Faith in Action – 19/03/23
Musical Prelude: ‘Piece for flute and piano (Sicilienne)’ by Claude Arrieu – Jess Scott & Peter Crockford
Opening Words: ‘We Come Together Without Creed’ by Maureen Killoran (adapted)
In this free church, we come together without creed,
focusing instead on our shared values
of justice, equity and compassion,
of mutual acceptance of our diverse ways of being,
as we seek to connect ourselves more fully
with the unfolding truths of life and of our world.
We come together in the firm conviction that
community is possible and that peace is more than a dream.
We commit together to affirm in our deeds as well as our words,
the inherent worth and dignity of each and every human being.
We come together in awareness of our interdependence with all humanity,
and with the wider web of existence, of which we are a part.
We come together to pool our resources, and strengthen our resolve,
to build beloved community and truly put our faith into action.
And as we gather, we sense our connectedness
with all who have come together this morning,
all who have ever walked through our doors,
or joined our gathered community via the internet,
and all those who may yet discover this place as their spiritual home.
So whoever you are, however you are, wherever you are,
know that you are welcome here, just as you are.
Let us bring our whole selves to this hour of worship. (pause)
Words of Welcome and Introduction:
These opening words, adapted from a piece by UU Minister Maureen Killoran, welcome all who have gathered this morning for our Sunday service. Welcome to those of you who have gathered in-person at Essex Church and also to all who are joining us via Zoom from far and wide. For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Jane Blackall, ministry coordinator with Kensington Unitarians.
Today’s service is titled ‘Faith in Action’. In the next hour we’ll hear from David Brewerton, Roy Clark, and Ann Howell (the recently-appointed Social Action Officer of our Unitarian General Assembly) about the good work that Unitarians are doing to help make the world a better place: campaigning for justice, sharing our resources, getting involved in community projects that align with our values. And throughout the service there’s an invitation to reflect on how we can put our faith into action – whether that’s as individuals or as a congregation – starting with ourselves, as we are, in this moment, and a clear-eyed look at what capacity we have to act – how can we best put our values into practice?
But before we go any further let’s take a moment to get settled and centred and ready to worship. We make this hour sacred by our presence and intention. We’ve each set aside this time to be here, together, and attend to the life of the spirit. We’ve temporarily laid down our to-do lists and put away everything else that is clamouring for our attention. So let’s take a few slow breaths and be here now.
Chalice Lighting: ‘We Carry Our Faith into Action’ by Chrystal Hogan
Let’s light our chalice flame now, as we do each week. This simple ritual connects us in solidarity with Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists the world over, and reminds us of the proud and historic progressive religious tradition of which we are a part.
(light chalice)
We ignite this flame, symbol of our faith,
to beckon us into community,
warm our hearts with love,
and give us a light to follow as we carry our faith into action.
Hymn 68 (purple): ‘I Dream of a Church’
Let’s sing together now. Our first hymn is ‘I Dream of a Church’. It’s number 68 in the purple hymn book and for those joining via Zoom the words will be up on your screen to sing along at home. Feel free to stand or sit as you prefer as we sing.
I dream of a church that joins in with God’s laughing
as she rocks in her rapture, enjoying her art:
she’s glad of her world, in its risking and growing:
’tis the child she has borne and holds close to her heart.
I dream of a church that joins in with God’s weeping
as she crouches, weighed down by the sorrow she sees:
she cries for the hostile, the cold and no-hoping,
for she bears in herself our despair and dis-ease.
I dream of a church that joins in with God’s dancing
as she moves like the wind and the wave and the fire:
a church that can pick up its skirts, pirouetting,
with the steps that can signal God’s deepest desire.
I dream of a church that joins in with God’s loving
as she bends to embrace the unlovely and lost,
a church that can free, by its sharing and daring,
the imprisoned and poor, and then shoulder the cost.
God, make us a church that joins in with your living,
as you cherish and challenge, rein in and release,
a church that is winsome, impassioned, inspiring;
lioness of your justice and lamb of your peace.
