Our Services

Sundays: morning Worship Service

10:45
evening Sacred Contemplation
6:00
Wednesdays: midday Meditation
1:15
Thursdays: evening Sacred Contemplation
6:15
First Sunday of the month:
Bring and Share Lunch in the Priestley Hall
One of the oldest and most distinguished of the
denominations to arise from the protestant
reformation Unitarianism is an open theological
tradition which emphasises freedom of
conscience, affirms the inherent worth of all
humans and acknowledges the validity of all
religious approaches to the Divine.

Contacts
Minister
Revd. Jo James
0113 243 3845 email jojames.email@gmail.com
tweet @jojames_

THE RECORD
May-June 2015

Facilities Manager/Lettings:
Malcolm Clarke Chapel 0113 243 3845
Chairman of the Congregation
Alan Hawkins: alan.c.hawkins@btinternet.com
Director of Music
Anthony Norcliffe : anthony.norcliffe1@homecall.co.uk
The Record Editor
Email millhillrecord@gmail.com
@millhillchapel
charity number: 1081978

Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel

City Square, Leeds
A PLACE OF SPIRITUAL SANCTUARY FOR ALL

Liberation: Inspiration: Compassion

From Our Minister

Yorkshire Union News

Its wonderful to be able to post positive news again; not only

are we regularly seeing better attendance figures across all our
services but we've been able to welcome new members into
membership and other newcomers are considering this step.
There is still a great potential for Mill Hill Chapel. We are
promoting further new growth by creating a promotional video
to show via our website, twitter and Facebook page, we are
using adverts in local press and looking to develop stories to
gain a higher profile, we are engaging in new and exciting
partnerships, initiating new events and new approaches to
worship and spirituality - maybe you have further ideas? We
need to grow because we know we have something to offer
our community and we are focusing on how to nourish what
we offer by asking you to participate in a short
congregational survey (included with this newsletter) - it
should be fun to fill in and will be really useful as we prepare a
strategy for numerical growth and spiritual depth.

Worship Studies Training for LAY WORSHIP LEADERS

Four Saturdays in Summer: 30 May, 13 June, 27 June, 11
July at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel Manchester - ask Jo
for further information.

We must change to adapt and develop, unlocking our great

wealth of potential requires commitment, courage and
openness. Change requires largeness of spirit and gentleness
of heart. It requires flexibility and it does, inevitably, entail
some risk. At least, the change which leads to growth does.

There is another option though:

We could dig in our heels and stubbornly resist change by

every channel open to us - and things might at first appear to
remain the same. It would be an illusion though because we
would still be changing, its just that it would be a negative
change; services would remain fixed as fossils, but fewer and
fewer people would attend them, everything would appear the
same, but no newcomers would stay, and none would be
invited to join.

This is still change, its just that this kind of change is better
known by another name; death. We would wither and die.

Then the careful stewardship of our resources would have

been for nothing.
continues over

The congregation at Pepperhill would particularly welcome

visitors to their Anniversary Service on June 7th, and on the
16th July the Reverend Cliff Reed visits the congregation.
The Yorkshire Day Service is on 2nd August celebrating the
YUU bicentenary.

Welcome to Ralph Catts, the new Lay Pastor at Hull

Unitarians as of the 25th February this year. We wish him
great success in his new ministry.
Towards a dementia friendly church is a free workshop, on
Tuesday, 2nd June at York Chapel.
Wakefield sadly reports that the oldest member of the
congregation, Phyllis Lockwood, has died aged 106.
She had been a Wakefield Unitarian for 100 years.

Other News
We are pleased to announce that the Chapel is the first place
of worship to register to perform same-sex marriages. So if
you know a couple who want to marry in a our lovely
sanctuary please speak to Jo. We are ready to help you
proclaim your love and commitment in our community.

Prayer
The Sacred Encounter

Timeless spiritwe know you are best when we stop

trying to find you and find you most easily when we stop
searching for you. Lead us to the knowledge that you are
to be found amongst us. That we must love you in
ourselves, in our neighbour, and in the one we think is our
enemy.
Teach us the way of your spirit; the way of collaboration,
of cooperation, and forgiveness. Remind us of the old
ways of community, and the new language of open
source. Teach us to give freely and share openly; let us
be forgetful of self and mindful of the other.
Let us recognise the sacred wherever we encounter it, let
us be aware of the divine present all around us; and let
us ensure that we make manifest in our thoughts, words
and deeds, the best and the highest of which we are
capable.
Amen.

