Maidstone Unitarians

14/11/2021

Lest we forget.

The Memorial Windows naming those lost from the Maidstone Unitarian congregation. Just nine of millions lost in conflict globally, with each of those losses a tragedy for family, friends and colleagues.

We will remember them.

18/07/2021

A Sunday Service. We are on the threshold of the next chapter in the pandemic, yet today we are in the moment between; between the tragedy of the recent past, and the uncertainty of the coming steps. Henri Nouwen described such times as the moment between a trapeze artist letting go, and catching hold again. We reflect on the importance of this moment between, this doorway of safety and stillness, as we prepare ourselves for the tasks ahead. With help from Vanessa Rush Southern, Henri Nouwen, RS Thomas, Elijah and Meister Eckhart. 45 minutes of stillness, words and music.

A Sunday Service. We are on the threshold of the next chapter in the pandemic, yet today we are in the moment between; between the tragedy of the recent pas...

04/07/2021

A Sunday Service. Today, 04 July, is not only American Independence Day, it is also the 176th Anniversary of the day Henry David Thoreau set up his home in the woods, alongside Walden Pond. An experiment in simplicity, sufficiency and spirituality, we reflect today on the possibilities such an opportunity presents, and the lessons we might take for a monastic approach in the modern day. With help from Chris Zabriskie, Ian Adams, Elizabeth Tarbox, Henry David Thoreau, the Sisters of Nonatus House, and Ólafur Arnalds. 45 minutes of stillness, music and reflections.

A Sunday Service. Today, 04 July, is not only American Independence Day, it is also the 176th Anniversary of the day Henry David Thoreau set up his home in ...

23/05/2021

A Sunday Service from Sevenoaks. Today is Whit Sunday - Pentecost. Unitarians often shy away from this Christian story - perhaps it is just too unlikely - yet perhaps this is instead an appropriate time to explore Pentecost's message of new beginnings and acceptance of all. The world is in need of new starts, and new connections. With help from Luke, Robert Walsh and Nils Frahm, 50 minutes of reflection, stillness and music. This is a first, experimental, hybrid Service, combining live footage from our gathering this morning (our first opening this year), with recorded pieces from around the area.

A Sunday Service. Today is Whit Sunday - Pentecost. Unitarians often shy away from this Christian story - perhaps it is just too unlikely - yet perhaps thi...

16/05/2021

A Sunday Service. Today we celebrate an Anniversary Service for the Dover Unitarian congregation. The congregation has gathered for nearly 400 years, initially as General Baptist, then becoming Unitarian some 200 years ago. A story of community, religious freedom and love, in the face of significant oppression, persecution and disruption. Yet they continued to gather, and love found a way. We refelct today on their commitment to liberal faith, and to love. With assistance from Leo Tolstoy, Angela Herrera, and a long line of compassionate dissenters in Dover. 45 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. Today we celebrate an Anniversary Service for the Dover Unitarian congregation. The congregation has gathered for nearly 400 years, initi...

02/05/2021

A Sunday Service. The draw of the coast on a Bank Holiday weekend is almost irresistible. Yet the ocean, the sea, is unpredictable, mysterious and powerful; it helps escape from terror, it provides livelihoods for thousands. A theme in religious thought for centuries, the depths and uncertainties provide food for thought on how we grapple with prayer, with unexpected problems, with making things better. We reflect today on how we might use the stories of the sea to help us with our own lives and those of others. With assistance from Vincent Van Gogh, Katie Munnik, Elizabeth Tarbox, Jonah, Matthew and Rumi. 50 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. The draw of the coast on a Bank Holiday weekend is almost irresistible. Yet the ocean, the sea, is unpredictable, mysterious and powerful...

18/04/2021

A Sunday Service. We emerge from lockdown, as if from an enforced hibernation, and discover we are arriving at the time of the greening earth around us. This miraculous moment of nature, bringing home the interconnected spirit of life that breathes through each of us, has inspired religious and scientific exploration for centuries. We reflect on this, with help from Meg Barnhouse, Hildegard of Bingen, Sir Francis Younghusband, Kristen Harper and Pablo Casals. 45 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. We emerge from lockdown, as if from an enforced hibernation, and discover we are arriving at the time of the greening earth around us. Th...

11/04/2021

A Sunday Service. On this Low Sunday, after the recent Spiritual highs of Equinox, Passover and Easter, we reflect on the lessons we learn from our everyday journeys through life - the everyday sacred found in our ordinary living. With assistance from Constantine Cavafy, Tom Owen-Towle, Odysseus, Cardinal Newman, Jackie Stewart and Hattie Jacques, 50 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. On this Low Sunday, after the recent Spiritual highs of Equinox, Passover and Easter, we reflect on the lessons we learn from our everyday...

04/04/2021

A Service for Easter Sunday. As Unitarians, the underlying story of Easter can be troubling - a phsyical resurrection of a crucified man seems unlikely - indeed impossible. However the ambiguity is constructive; even the earliest Gospel writer left everyone unsure of the ending. As we begin to emerge from lockdown, hopefully for the final time, this annual return to resurrection provides a deeper truth for all of us - a reminder of the natural cycle, of the possibility of hope, of the chance to change ourselves for the better. This day and every day. With assistance from Vanessa Rush Southern, Mark Belletini, Nils Frahm and Mark, 45 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Service for Easter Sunday. As Unitarians, the underlying story of Easter can be troubling - a phsyical resurrection of a crucified man seems unlikely - in...

21/03/2021

A Sunday Service. It is the Vernal Equinox - the balance shifting from the darkness of Winter to the light of Spring. All around us, the natural world is starting its rhythmic beat of new growth and the unfolding of a new beginning in green abundance. We reflect today on the ordered chaos of nature, and the lessons it can teach us of the importance to find our unique connection to the all-that-is. With help from Starhawk, Chris Buice, RS Thomas and Max Richter (and a little bit of Chaos Theory), 45 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. It is the Vernal Equinox - the balance shifting from the darkness of Winter to the light of Spring. All around us, the natural world is s...

14/03/2021

A Service for Mothering Sunday. We celebrate and thank today the mothers and mother-figures in our lives who have nurtured and cared for us. Reflecting on the eternal and undiminishing creativity that motherhood brings, and the awesome response to Creation itself. With assistance from Starhawk, John O'Donohue, Meg Barnhouse and Ólafur Arnalds, 50 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Service for Mothering Sunday. We celebrate and thank today the mothers and mother-figures in our lives who have nurtured and cared for us. Reflecting on ...

07/03/2021

A Sunday Service. At this time last year, we were just beginning Lent - and 12 months later it seems to many that this anticipated 40 days of loss and reflection in early 2020 extended into lockdown and has never ended. As we consider our approach to Lent this year, we might reflect too on the changes we've experienced in the last year, and the promise of hope we can see ahead. Lent or not, now is not the time to give up. With help from Matthew, Bruce T. Marshall, Ella Wheeler Wilcox and the Kronos Quartet. 45 minutes of reflection, stillness and music.

A Sunday Service. At this time last year, we were just beginning Lent - and 12 months later it seems to many that this anticipated 40 days of loss and refle...