Ubuntu

Sunday Service, 30 November 2025

Led by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall and Dr. Azita Chellappoo

Musical Prelude: Skye Boat Song - arr. Christopher Ball (performed by Benjie del Rosario and Andrew Robinson)  

Opening Words: ‘We Come Together with Purpose’ by David Usher (adapted)

We come together this morning,

seeking a reality beyond our narrow selves;

that binds us in compassion, love, and understanding

to other human beings, and to the interdependent web of all living things.

May our hearts and minds be opened this hour,

to the power and the insight that weaves together

the scattered threads of our oh-so-human experience,

and help us remember the Wholeness of which we are part.

We come together to renew our faith in

the holiness, the goodness, the beauty of life.

To reaffirm the way of the open mind and the full heart;

to rekindle the flame of memory and hope;

and the reclaim the vision of an earth more fair,

with all people know themselves united as one. (pause)

Words of Welcome and Introduction: 

These words from David Usher welcome all who have gathered this morning for our Sunday service. Welcome to those who have gathered in-person at Essex Church, to all who are joining us via Zoom, and anyone tuning in at a later date via YouTube or listening to the podcast stream.  For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Jane Blackall, and I’m minister with Kensington Unitarians.

Our service today will explore the philosophy of Ubuntu. This originated in Southern Africa and was brought to the attention of the rest of the world by the much-loved Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Ubuntu is most often translated as ‘I am because we are’. It can be thought of as a philosophy, also perhaps a model for virtuous living, one which is founded on a recognition of our shared humanity and our interdependence. Our very own Azita Chellappoo – our resident philosopher! – suggested we might look at this theme, and she will offer her own reflections on ubuntu later in the service.

Chalice Lighting and Advent Candle: ‘Our Guiding Principles’ by Jane Blackall

Let’s light our chalice flame now, as we do each week. It’s a moment for us to stop and take a breath, settle ourselves down, put aside any preoccupations we came in carrying. 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 this gathering is part.

(light chalice) 

May the light of this chalice be a reminder of the

shared values and principles around which we gather:

upholding the inherent worth and dignity of every person;

cherishing all those diverse creatures and habitats

with whom we share this Earth, our home;

seeking human liberation and flourishing;

and serving the common good of all. (pause)

And as it is the first Sunday in Advent – Christmas is on the way! – let us also light our first candle on our Advent wreath – the first candle is traditionally lit in the name of ‘hope’.

(light first purple candle on wreath) 

Hymn 193 (purple): ‘We Laugh, We Cry’

Our first hymn is number 193 in your purple books: ‘We Laugh, We Cry’. It’s a good’un but quite a long’un! For those on zoom the words will be up on screen. Feel free to stand or sit as you prefer.

We laugh, we cry, we live, we die; we dance, we sing our song.

We need to feel there's something here to which we all belong.

We need to feel the freedom just to have some time alone.

But most of all we need close friends we can call our very own.

And we believe in life, and in the strength of love;

and we have found a need to be together.

We have our hearts to give

we have our thoughts to receive;

and we believe that sharing is an answer.

A child is born among us and we feel a special glow.

We see time's endless journey as we watch the baby grow.

We thrill to hear imagination freely running wild.

We dedicate our minds and hearts to the spirit of this child.

And we believe in life, and in the strength of love;

and we have found a time to be together.

And with the grace of age,

we share the wonder of youth,

and we believe that growing is an answer.

Our lives are full of wonder and our time is very brief.

The death of one among us fills  us all with pain and grief.

But as we live, so shall we die, and when our lives are done

the memories we shared with friends, they will linger on and on.

And we believe in life, and in the strength of love;

and we have found a place to be together.

We have the right to grow, we have the gift to believe

that peace within our living is an answer.

We seek elusive answers to the questions of this life.

We seek to put an end to all the waste of human strife.

We search for truth, equality, and blessed peace of mind.

And then we come together here, to make sense of what we find.

And we believe in life, and in the strength of love;

and we have found a joy to be together.

And in our search for peace, maybe we'll finally see:

even to question truly is an answer.

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. We’ll go to the people in the building first, then to Zoom.