This prayer and other uplifting Unitarian reflections can be

found in Roots and Wings, a brief history of the
Yorkshire Unitarian Union with contemporary writings.
Published to celebrate the YUU bicentenary this year.
Copies if the book can be purchased for 3.00

We would join the great list of closed Unitarian Churches and our
resources would be disbursed to the General Assembly to invest
as it saw fit.
Like the idea?
No, neither do I.
I want to point out two simple but fundamental things:
The future will not look or feel like the past.
Leadership creates change.
Those who now meet in this historic chapel of dissent and
exploration have the power in their own hands to be the change
they want to see. Lets use that power imaginatively, courageously,
expansively and generously. Jo

Editor's Note
In this issue of The Record we have included material that
will be ongoing. Each issue will have readings to help with spiritual
reflection, a prayer and a poem. Also, we are starting a new
column tentatively titled, Life Outside the Chapel. We welcome
your suggestions for activities that would provide a platform to
socialise and enrich the life of the congregation between worship
services. Also, it is difficult to plan events to publicise in The
Record as much as two months in advance. So I thought a
monthly Record might be more informative. It would be shorter but
would enable me to announce the most current events.
This months cover art is a window of from our very own
Chapel. This lovely window was created by the important British
design innovator, William Morris. Mary Magdalene is depicted on
the east side of the building at the back of the sanctuary.
Unfortunately access is hindered by the staircase. The idea to
focus on windows is taken from a sermon by Celia Midgley. She
reminded us to not take for granted the beauty of our of places of
worship and especially our windows. So if you have a favourite
Chapel window let me know. Help make The Record beautiful as
well as informative.Rosemary

Chapel Flowers
May
3rd
10th

17th
24th
31th

Flower Fund
In memory of Violet & Sydney Travis and
Hunslet Memorial Flowers are in memory of Selina & Walter
Mann
Flower Fund
In memory of Esm & John Lucas
Flower Fund

June
7th
14th

Flower Fund
In memory of Alice & James Saville
Hunslet Memorial Flowers are In memory of Alice & James

Saville
21st Flower Fund
28th Flower Fund

New Website
Have you seen our new attractive and informative website? Many
thanks go to Xina Gooding Broderick who created the redesign.
Go to our new address:

www.millhillchapel.org
There you can link to our Twitter feeds and Facebook group
and find a link to the ministers web pages including texts of
sermons and more.

Guest Worship Leaders

31 May Revd. Bill Darlison
14 June Revd Joy Croft

If anyone would like to make a donation to provide flowers in

memory of a loved one, to celebrate anniversaries or
remember a birthday, then please contact Joan Perry or Susan
Coggan (Flower Secretary). Some dates are available.
NB: If you already have a subscription for flowers please
check that this is kept up to date - Flower secretary

Music at Mill Hill

Anthems during May
3rd The Lord is my shepherd Howard Goodall
10th View me, Lord Richard Lloyd
17th Above all praise and majesty Felix Mendelssohn
24th (Whit Sunday): If ye love me keep my commandments
Thomas Tallis
31st Blessed angel spririts Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
Anthems during June
7th Day by day Martin How
14th Ubi caritas Maurice Durufle
21st Vox ultima crucis William H. Harris
28th Lord, for Thy tender mercys sake John Hilton

Outside the Chapel

We are looking for suggestions for small group activities. How can
we use our building and communications to bring people together
for social and cultural activities?
We are already in collaboration with the Vegan Interfaith Alliance
hosting a food sharing evening after the service on the 3rd
Thursday of each month at 7.00 pm in the Priestley Hall. Anyone is
welcome to attend, either to help out with cooking, cleaning or
washing up or simply to share food and fellowship.
A walking group has been suggested, perhaps with Bolton Abbey
as a first destination - or maybe somewhere accessible by train?
Starting in June: a new spiritual reading group - an opportunity to
explore and deepen faith; on the first Sunday in June we will
suggest the material to read and then on the last Tuesday of the
month well meet together to discuss it.