Candles of Joy and Concern:
Each week when we gather together, we share a simple ritual of candles of joy and concern, an opportunity to light a candle and share something that is in our heart with the community. So we’ve an opportunity now, for anyone who would like to do so, to light a candle and say a few words about what it represents. This time we’re going to go to the people in the building first, and take all of those in one go, and then I’ll call on the people on Zoom to come forward.
If you want to come up and share a joy or a concern we ask you to go to the free standing microphone. If you want to take your mask off to do this you now can, though you don’t have to, and I’ll take care of the actual lighting of the candle for you over here. Please do still get up close to the microphone as that will help everyone hear (including the people at home). You can take the microphone out of the stand if it’s not at a good height for you – it’s still going to be important to speak up – and have the microphone pointing right at your mouth. Thank you.
(in person candles)
And if that’s everyone in the room we’ll go over to the people on Zoom next – you might like to switch to gallery view at this stage – just unmute yourselves when you are ready and speak out – and we should be able to hear you and see you up on the big screen here in the church.
(zoom candles)
And I’m going to light one more candle, as we often do, to represent all those joys and concerns that we hold in our hearts this day, but which we don’t feel able to speak out loud. (light candle)
Time of Prayer & Reflection: based on words by Calvin Dame
And let’s take those joys and concerns into an extended time of prayer now. This prayer is based on some words by Calvin Dame. You might first want to adjust your position for comfort, close your eyes, or soften your gaze. There might be a posture that helps you feel more prayerful. Whatever works for you. Do whatever you need to do to get into the right state of body and mind for us to pray together – to be fully present here and now, in this sacred time and space – with ourselves, with each other, and with that which is both within us and beyond us. (pause)
Spirit of Life, God of All Love, in whom we live and move and have our being,
we turn our full attention to you, the light within and without,
as we tune in to the depths of this life, and the greater wisdom
to which – and through which – we are all intimately connected.
Be with us now as we allow ourselves to drop into the
silence and stillness at the very centre of our being. (pause)
May we this day be grateful for the gift of life which is ours,
remembering that today and always that the
precious life we have and hold is to us a mystery.
May we this day be reminded of the responsibilities we carry,
not so that we may be intimidated or overwhelmed,
but so that we may be true to them,
so that we may be faithful in carrying them forward.
May we this day maintain a sense of perspective,
remembering who we are, engaging the tasks at hand,
but understanding our limitations, understanding our own shortcomings,
forgiving ourselves and others when we fall short of perfection.
May we this day be inspired, be filled with new breath,
be filled with new enthusiasm, ready to see fresh possibilities,
new perspectives, unnoticed avenues for fruitful action and resolution.
And may we this day remember those virtues
that bless our lives and bless the lives of others,
the virtues of caring and concern,
the virtues of truthfulness and integrity,
the virtues of charity, good work, and persistence,
remembering that this world may yet be made a little
more fair, more just, more equitable, by our humble efforts,
as we stand up to be counted, when it matters, and live according to our faith. (pause)
And in a quiet moment now, let us look back over the week just gone, to take stock of it all –
the many everyday cares and concerns of our own lives – and concentric circles of concern
rippling outwards – ‘til they enfold the entire world and all those lives which touch our own.
Let’s take a while to sit quietly in prayer with that which weighs heavy on our hearts this day.
(pause)
And let us also take a moment to notice all the good that has happened in the past week –
moments of uplift and delight; beauty and pleasure; all those acts of generosity and kindness.
The hopes and dreams and possibilities that are bubbling up and reminding us that we’re alive.
There’s lots to be grateful for. So let’s take a little while to sit quietly in prayer and give thanks. (pause)
Spirit of Life – God of all Love – as this time of prayer comes to a close, we offer up
our joys and concerns, our hopes and fears, our beauty and brokenness,
and we call on you for insight, healing, and renewal.