So I invite some of you here in person to come and light a candle and then if you wish to tell us who or what you light your candle for – please keep it brief – be considerate of others. I’m going to ask you to come to the lectern to speak, as we want people to be able to hear 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 Carter Smith

Let’s take those joys and concerns into an extended time of prayer. This prayer is based on some words by Carter Smith. You might 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)

This morning, let us honour our interconnectedness,

within our own circles, within this community,

and radiating ever further to all those with whom

we share this city, this country, this continent, this world…

And further – to all who have gone before us – and all who are yet to be.

When we witness suffering and turmoil,

in ourselves, in our loved ones, our community,

and in the world around us, may we know compassion.

When we are at a loss for words,

when we're unsure of the path ahead,

may we be guided by this compassion to be witnesses still:

To know and to feel that our human family is broken, in so many ways,

and that it is further wounded with every life lost,

each estrangement and fracture of relationship,

with each time someone’s inherent worth and dignity is denied.

When we find ourselves exhausted and defeated,

and unsure of where to go, may we keep witnessing,

turning ever further toward your still, small voice. Towards Love.

And, remind us too that the experience of suffering

does not, need not, close us off from the possibility of joy.

May we know that our interconnectedness is a miracle,

and may it be a refuge for us, felt in the voice of a friend,

the momentary kindness of a stranger, in the touch of a loved one,

in the comforting memories of days spent in good company.

May we remain grateful for the goodness

we’ve witnessed and enacted in the world,

and may the warmth of our lives together hold us in love

even as we move into a future that is as uncertain as ever.

Help us to truly know your presence, that it may

remind us of what is sacred in each precious moment.

And may you teach us that sacred presence too,

that we might know ourselves here and now,

that we may be present for each other,

and for this one precious life we share. (pause)

So in a few quiet moments let us take some time to pray inwardly the prayers of our own hearts;

calling to mind all those souls we know to be suffering this day, whether close to home, or on the

other side of the world. The world’s troubles can feel overwhelming; for now, let us focus on the

causes which call most strongly to our heart, and hold these sacred beings in the light of love. (pause)

Let us also pray for ourselves; we too are sacred beings who face our own struggles and muddle

through life’s ups and downs. So let us take a few moments to reflect on our own lives, and ask for

what we most need this day – maybe comfort, guidance, insight, or forgiveness – in order to

flourish. Let us offer up both our sufferings and our tender hopes to the One That Holds All. (pause)

And let us take just a little longer to remember the good things in life and give thanks for them.

Those moments in the past week where we’ve encountered generosity, kindness, or pleasure.

When others have reached out to us, helped us to get by, or the world’s beauty has overflowed.

Let us cultivate a spirit of gratitude as we recall all those moments that lifted our spirits. (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 (on sheet): ‘We Belong to One Another’

Let’s sing again – our second hymn is on your hymn sheet – ‘We Belong to One Another’.

We belong to one another. To each other we are bound

As we build a world together full of joy that we have found.

What we are we owe to others. When they need us, we respond.

We belong to one another and we hold a common bond.

We rely on one another at the dawning of our days

When we learn from those around us how to live in loving ways.

As we grow, we need each other and the gifts that we can share.

As our lives come to their ending, how we need each other’s care.

We give thanks for one another, for each heart and hand and face.

We are grateful for the blessings that infuse our lives with grace.

May we offer our abundance. As we’re given, may we give.

In our thanks for one another, may we help each other live.

In-Person Reading: ‘I Am Only Because You Are’ by Mungi Ngomane (from ‘Everyday Ubuntu’) (read by Chloë)  

Ubuntu is a way of life from which we can all learn. It’s one of my favourite words. In fact, my feelings about ubuntu run so deeply that I’ve had it tattooed on the inside of my wrist. I’s a small word, but it encapsulates a huge idea. Originating from a Southern African philosophy, it encompasses all our aspirations about how to live well, together. We feel it when we connect with others and share a sense of humanity; when we listen deeply and experience an emotional bond; when we treat ourselves and other people with the dignity they deserve.

It exists when people unite for a common good, and in today’s chaotic and often confusing world, its values are more important than ever because it says that if we join together we can overcome our differences and our problems. Whoever we are, wherever we live, whatever our culture, ubuntu can help us co-exist in harmony and peace.

