MAY 2019

Ministerial Musings

A Place of Safety
Sanctuary – primary meaning from Late Latin sanctuarium "a sacred
place, shrine" (especially the Hebrew Holy of Holies), also "a private
room," from Latin sanctus "holy"; the part of a church around the altar;
the chancel. Secondary meaning: a church or other sacred place where
fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest; the immunity
afforded by refuge in such a place.

In the Bible, there are several sanctuary stories, when taking refuge at
the altar granted immunity, but we have instances when even the
“Holy of Holies” did not deter the pursuers. In medieval times
Christians considered most of the churches as sanctuaries, asylums,
where people could claim refuge from the law or pursuers. This
practice still comes up from time to time.

At the end of last year, a small Protestant church in The Hague

conducted round-the-clock religious services for 96 days to protect an
Armenian refugee family from deportation. By law, police officers in
The Netherlands are not allowed to enter places of worship during
religious services. So, ministers from around the country took turns
holding services at Bethel Church to prevent officials from arresting the
family, who have been in The Netherlands for nine years and who,
finally, were granted a permanent residence permit.

More than 100 UU congregations in US are part of the Sanctuary

Movement, working to protect immigrants facing deportation by
literally offering sanctuary, a safe place in the church, to people who
are at risk of being deported. But these examples are few and far
between, and usually the exception to the rule.

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Nowadays – though retaining all the above meanings – the term has a
larger implication by extension to the natural world and beyond human
beings (animal or bird sanctuaries, for example).

But are the sanctuaries safe places anymore? The Pittsburgh

Synagogue shooting, the Christchurch massacres, the Sri Lanka
bombings are just the latest in a long line of attacks against sacred
places and their communities.

And the natural world does not fare any better. The places set aside for
species close to extinction, the natural reserves and parks, are under
constant threat from human gullibility and carelessness, like the fire on
the Yorkshire moorland.

Is there any sanctuary left in our world? Is there a place of safety for
humans, for all living things?

We are making lists of protected monuments, of endangered species,

we are building walls, fences to enclose, to save from ourselves what
should be free, and even so we are not good at keeping them safe. We
are not good at keeping the Earth entrusted to us safe, we are not
good at keeping each other safe.

Violence, hatred, intolerance, – though many times in the garb of

religion – is an outside manifestation of inner turmoil, imbalance
fuelled by greed or fanaticism, for which the sacredness of life or
nature lost its meaning.

There is no sanctuary in the world anymore, as not just humans, but

Nature turns against us, against our abuses. We have to rebuild the
“holy”, the safe haven for all, starting from ourselves.

The place of safety starts in the soul and expands in concentric circles
to our family, our community, our nation, the world and all living
things. The place of safety is not a refuge, from which we can “watch
the world go by” and congratulate or commiserate with its happenings;
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it is not a hiding place from our involvement and responsibilities and it
is not an escape from guilt. Our place of safety is the inner core from
which all of us can start to reassess our attitudes and relationships with
each other, with the world, with the Earth.

Let us draw strength from this place of safety and join forces with all
those who step by step are working toward rebuilding the sanctuaries
of our life.

See you at the OMH.

Mária

SUNDAY SERVICES FLOWERS

May 5th 6-30 pm Rev Mária Pap Mrs J Lee

May 12th 10- 45 am Rev Mária Pap Mrs M Wain
May 19th 10- 45 am Rev Mária Pap Women’s League
May 26h 10-45 am Congregational Service Mrs J Lee
Mr Neil Fisher

STEWARDS

May 5th 6-30 pm Mr R Wain

May 12th 10-45 am Mrs J Tedds
May 19th 10-45 am Mr N Fisher
May 26th 10-45 am Mr P Frost

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SATURDAY COFFEE MORNING ROTA CHAPEL OPENING ROTA

May 4th Miss C Wright Mrs C Wycherley Mrs L Walton

May 11th Ms A Perry Rev M Pap Mr N Fisher
May 18th Mrs A Binch Mrs J Tedds Mr T Williams
May 25th Miss C Wright Mrs C Wycherley Mr N Fisher
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DIARY DATES FOR MAY

Wed May 1st Women’s League 2-30 pm

Fri May 3rd Words, Music and Silence 11-45 am
Mon May 6th Sponsored Walk From 12 noon
Tue May 7th Derek Taylor Yoga Group 6-30 pm
Wed May 8th Meditation 7-15 pm
Sat May 11th EMU Family Day - Boston See Below
Mon May 13th Arts and Crafts 7-00 pm
Tue May 14th Derek Taylor Yoga Group 6-30 pm
Fri May 17th Garden Work Party 5-00 pm
Sat May 18th Adult RE 12-15 pm
Sun May 19th District Service - Belper See Below
Tue May 21st Derek Taylor Yoga Group 6-30 pm
Tue May 28th Derek Taylor Yoga Group 6-30 pm

GA News

The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches held its
annual meeting on April 16th - 18th at Birmingham. The OMH was
represented by Lynn and Maria, and Neil attended as delegate from
the EMU. Rev. Celia Cartwright was appointed President and Mrs. Anne
Mills as Vice-President for the year 2019-2020. Among many
resolutions, we would like to present Resolution 7.