Organ Recitals

My Winters Past
As spring the winter does succeed,
And leaves the naked trees do dress,
The earth all black is clothed in green;
At sunshine each their joy express.
My suns returned with healing wings.
My soul and body do rejoice;
My heart exults and praises sings
To You who heard my wailing voice.
My winters past, my storms are gone,
And former clouds now seem all fled;
But, if they must eclipse again,
Ill run where I was amply fed.
I have a shelter from the storm,
A shadow from the fainting heat;
I have access unto Your throne
You who are God so wondrous great.
Anne Bradstreet - May 13, 1657

Now notching up 21 years, Mill Hills 2015 Grand Series of

Lunchtime Organ Concerts commences on Tuesday, May 12th, at
1pm, when our good friend, Dr. Simon Lindley launches this years
weekly feasts of music. As well as recitals by our own Director of
Music, ANTHONY NORCLIFFE, May and June feature, also,
performances by JONATHAN EYRE, the eminent Assistant
Director of Music of Bradford Cathedral, on May 27th and the
nationally-famed ROBERT SHARPE, Organist of York Minster, on
June 9th. ALAN HORSEY, an eminent musician from Halifax, plays
for us on June 23rd and the distinguished CHARLES
EDMONDSON, formerly Music Advisor to East Yorks. Education
Authority, comes to us on June 30th. Robert, Alan and Charles
have all played for us on former occasions and, very much, we
look forward to welcoming them once again. Jonathan,
incidentally, comes to us for his first visit.
We shall, of course, be delighted for your attendance at
these increasingly popular annual events, admission to which is
free,with a retiring collection taken. The concerts continue
throughout July ANTHONY NORCLIFFE on the 7th. JEFFREY
MAKINSON of Lincoln Minster will be playing on the 14th. A week
later, on the 21st, ELIN REES from Bury Parish Church will
perform. The concluding concert on 28 July will be played by our
very own ANTHONY NORCLIFFE. These performances are
thoroughly worthwhile experiences of superb music played by
some of Englands most distinguished organists. We do hope you'll
come and join us!

Mailing List
To receive The Record via email or post please give
your address to Rosemary Frances. You can also
email to MillHillRecord@gmail.com. If you are
uncertain who is Rosemary see page 5. To save
resources and lower costs, would you kindly sign-up
for the email edition. Thanks.

Introducing Ourselves: We Share Our Biographies

Rosemary Frances Story
I wonder as I wander, the great American poet Langston
Hughes wrote. That reflection also applies to me. I have
physically moved many times in my life. The most important
wandering I have done however is within myself.
I spent my childhood in foster care due to my parents
alcoholism. As a ward of the state I lived in more than 25
placements in 15 years. Back then
the government would not
terminate parental rights and my
mother would not let me be
adopted. I mention this situation not
to pull on heartstrings but as a
simple fact. Of course, it was not
easy and left me with much
psychological harm. At age 43
however, I feel very comfortable
with myself and my circumstances.
I was a child in the Mid-West. Saint
Louis is my place of birth. But I always felt that it didnt suit
me. As a 17-year-old I bought a one-way ticket to New York
City. I felt I belonged to NYC as soon as arrived. I love the
city and its people. Throngs of diversity and creativity. In this
place of everlasting change I was reborn as a vegetarian
Atheist as well as a New Yorker. In 1994, I was awarded a BA
from City University of NY. I did not yet settle down.
Unitarianism entered my life after I decided I was not very
good at being an Atheist. There must be something more
than just chaos driving life, I thought. I wanted to know
meaning and hope. Because this denomination allows me
spiritual wandering and wondering, I have stayed and
deepened my religious life.

My working life was a dismal slug through a series of positions

that did nothing to enrich my soul. Fortunately and none too

soon, I became an assistant to my minister at All Souls. I also
managed the Unitarian Universalist UN Office. In 1999, I was
ready to enter seminary. Theology is one of my passions. The
writings of the Unitarian theologian Charles Hartshorne provided
me with a framework to find the meaning I sought. I spent some
time as a Chaplain Candidate in the US Air Force and also
ministered at an nonprofit helping people with HIV. But my
studies were sidetracked by illnesses. It took 5 additional years to
finish seminary after I developed a painful neurological disorde
My condition has slowed me down but not stopped me. Moving to
Leeds in 2011, opened me to new perspectives and a different
culture.The chapel is a great support for me as I adjust to UK
culture. Beside lay preaching, I volunteer as the Referrals
Administrator for Inkwell, Minds art centre in Chapel Allerton. I
have made good friends and enjoy my less frantic life in Leeds.
Nonetheless, NYC will always be in my heart. It is where I found
Unitarianism and grew to know myself. Through our enlightened,
expanding faith, no matter where I live, I have peace and love in
a very-full-of-wonder life.
We would like to get to know you! To contribute your story to the
Introducing Ourselves column speak to Rosemary or email:
millhillrecord@gmail.com

Dont forget that the first Sunday of every month

is a bring and share lunch in the Priestley Hall
after the service- it is an opportunity to get to
know each other better. There is always plenty, so
come along even if you have nothing to share.