As we look forward now to the coming week,
help us to live well each day and be our best selves;
using our unique gifts in the service of love, justice and peace. Amen
Hymn 148 (purple): ‘Spirit of Life’
Let’s sing together now. For many years when I first came to the church this was almost THE Unitarian hymn – we don’t sing it so much these days, perhaps we overdid it a bit – but I know it’s one that means a lot to many of us: ‘Spirit of Life’. It’s number 148 in your purple book. I wonder if we might stay seated for this one and sing it in a prayerful spirit – let’s sing it twice through. The words will also be up on your screen to sing along at home: Spirit of Life.
Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.
Introducing our Social Action Officer ‘The Heart of Our Unitarian Faith’ by Ann Howell
A few months ago, in autumn 2022, it was announced that our General Assembly would create a new post at Unitarian HQ – a Social Action Officer – who would be charged with supporting congregations and individuals across the movement in making an impact in our social justice work. Ann Howell, a member of our Lewisham congregation, was appointed to that post and I’ve invited her to introduce herself in our service today and say a few words about putting our faith into action.
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We all have our personal story of how and why we connected with the Unitarian faith. For myself, although I am not technically a life-long Unitarian, I did grow up going to church regularly, and perhaps because it was a Unitarian/Congregational hybrid congregation, it didn’t scar me for life or make me distrust religion entirely. I just wasn’t terribly inspired to carry on church-going as a young adult, apart from the obligatory Christmas and Easter (my mother was the organist, and I was often roped in to play the flute, so there was no escape!). All of that changed in my early 30s when a personal tragedy led me searching for a supportive community and I found it at my local Unitarian church in Montreal, Canada. After a relatively brief time, I found not only community, but a path to create meaningful connections in my life. This was not just from the deep and insightful Sunday services and spiritual programming, but more from getting involved with the outreach work the church was doing in the local area. The community had a strong sense of purpose, and therefore so did I!
Fast-forward 7 years and I am newly arrived in London, without any local connections, apart from my husband and his network. My first port of call was my local Unitarian church, which happened to be New Unity. And in the blink of an eye, I was volunteering for newsletter duty and getting on committees… and before I knew it, I was part of the teams that helped breathe life into FUSE and SimpleGifts. I’ll leave Roy to speak about the important work going on at SimpleGifts, but the legacy of my time there is now being borne out in my new role as Social Action Officer for the GA.
It is clear to me that Social Action is at the heart of our Unitarian faith. How we each engage with the world, the actions we take to spread love, compassion, and inclusivity – from the smallest personal interactions to the largest coordinated efforts – these all speak to our Unitarian values. In my short time in my current GA post, I have heard from Unitarians around the UK about how relatively small social outreach activities have helped their congregations make deeper attachments to their local areas. Often this translates to “bums on seats”, but sometimes the deeper connection itself is the main reward, and it’s an important one. When we show the world that we are a faith that welcomes all, that strives to treat everyone with kindness and compassion, that will offer a supportive shoulder during a crisis, and also inspiration for spiritual growth when there is that desire… these are the kind of engagements and connections that make our communities relevant and worth preserving and nurturing for future growth.
There is a significant amount of global angst and ennui given all we have been through in recent years, and are still experiencing regarding the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, economic hardship, the threated collapse of the NHS, etc. It can all feel more than overwhelming… but this is when our faith community can show its strength – support those in need, give voice to the marginalized, and offer the space for exploration of new ideas, new ways of being. We have the opportunity to be the change we want to see, and now we need to connect with each other and do what we can to relieve suffering and spread love and compassion, and that is what I will be fostering and developing during my 5-year mandate at the GA.
Meditation: James 2:14-17 (NIV)
Thanks Ann. We’re moving into a time of meditation now. I’m going to offer just a few words to reflect on – it’s a short quote from the Bible, unusually for us, which those of you in church can find on the front of your order of service – those joining via zoom can find the quote along with the text of the rest of the service on the church website. We’ll take those words into a few minutes of silence which will end with the sound of a bell. And then we’ll hear some meditative music from Jess. So let’s each do what we need to do to get comfortable – adjust your position if you need to – perhaps put your feet flat on the floor to ground and steady yourself – maybe close your eyes. As we always say, the words and music are just an offering, feel free to use this time to meditate in your own way.