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Resolution 7.

This General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches:

1) Expresses its concern at the increasing incidence of devastating knife

crime in Britain’s towns and cities.

2) Expresses its strong support for an adequately funded multi-agency

campaign to tackle this significantly raised threat to public safety, along
the lines of that which has been so successful in Glasgow.

3) Urges Her Majesty’s Government and the devolved administrations

to establish an immediate investigation into ways and means of
drastically reducing, over time, the ready availability of sharp pointed
knives by the introduction of appropriate controls on retail and
internet sales.

4) Calls upon Unitarian congregations to publicise the resolution

amongst their members and friends and to ask their local elected
representatives to raise these concerns with their relevant ministers
and the Home Secretary’s Serious Violence Task Force, with particular
regard to the issue of sharp pointed knives.

CONGREGATIONAL SERVICE

This month’s Congregational Service will be at 10-45 am on Sunday,

26th May, on the theme of “Life’s Ups and Downs”. Neil Fisher, who
will be leading the service, will welcome your offers of music, songs,
hymns, poems and, of course, any offers to share personal moments
of life’s ups and downs by Sunday, 19th May, please.

SPONSORED WALK

The annual Sponsored Walk in aid of the John Eastwood Hospice will
take place on Monday, 6th May. There will be two walks, the longer

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walk (approximately 5 miles) will begin at Vicar Water Car Park at
12-00 noon, the shorter walk (approximately 1 mile) will leave Vicar
Water Car Park at 2-00pm. All walkers will meet at Vicar Water cafe at
3-00 pm. Full details, and sponsor forms, are available from Lynn
Walton.

EMU FAMILY DAY – BOSTON

Members joining the party going to Boston for this event should note
that the coach will be leaving from Walkden Street (outside Argos
building ) at 9-00am on Saturday, 11th May. The expected time of
return will be between 6-00 pm and 6-30 pm.

GARDEN WORK PARTY

Volunteers are welcome on Friday, May 17th at 5-00 pm for a little

weeding and Spring cleaning in our Garden. Let us remember the
words of John Keats – “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” –and make it
come true by keeping and enhancing the beauty of our surroundings.

ADULT RE

The next session in our series of RE for Adults is on Saturday, 18th May
at 12-15 pm. The topic is Healing and Health – Florence Nightingale,
The speaker will be Rev Derek Smith. All are welcome!

EMU DISTRICT SERVICE

The EMU District Service will be held on Sunday, 19th May in the
Belper Chapel. Tea will be served from 4-30 pm and the service will be
at 6-00 pm. The service will be led by Mr David Burton, District
President, and the preacher will be Rev Tony McNeile.

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THANKS FOR A SPLENDID DAY

The “The Arts and Crafts Market” on Saturday, 30th March turned out
to be a busy, enjoyable and profitable day. We had almost a hundred
visitors during the morning, and most of the table holders reported
that it had been worth their while being there. The Cake Stall received
more cakes than ever and made a record number of sales. The whole
event raised £418 for chapel funds. Our “Thanks” for all your help in
many different ways. We shall have another such “Arts and Crafts
Market” but not until Spring of next year.

Mothers` Day Poem

by Ebony Mills

Dear Mom,

I will love you forever,

And forever you will be
The most wonderful mother,
You mean everything to me.

I thought of buying you flowers

In the usual way,
But I knew you would have me for
A FOREVER bouquet!

“AN EXTRAORDINARY COMMITTEE MEETING”

When the congregation arrived for the evening service of Sunday, 6th
April 2019 they found the Old Meeting House closed. There was a
notice on the door telling us that the closure was due to “spiritual

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refurbishment” and the “Committee Meeting “ would take place in the
(John) Harrop White Room.

The “Meeting” was chaired by our Minister, Rev Mária Pap, who
conducted the proceedings so efficiently that she managed to squeeze
some singing into the agenda. Two of the musical items came from a
recently rediscovered “UYPL Songbook”. The book was compiled by
the late, dear Arthur Vallance, nephew of the above mentioned John
Harrop White. The songs were “The D…. Sunday School”, a new take
on some of the well known Old Testament stories, and “This Little
Light of Mine”, during which retired members of the Girl Guides were
seen to be adding actions to the music and words.

Items on the agenda covered reports on most of the sections of the

Chapel’s life with suggestions where improvement might be found, but
full appreciation of the present work. One such item considered was
this newsletter, with suggestion that there might be room on occasion
for some humour – suitable examples were provided by the “Chair”.

The members left the “Extraordinary Meeting” with smiles on their

faces and looking forward to a, possible, next such meeting scheduled
for a suitable Sunday close to April 1st next year.

If the requirements of the “Extraordinary Meeting” are to be met we

need your help – if you have short humorous items pass them to Roy
who will include them in future editions of the newsletter when there
is space.

mDEADLINE for June newsletter is Sunday, 19th May 2019.