work is over and we now only have the End of Sessions and the Valedictory Service on the 8th June to look forward to before Danny and I officially take our leave and look forward to making the transition from ministry students to professional ministry. There is of course the Final Interview Panel to attend and ultimately the decision of the General Assembly's executive committee before it is all finally cut and dried. We remain positive! I am very pleased to know that Danny has accepted a position as minister of the Altrincham and Urmston congregations upon leaving Oldham as student pastor. I wish him every success. This last couple of years, at the college, I have got to know Danny really well and I am certain that he will make an excellent minister and do a great job; well done Danny.

As you all know, I have accepted the position as minister to Oldham and it is with much pleasure and anticipation that I look forward to joining you on our first day together on Sunday, 1 August. This is a great privilege for me. I am honoured that you have asked me to be your minister and grateful also for the work that Trevor Clarke and the committee has done in terms of meetings and paperwork to ensure this outcome: thank you.

You will recall that the MDA (Manchester District Association) held its Annual General Meeting at Oldham Unitarian Chapel last Saturday, 24th April. We also celebrated the 150th anniversary at of the MDA on that day as well. Apart from it being a well organised and thoroughly enjoyable day, I was also struck by how much the décor of the chapel continues to improve, how much this was commented upon and the positive view all our visitors seemed to share in terms of Oldham's future. I of course share this view and it is with this attitude I look very much to our time together. I believe that this chapel has a great future and I look forward to being part of the team that will make things happen.

All good wishes

Bob

Babes in the Wood

This year's pantomime at Dukinfield was 'Babes in the Wood'. Yet again another large(ish) party from Oldham travelled to Dukinfield to witness a wonderful spectacle of singing, dancing and story-telling. All the usual suspects took part and as ever were on top form. The scenery and costumes were of the highest standard, as we have come to expect. Yet again Ken Howard didn't let us down and performed to the top of his ability, amusing both adults and children alike. The Dukinfield panto now seems to be a fixture in our outings, so let's hope that for the 2011 performance we turn up in strong numbers once more.

C. H.

Manchester District Association of Unitarian
and Free Christian Churches
Annual General Meeting
A service celebrating 150 years since the beginnings
of the Manchester District Held at Oldham Unitarian Chapel
Saturday 24th April 2010

We were pleased to welcome some thirty Unitarians, mostly from the Manchester district, to celebrate the formation of the Manchester Unitarian Association one hundred and fifty years ago. We were joined by guests from as far away as Edinburgh and Bournemouth, as well as representatives from the East Cheshire Union. Sadly our district chairman and organist had to send apologies at the last minute therefore Ann Peart acting as chair, and Sheila Jones on piano, stepped into the shoes of Rev Alex Bradley and Wynne Simmister. We were also grateful that our district treasurer Martin West was able to return from his extended holiday in the Canary Islands. Martin was one of the many grounded by the volcanic ash cloud.

Food and refreshments were provided by Marian Nuttall and Cath Hall and all were impressed by the hospitality. Marian's famous cheese and onion pie proved particularly popular; I understand that she sold several after the event. Bob Pounder had better watch out too as I heard one recently retired minister comment that they could easily be seduced into the pulpit at Oldham by the food and hospitality. Oldham proved to be an appropriate venue for the day not only because it was a founding member of the Manchester Unitarian Association, but also because of its warm hospitality. All concerned should be rightly proud.

The day began with a welcome by Oldham's congregational President Trevor Clarke, where he formally announced Bob Pounder as Oldham's minister, from August 1st. Danny Crosby led opening devotions which focused primarily on the flaming chalice symbol, linking it to our past and present. This was followed by the Manchester District Association Annual General Meeting, where it was announced by Mike Cuerden, our web master, that our new district website would soon be up and running. At the end of the AGM we bade a fond farewell to two of our beloved ministers, Rev John Midgley and Rev Celia Midgley who have served the Manchester District for almost seventy years between them. There were quite a few apologies sent on the day as many people were unable to attend, this included several ministers who were conducting weddings.

The service of celebration was led by Geoffrey Head, Nicky Jenkins and Rev Dr Ann Peart. It began with a banner parade from several of our district congregations. We sang hymns from our past as well as new ones from "Sing Your Faith", the purple hymn book. Geoffrey talked about the roots of the Manchester District, Ann about the present and Nicky led us in thinking about our future and what we not only as individual congregations, but as a district working together, could offer a diversity of liberal religious seekers in our locality. Towards the end of the service representatives from each congregation lit a candle of thanksgiving and spoke briefly about their communities. Geoffrey Head, representing Hale Chapel, brought a smile to many faces as he recalled that when he began attending there the thirty to forty who regularly went thought they would not survive ten more years and that fifty years later the same number still attend although they are mostly different people and they still think they will not survive another ten years. The service ended with a rousing rendition of Jerusalem. Its call is as relevant today as it was for those Gentleman subscribers one hundred and fifty years ago. There is perhaps a greater need to build and maintain liberal religious communities today than there was then and, as Nicky Jenkins proclaimed, to achieve this we as individuals and congregations need to work in harmony together.

Danny Crosby
Ministry Student &
Student Pastor to Oldham Unitarians

 

Hubris

Travelling to and from Oldham these past few months has revealed to me how much we are still at the mercy of the elements. I cannot remember a winter as hard as the one we have just come through. And I've never heard of the whole of Europe being brought to a virtual standstill by volcanic dust before. Nature has a way of cutting us humans down to 'right size'. It seems that no matter how a hard we try, no matter how much we impose our will, we cannot control the elements. We may well believe as a species that the earth is there to serve us, but it doesn't seem to agree.

We have also been humbled in other areas of life too. We are currently just beginning to come out of the worst financial meltdown in human history. We seem to overstretch ourselves without any thought of the costs and then the whole wretched deck of cards just seems to come 'a tumbling down'. The sorry spectacle of the M.P.'s expenses is another example of this. They thought they could get away with it. They were wrong. Hubris is the word that comes to mind. Hubris is the Ancient Greek word for overstretching ourselves; it translates as arrogance or overwhelming pride. The plays of ancient Greece saw Hubris as the very root of tragedy. In these tragedies the audiences were reminded of the dangers of acting like immortals or Gods. Perhaps those that rule our world, our leaders, the bankers and even the celebrities who many lookup to in awe in the same way that the ancient Greeks looked up to their Gods should take heed of these stories. The Empires do eventually fall like the walls of Jericho or burn like Rome. Or they are brought to a standstill by volcanic ash.

Oldham Unitarian Chapel founded in 1813

is open to all who wish to worship with an open mind,
in a spirit of freedom, reason and tolerance.

We do not all hold the same beliefs, rather each person is encouraged
'to develop his or her faith in a continuing search for truth.'

President: Mr T. Clarke
Treasurer: Mrs K.M. Pearson
Secretary: Mrs C. Hall

Unitarian Chapel
Connaught Street / King Street
Oldham
OL8 1 EB
Tel: 0161 620 1810

Lettings Officer: Mrs M. Nuttall – Tel: 0161 287 3371

Registered Charity No. 1111295