These words come from the Book of James, chapter 2, verses 14-17.
‘What good is it… if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,”
but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’
From the Book of James. So as we move into a time of shared stillness now, let us reflect on these words, and what they say to us of ‘faith in action’. What might your faith be prompting you to do?
Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell
Musical Interlude: ‘Sanddollar for solo vibraphone’ (arranged for solo flute) by Sarah Elise Thompson – played by Jess Scott
In-Person Reflection: ‘Citizens UK’ by David Brewerton
Jane has asked me to talk about the Social Justice team at New Unity, the Unitarian church on Newington Green. New Unity is a member of Citizens UK, the outfit behind the Real Living Wage, behind Safe Passage, behind No child should go hungry and countless other campaigns.
Citizens’ power lies in community organising, modelled on the American Civil Rights Movement, working through its member organisations. As well as the big national campaigns, it trains and empowers citizens to mobilise for the things that matter to them, perhaps something as simple as demanding a pedestrian crossing near their school. Members like us decide on the campaigns, or actions, by listening to their own congregations and neighbours and then working out what they might be able to do. At the moment we are working with other London members on winning care workers the London Living Wage, and on getting people on gas and electricity pre-payment meters a better deal. Membership is made up of organisations, rather than individuals. Churches, schools, food banks, mosques, synagogues etc. working together.
Here’s just one example of a Citizens action. Vulnerable households unlucky enough to have electricity and gas prepayment meters forced upon them not only have been paying top dollar for their energy but also have the problem of topping up their cards or keys before they can get any electricity or gas at all. A company called Payzone operates a countrywide top up system. But topping up can be a humiliating experience. Some shopkeepers make illegal charges. Others demand the customer buys something. Some are just rude to customers they identify as poor. So, why not get Payzone’s top-up terminals installed in community spaces? We asked. Payzone hesitated. We asked again, saying we’d like to talk about it, and that we were going to hand deliver a request for a meeting with the chief executive. And by the way, we said, there will be a bunch of us, including the Mayor of Hackney, bringing the letter. And we’ll bring mince pies. And we will sing you a carol. Then they said yes. We got the meeting. The machines are now installed.
When we went to seek a meeting with Barchester, a huge care home operator which refuses to commit to paying their care workers the living wage, we took a brass band along to play outside their offices. And we sang them carols, too. So far, no response, but we’ll be back. Citizens’ actions are firm, fun and effective. The system works, Time after time. Here’s what happened when we went to see Payzone just before Christmas. Excuse the poor quality but making videos is not something I am any good at.
VIDEO SHOWING CITIZENS UK ACTION AT PAYZONE SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS
Our Social Action team meets monthly. We work with Citizens and we also have our own projects. I have campaigned for a better world for most of my adult life. I first went to New Unity out of curiosity, rather than any desire to become a Unitarian. What I found was a faith based community that shared my passion and my beliefs – that only by working together can we bring about the fair and just world which we all long to see. We would like to invite anyone in this congregation who was interested to come along, see what we do, and join us if it suits them.
In-Person Reflection: ‘Simple Gifts’ by Roy Clark
For the last few years l have had the privilege of serving on the Board of SimpleGifts: Unitarian Centre for Social Action. Based in the former Unitarian Mission Church in Mansford Street in Bethnal Green, Simple Gifts was co-created by two Americans living here in London, the Rev Rob Gregson who has since returned stateside and Ann Howell who is a fellow contributor to today’s service and a good friend.
At its formation in 2011, the twin aims of Simple Gifts were to support and serve the children, parents and older people from the local, mostly immigrant communities at the church turned community centre and to create and run a national social justice training program for UK Unitarians. This training is now lead by Ann at national level whilst Simple Gifts itself concentrates on the goal of making a difference locally.
Current Activities include a sewing group, After School Club, walking group, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), drop in Benefits advice and support sessions, martial arts for kids and yoga. Plus l must mention our famous regular community lunches, delicious food prepared and cooked by our service users for everyone in the neighbourhood to drop by, share and enjoy.