I was raised in a community that taught me ubuntu as one of my earliest lessons. My grandfather, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, explained the essence of ubuntu as, ‘My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours’. In my family, we were brought up to understand that a person who has ubuntu is one whose life is worth emulating. The bedrock of the philosophy is respect, for yourself and for others. So if you’re able to see other people, even strangers, as fully human, you will never be able to treat them as disposable or without worth.

Life is full of trials and tribulations, and there are self-help books aplenty, attempting to guide us through it. We are told to meditate and reflect; to look inside ourselves for answers, as if that is the only place we will find them. There is a time and place for self-examination. However, ubuntu teaches us to also look outside ourselves to find answers. It’s about seeing the bigger picture; the other side. Ubuntu is about reaching out to our fellow humans, through whom we might just find the comfort, contentment, and sense of belonging we crave. Ubuntu tells us that individuals are nothing without other human beings. It encompasses everyone, regardless of race, creed, or colour. It embraces our differences and celebrates them.

The concept of ubuntu is found in almost all African Bantu languages. It shares its roots with the word ‘bantu’ – meaning ‘people’ – and almost always denotes the importance of community and connection. The idea of ubuntu is represented in both Xhosa and Zulu by the proverb ‘umuntu, ngumuntu, ngabantu,’ meaning ‘a person is a person through other persons’. It is a proverb which exists in all the African languages of South Africa. The word ‘ubuntu’, or closely related words, are found in many other African countries and cultures. In Rwanda and Burundi it means ‘human generosity’. In parts of Kenya ‘utu’ is a concept which means that every action should be for the benefit of the community. The sense that ‘I am only because you are’ runs throughout.  And if we are able to see ourselves in other people, our experience in the world will inevitably be a richer, kinder, more connected one.

Words for Meditation: ‘Belonging’ by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Thanks Chloë. We’re moving into a time of meditation now. To take us into stillness I’m going to share a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer which is not directly about ubuntu but resonates with it I think.  This will take us into a few minutes of shared silence which will end with the sound of a bell. Then we’ll hear music for meditation. So let’s do what we need to do to get comfortable – maybe adjust your position – put your feet flat on the floor to ground yourself – close your eyes. As we always say, the words are just an offering, feel free to use this time to meditate in your own way.

‘Belonging’ by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

And if it’s true we are alone,

we are alone together,

the way blades of grass

are alone, but exist as a field.

Sometimes I feel it,

the green fuse that ignites us,

the wild thrum that unites us,

an inner hum that reminds us

of our shared humanity.

Just as thirty-five trillion

red blood cells join in one body

to become one blood.

Just as one hundred thirty-six thousand

notes make up one symphony.

Alone as we are, our small voices

weave into the one big conversation.

Our actions are essential

to the one infinite story of what it is

to be alive. When we feel alone,

we belong to the grand communion

of those who sometimes feel alone—

we are the dust, the dust that hopes,

a rising of dust, a thrill of dust,

the dust that dances in the light

with all other dust, the dust

that makes the world.

Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell  

Interlude: Barcarolle - René de Boisdeffre (performed by Benjie del Rosario and Andrew Robinson) 

In-Person Reading: ‘Ubuntu and Interbeing’ by David W. Robinson-Morris (adapted) (read by Antony)

In my experience, ubuntu is a deep and embodied understanding that human beings are not born but formed in community and relationship with one another. Ubuntu is a Southern African philosophy commonly translated as “I am; therefore, we are.” However, ubuntu can best be understood as an embodied practice – “a person is a person through other people” – our humanity is a collective endeavour; we create each other and sustain one another.

Similar to ubuntu is the Buddhist concept of interbeing or interdependent co-arising — the understanding that nothing is separate, self-reliant, or self-contained. All phenomena arise within and from a network of mutuality, an ecosystem of being. There is no division between human and human, or human and nature, or human and spirit; all things are moving away from fragmentation to wholeness (or emptiness). Both ubuntu and Buddhist interdependence are generous ontologies that provoke awareness of the interwovenness of this web called life and what it means to be a human being in relationship with all sentient beings.

