Meeting Notes October 2019

Mark’s October Service looked at harvest and our reliance on the earth we inhabit. In a homespun ritual we marked the centrality of soil and water for the harvest of food from the land, and we traced the journeys made by food from plant to table. Our reliance on food was emphasised by looking at the need for Food Banks.

At our Swindon meeting we explored the role of shared belief. As a religious group we emphasise our responsibility for our own beliefs and at the same time we have Affirmations in common and our Fellowship accepts the charitable Object of the Unitarian General Assembly. The Affirmations that members have agreed are not immutable. The exercise of working out a shared baseline of beliefs and values was seen as bringing people together.  Our discussion highlighted again how for many of us signing up to any formula can be uncomfortable. While we preferred the Principles of the American Unitarian Universalists we saw real value in the Preamble to the GA Object. If only we could amalgamate them.
November 3^rd 3.00pm Cirencester Friends’ Meeting House. Rev Mark Hutchinson will take the Service.
November 17^th 3.00pm Swindon Friend’s Meeting House. Reflection: Kath Ryder, then a look at some extracts from The Inquirer that members bring. Facilitator Miles Howarth
December 1st 3.00pm Cirencester Friends’ Meeting House. Rev Peter Godfrey will take the Service.
December 15^th 3.00pm Swindon Friend’s Meeting House. Christmas contributory – we invite readings, poems, music and art.