We also run Simple Gifts Kids Camp which runs throughout the summer as well as Christmas and Easter school holidays. These kids camp weeks are packed with fun games, sports and learning activities fully staffed by our lovely volunteers and lead by our paid Project Coordinator Lippi Khanom. All of the above clubs, events, advice sessions, activities and services are offered free.
Bringing communities together is a major part of what we do at Mansford Street. Children play together, parents and elders from diverse cultural backgrounds come together. Families who have lived in the East End for generations meet more recent incomers and newly arrived immigrants to chat and get to know each other over a shared meal or coffee and find they have much in common, shared struggles, values and aspirations. Its a kind of magic and is another reason why community hubs of this sort are so important and valuable.
In the early days Simple Gifts was funded mainly by the National Unitarian movement centred at Essex Hall, supplemented by collections and fund raising by individual congregations…like here in Kensington. Whilst this revenue stream is still important and we are immensely grateful for this help and support, we have in recent years embarked on a major independent fundraising drive. Coordinated by our talented and hard working Centre Director Shaweb Ahmed, we have successfully applied for grants and bursaries from both public and private organisations and Charitable Trusts. We have also though careful marketing and management of our building, rented rooms and activity spaces to a wide variety of community hirers and local businesses. This significant additional income has allowed us to greatly increase both the range of activities offered, and the quality of provision. We are currently in the process of a major refurbishment of our spaces including redecorating all our activity rooms, laying new flooring throughout the building, installing new bathroom fittings and fixtures, revamping the kitchen and replacing the external lighting and signage.
So that is a little bit of history and a taster of what we do now…but what about the future? Well…we have set up an informal Community Feedback Panel made up of our service users who meet regularly and let us know what is working… and what is not and bring forward ideas and suggestions for new events and services.
This in itself is really useful input, but our longer term aim with the Community Feedback Panel is to gently encourage its members with appropriate support and training, to join the Board. We are determined to evolve from a top down model to much more inclusive structure where the community has an active investment in the development of their Centre. Simple Gifts is moving towards being led by the community itself, but the Unitarian values of dignity, equality and compassion are still and will always remain at the centre of what we do.
I would like to end with a personal perspective of my time at Simple Gifts and why l give my time to helping out. As l said at the outset it is a true privilege to be involved with this charity and be part of improving the lives of some of the poorest and most deprived communities in the UK. We are living in very difficult and troubling times, but l am not powerless to make positive change, none of us are. There are many small, quiet ways people are working to make things a bit better where they live, or close to home. There are people helping to produce and distribute affordable food locally, as we are doing at Simple Gifts. Beginning this Spring using donated old railway sleepers and soil we are creating a new community garden allowing people without access to outside space a place to grow their own food and connect with nature.
We also throw open our kitchen and dining area to those refugee communities who miss food from home but have no cooking facilities in the hotels and hostels where they live, (the one proviso being… that they do all the washing up!) Repair cafes, where volunteers fight waste and overconsumption, are becoming popular and we endeavour do this in our aforementioned sewing club.
Across the world, individuals, communities and social action enterprises including Unitarian and Unitarian Universalists are tackling local problems – plastic waste, flooding, energy consumption, declining biodiversity – and implementing pragmatic local solutions. Small changes are impactful. But its not just about impact, it’s about your being, about living the best life you can. I have long since come to realise that my best life means helping others, which means finding ways to be useful and Simple Gifts which is making a real difference to real lives allows me to do my bit however small. If you would like to learn more about Simple Gifts and the work we do, or to help out in any way do please get in touch.
Hymn 198 (purple): ‘We’ll Build a Land’
Time for our last hymn, one of our favourites: ‘We’ll Build a Land’. It’s number 198 in your hymn books, and the words will also be up on screen, so once again feel free to sit our stand as you prefer.
We’ll build a land where we bind up the broken.
We’ll build a land where the captives go free,
where the oil of gladness dissolves all mourning.
O, we’ll build a promised land that can be.