Thich Nhat Hanh explains that nothing can be free alone; all things inter-are. He writes: “At first, we think that members of our family are separate from one another, but afterwards we see that they contain each other. You are the way you are because I am the way I am.”

In other words, I am because we are — ubuntu. According to African cosmology, humans are not only in relationship with each other; they are also in relationship with nature, the ancestors, and spirit. I believe that intertwining the philosophies of ubuntu and Buddhist interbeing intensifies one’s understanding of the interdependence of all things and beings, seen and unseen. The resonances between ubuntu and Buddhist interdependence are uncanny; however, a simple search of comparative religions or philosophical understandings yields a knowing that reverberates across cultures, continents, and chronological time. This knowing is always reaching and stretching toward wholeness — together.

Ubuntu and interdependence bring to consciousness the knowing that we are multiplicities of one, a bundle of life, folding and unfolding on this plane while interwoven with the energy of an absent-present past, an absent-present future, and a very present-present. Together, these philoso-praxes teach us that my humanity and your humanity are tied up with one another, so tightly that everything one does to others or the environment affects all of us. In this way, the idea of a separate self or individual action is a mere illusion — all things are interdependent and interconnected. Community is life, and humanity is a quality we owe each another.

Hymn (on sheet): ‘For the Weaving of our Lives’

We have a bonus hymn this week – new but to a familiar tune – ‘For the Weaving of Our Lives’.

For the weaving of our lives

on the loom of joy and grace,

Warp of love that holds our hearts,

weft of faith we add each day:

All creation hears our song.

We are woven kind and strong.

For the thread that each of us

offers to the world’s design,

Fabric of a thousand hues,

heart and hands and soul and mind:

All creation hears our prayer

as we weave a world of care.

For the web that binds us all

gently in its tangled skein,

baby’s cry and prophet’s call,

strands of peace and strands of pain:

Dear creation, may that we

yet repair your tapestry.

Reflection: ‘The Philosophy of Ubuntu’ by Dr. Azita Chellappoo

I first came across the idea of ubuntu several years ago through discussions with South African friends and colleagues who see the philosophy of ubuntu as an antidote to Western individualism and as an ethical guide to meet today’s global challenges. In my journey of becoming a Unitarian, I began to see some affinities between the philosophy of ubuntu and Unitarian values, and I’m thankful to Jane for the opportunity to share something about it today.

Hyper-individualism seems to be a rising tide in Western societies. When I’m wasting time scrolling social media I sometimes see appearing on my feed the mantra ‘you don’t owe anyone anything’, spread by self-help accounts or in discussions about whether you should pick up a friend from the airport or help them move. This mentality seems to view relationships as transactional, community as a burden, and detachment as strength. Self-reliance is a mark of success, and dependence is failure. I’ve struggled with trying not to internalise these messages: I’ve felt myself falling prey to the thinking that my self-worth is wrapped up in what I can achieve, and had pangs of shame in the times that I’ve been particularly reliant on family and friends.

These individualistic attitudes are a legacy of centuries of Western philosophy that has defined who we are and what makes us human in terms of our individual capabilities, in particular rationality and independence. Historically, these ideas have been weaponised to justify division and hierarchy along the lines of race, gender, and ability, making distinctions between those who are considered fully human and those who are not based on who is seen as fully rational and fully autonomous beings.

But, while Descartes said ‘I think therefore I am’, the core of ubuntu is ‘I am because we are’. ‘I am because we are’ is one translation of the Zulu maxim ‘umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’, which can also be translated as ‘a person is a person through other persons’, or ‘a human being is a human being only through its relationships to other human beings’. This is the central principle of ubuntu, a philosophy that has deep roots in the Indigenous cultures of Southern Africa. It is both a perspective on what the world is and on how it should be: it is an acknowledgement of the reality that we are deeply interconnected and interdependent, and that interdependence is fundamental to our humanity. Archbishop Desmond Tutu described ubuntu as meaning that

‘my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in theirs. We belong in a bundle of life. We say, "a person is a person through other people". It is not "I think therefore I am". It says rather: "I am human because I belong. I participate, I share.”’

The professor of Africana Studies Michael Eze describes this idea that ‘a person is a person through other people’ as an affirmation of one’s own humanity through the recognition of others in their own uniqueness and difference. He says:

‘humanity is not embedded in my person solely as an individual; my humanity is co-substantively bestowed upon the other and me. Humanity is a quality we owe to each other.’

Ubuntu is sometimes described as a collectivist philosophy, but at least in the way I understand it ubuntu is not about sacrificing individual freedoms for the collective good. Ubuntu rejects the separation between the individual and the community, and rejects the idea that pursuing the good of the community must come at the expense of the individual. Instead, the fullest expression of our individual humanity, agency, and flourishing is achieved through our relationships with others.

This is something that clicked for me on a deeper level through my experiences caring for my grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia over a decade ago and passed away earlier this year. I became aware of the differences between my experiences and the cultural narratives of dementia that I’d previously taken for granted as being what dementia is: the idea that loss of memory is a loss of self, that our cognitive capacities are who we fundamentally are, and even that dementia is a loss of personhood, humanity, or a kind of death. Because control, self-reliance, and a certain vision of rationality are so deeply ingrained in Western cultural values, the progressive loss of those characteristics seems particularly troubling. But, my own experience and how I saw my grandmother’s experience was at odds with those cultural narratives. I came to appreciate the multiple kinds of capacities and intelligences that enable us to relate to one another, and I see that period as one of change and adaptation rather than as one of decline. One way of looking at her journey is in terms of loss: loss of short term memory, periods of confusion, the loss of the ability to do activities she previously loved, like cooking and puzzles. But, as Desmond Tutu describes it, "I am human because I belong. I participate, I share.” Those relationships of belonging, participating, and sharing were always sustained, as part of a network of family, friends, and carers. While her dependence on others may have become more visible, it wasn’t new or unique; as ubuntu recognises, interdependence is a fundamental part of the human condition. And shifts in our relationships can bring new possibilities: care is a special form of relating, and the opportunity to care brought an intimacy and closeness that was nourishing for me as the caregiver. Our relationship as grandmother and grandchild didn’t reach its fullest expression at the times when we were both at our most rational or most self-sufficient, but in times of care, when she cared for me as a child or when I cared for her in her final years.

Relationships of care are one way in which ubuntu becomes realised in everyday life. Care, along with kindness, empathy, and compassion are all part of practicing ubuntu. The affirmation that my humanity is bound up in yours is also a call for solidarity and mutual responsibility. It is a reminder to nurture our relationships, to heal and restore them if we need to, to respect, reconcile, and forgive, because in lifting up others I lift up myself. Michael Eze describes ubuntu as a philosophy of dialogue, saying:

‘Every encounter is a recreation of the self. And differences are the gift of humanity; their acceptance is necessary for a community to flourish. […] Humanity occurs at the crossroads of dialogue with the other.’

Listening to others with attention and empathy, sharing what we have with those in need, celebrating the achievements and joys of others, apologising and forgiving, seeking common ground and consensus, and honouring those who came before us can all be expressions of ubuntu.

While ubuntu can be a source of inspiration for how we connect with the people around us, it is also the recognition of our interdependence beyond living human beings, stretching to ancestors, and the whole of the spiritual and natural world. This holistic view of our connectedness in the web of life has led to increasing recognition of the value of ubuntu in meeting the urgent challenge of the climate crisis. Understanding how to live harmoniously and sustainably on this planet means moving away from relating to the environment in terms of a resource to plunder. It means building relations of care, of seeing humanity and nature as part of one community, where no one can be healthy when the community is sick. So, I want to end with an excerpt from Desmond Tutu on eco-ubuntu. He says:

‘As the circle of Ubuntu widens to include all people, and Ubuntu is taken up as a guiding ethic by people of all cultures, one might ask “How wide does the circle go, and how deep”? Does it include animals? Does it include plants, earthworms, soil? These are also living, sentient beings. As we grow in awareness we see how we are linked to all living beings by flows of matter and energy, how we breathe the same air, drink the same water.