Come build a land where sisters and brothers,
anointed by God, may then create peace:
where justice shall roll down like waters,
and peace like an ever flowing stream.
We’ll build a land where we bring the good tidings
to all the afflicted and all those who mourn.
And we’ll give them garlands instead of ashes.
O, we’ll build a land where peace is born.
Come build a land where sisters and brothers,
anointed by God, may then create peace:
where justice shall roll down like waters,
and peace like an ever flowing stream.
We’ll be a land building up ancient cities,
raising up devastations of old;
restoring ruins of generations.
O, we’ll build a land of people so bold.
Come build a land where sisters and brothers,
anointed by God, may then create peace:
where justice shall roll down like waters,
and peace like an ever flowing stream.
Come, build a land where the mantles of praises
resound from spirits once faint and once weak;
where like oaks of righteousness stand her people.
O, come build the land, my people we seek.
Come build a land where sisters and brothers,
anointed by God, may then create peace:
where justice shall roll down like waters,
and peace like an ever flowing stream.
Sharing of News, Announcements, Introductions
Thanks to Ann, David, and Roy for sharing their reflections with us today and encouraging us all to find ways to put our Unitarian faith into action. Thanks to Ramona for tech-hosting and Charlotte for co-hosting. Thanks to Jess and Peter for playing for us. For those of you who are at church in-person, David will be serving coffee, tea and biscuits in the hall after the service (plus coffee and walnut cake), if you want to stay for refreshments – thanks David – and thanks Patricia for greeting. There will be virtual coffee on Zoom too with Charlotte so do hang around for a chat.
We have various small group activities for you to meet up. GreenSpirit will be having an Equinox gathering tomorrow, Monday 20th March, from 1-4pm here at church. Coffee morning is online at 10.30am Wednesday. There are still spaces left for our Heart and Soul contemplative spiritual gatherings (online Sunday/Friday at 7pm) and this week’s theme is ‘Getting Unstuck’.
In passing I just want to mention a couple of events that are coming up and which you might be interested in – I’ll include more details in next week’s email – but booking is currently open for FUSE (the Festival of Unitarians in the South East) which has shifted dates and venue this year and will be taking place on the first weekend of June at the Friars in Kent, an old Carmelite Priory. And booking is about to open for this year’s Hucklow Summer School, it’ll be back in Great Hucklow this August in its traditional form, but there will also be an option for some online participation from afar. This is a wonderful week in the Peak District where 50-60 Unitarians gather to explore a theme through talks and engagement groups and generally have a wonderful time and make friends for life. This congregation has always had a strong link to Summer School and you’ll see several familiar faces – me, Sarah, and Charlotte – are on the team of leaders this year. If you can’t wait for information have a look at the summer school website – hucklowsummerschool.co.uk – more next week.
Our service next Sunday will be hybrid once again, led by me and Patricia, on the theme of ‘All About Me? And – this should be fun – next week we’re going to have a group of students visiting us to ask a few questions about Unitarianism and how we make a space for people of diverse outlooks to explore spirituality together. Some interesting conversation to be had there I reckon. Also after the service next week there’ll be a singing class with Margaret. Details of all our various activities are on the back of the order of service and also in the Friday email.
The congregation very much has a life beyond Sunday mornings; we encourage you to keep in touch, look out for each other, and do what you can to nurture supportive connections.
I think that’s everything. Just time for our closing words and closing music now.
Benediction: based on words by Robin F. Gray
As we prepare to depart, we give voice to these hopes:
May we know ourselves bound in community, even while we are apart.
May a passion for justice and equity burn throughout our lives.
May we carry the light of compassion in our hearts and in our every interaction.
May we be whole in our devotion to truth, and always carry the lamp of peace before us.
And may we truly show our faith in action, as we go out and meet the days to come. Amen.
Closing Music: ‘Andante in C Major’ by W.A. Mozart – played by Jess Scott and Peter Crockford
Jane Blackall, Ann Howell, David Brewerton and Roy Clark
Sunday 19th March 2023