[…] If all the wild creatures and wild spaces were gone, would we still be human? Would we still remember who we were? After all, those wild places and creatures evolved us, sharpened our abilities, and fed the flowering of our consciousness and the ripening of Ubuntu. We are human because a lion is, because a snake is, because a mountain is, because rain and drought are.

[…] Our planet was not always this place of blue skies and sparkling waters, of green horizons. Life made that, over millions of years. We emerged carrying the love which allows life to flourish in a dry and rocky place, in acid darkness at an ocean vent, in snow and perpetual ice. Let us practice planetary Ubuntu, widen and deepen the circle, act with love to all that we are, to our entire community, to our extended planetary being.

I am because you are.

We are because the planet is.’

Amen.

Hymn 32 (purple): ‘Earth Was Given as a Garden’

Thanks Azita. Time for one last hymn now and it’s number 32: ‘Earth Was Given as a Garden’.

Earth was given as a garden,

cradle for humanity;

tree of life and tree of knowledge

placed for our discovery.

Here was home for all your creatures

born of land and sky and sea;

all created in your image,

all to live in harmony.

Show to us again the garden

where all life flows fresh and free.

Gently guide your sons and daughters

into full maturity.

Teach us how to trust each other,

how to use for good our power,

how to touch the earth with reverence.

Then once more will Eden flower.

Bless the earth and all your children.

One creation, make us whole,

interwoven, all connected,

planet wide and inmost soul.

Holy mother, life bestowing,

bid our waste and warfare cease.

Fill us all with grace o'erflowing.

Teach us how to live in peace.

Announcements:

Thanks to Azita for her reflection. Thanks to Ramona for hosting and Lochlann for co-hosting. Thanks to Benjie and Andrew for lovely music today. Thanks to Chloë and Antony for reading. Thanks to Juliet for greeting and Julia for making coffee. If you are in-person do stay for cake (I’ve made Jamaican ginger cake, which has had good reviews, and Pistachio cake, which is a new experiment). And why not stay a bit longer to sing with Margaret in her ‘Find Your Voice’ class. I’m reliably informed that she can coax a better sound out of any of us!

It's the Better World Book Club tonight – if you’ve told me you’re coming you should already have received the link – if you haven’t told me you’re coming please send me an email this afternoon. Next month it’s ‘Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations’ by Kathryn Mannix.

The poetry group will meet, in-person, this Wednesday at 7pm. Let Brian know if you’re planning to come along and let him have a copy of your poem. Sonya is back with Nia Dance on Friday at 12.30.

On Friday at 7pm we’ve got our ‘Heart and Soul’ online contemplative spiritual gathering – this week it’s on ‘Waiting’ – email me if you want to join.

We’ve got plenty of events coming up over the festive season – we’re going to have a midwinter labyrinth mini-retreat evening here in person on Wednesday 17^th December – please drop me an email to let me know if you’re coming along to that. It’ll be a lovely cosy evening of sharing and reflection and we might see what we can do about having some treats and snacks to share.

Then we’ve got our big carol service on the 21st December – let Patricia know what you’re planning to bring for the bring-and-share lunch after – and we also have our candlelit teatime service on Christmas Eve. And we’ll have our usual new year’s mini-retreat, you can either come in-person on Sunday 28^th, or online on New Year’s Day, or both if you like! Sign up with me for these events.

Next Sunday I’ll be leading our service with help from my chum Mel Prideaux on ‘Letting in the Light’.

And our winter newsletter is here! Please do take a copy if you’re here at church and write your name on the list so that we don’t also send it to you. I’ll post the other copies out tomorrow.

Details of all our various activities are printed on the back of the order of service, for you to take away, 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. Just time for our closing words and closing music now.  

Benediction: based on words by Debra Haffner

As we head out into another week in this turbulent and uncertain world,

let us be planted firmly on the side of humanity, and this planet we share.

May we pray for peace and justice; may we speak up and raise our voices;

may we engage as we can in acts of resistance and loving disruption;

and may we remember to take care of ourselves, each other,

and all those precious souls we meet along the way.

May it be so, for the greater good of all. Amen.

Closing Music: Minuet and Trio from Quintet - WA Mozart (performed by Benjie del Rosario and Andrew Robinson) 

Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall and Dr. Azita Chellappoo

30th November 2025