GA Chalice

Shrewsbury Unitarian Church,

High Street

   
  Green Separator

 
Shrewsbury Unitarian Church, High Street

IN THE MIDST OF A BUSY CITY WE FIND

A PLACE OF QUIET

A PLACE OF REFLECTION


INTO THE STILLNESS AND THE QUIETNESS OF THIS PLACE COME THE NOISES OF

THE CITY AND WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THIS PLACE OF SANCTUARY.

LET US SAY A PRAYER OF THANKFULNESS FOR IT

JOIN WITH US

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THE CHURCH IS ON THE HIGH STREET IN SHREWSBURY, NEXT DOOR TO RACKHAMS, AND IS OF EASY ACCESS, ON SUNDAYS IT IS POSSIBLE TO PARK IN THE LOADING BAYS, ABOUT 6 SLOTS NEAR THE CHURCH, WITH 3 AVAILABLE FOR DISABLED PARKING FURTHER DOWN THE HIGHT STREET. FOR THOSE WITH SAT NAV THE POST CODE IS
SY1 1LR. THERE ARE ALSO LOADING BAYS ROUND THE CORNER IN SHOPLATCH AND 3 CARPARKS IN BARKER STREET NEAR ROWLEYS HOUSE, THE CHARGE IS £2 PER DAY ON SUNDAYS.
THERE IS ALSO NOW A BUS SERVICE AVAILABLE.
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Services

Each Sunday at 10.30 am.

Services for September 2010

  Speaker Theme Flowers

Work on the building is continuing, and we are making progress, thankfully, we now have an operational kitchen downstairs and a loo, However it has been discovered that the sandstone facade is in an extremely fragile condition and the inner wall is problematic too, we now have a barricade round the base of the Church, this is to protect passers by when the sandblasting, with water, starts, but although we are experiences difficulties with heating etc, we are continuing with our usual Services. Unfortunately this also means that Amnesty International are unable to continue to use the Church Porch on Saturday mornings, they are hoping to find an alternative place, and we shall be pleased to see them back when the work is complete.
As from January this year we have now discovered we have some dry rot which also needs attention, but as a result of an interview with Radio Shropshire we have been contacted by the Historic Churches Society who think they may be able to help with funding, we also achieved a front page column in the Shrewsbury Chronicle detailing all the work that is being undertaken.


Worship at Shrewsbury takes many forms, in the belief that variety exists at the centre of a rich spiritual life. We experience prayer, meditation, poetry, discussion, music and sometimes silence at our meetings. We come together to foster a greater understanding of ourselves and others and are unified by the belief that worship is a journey, not a private process.


We have a monthly Newsletter. If you wish to receive this, please let me know.


The Church is available for Rites of Passage - please contact either Mrs Hughes or Mrs Rossell regarding availability and costs.

Marguerite Rossell, Secretary. 01743 360795

Activities

Eric's funeral is on the 24th August at 2pm at the Crematorium, and afterwards at the Wildlife Centre in Abbey Foregate. The Service will be led by Rev Peter Hewis, and the family have requested no flowers, and no black clothes. There will be opportunites to donate to both the Hospice and The Wildlife Trust.

At last several of the pews at the rear of the Church have been removed leave an agreeable space for us to share coffee and have our Circle Meetings, still more work to be done, as we have a shortage of storage space.

Our history

Shrewsbury Unitarian Church, High Street

As a result of the Great Ejection of 1662 two of Shrewsbury's Anglican clergy, Francis Tallents and John Bryan, came together to found a dissenting church. Because of the persecution at that time meetings were held in private homes, until a small building was made available for them in the garden of a timber merchant's house in the High Street, then known as Bakers Row. This was later enlarged as the house was removed, but in 1715 the Jacobite risings were at their height and the building was razed. Dissenters were not welcomed! However, the building was speedily replaced, at a cost of £429.16 and a half pence paid for by the government, and handed over to the congregation.

It was substantially renovated in 1839/40 and repairs were again necessary in 1884/5. The old front was considered too dark and sombre and replaced by "a light and handsome front entirely built of local stone". The old pews were replaced in 1904 and later the royal charter, painted by Mr Richard Chandless of Shrewsbury, granted by George I was hung above the pulpit, and a new organ acquired and re-sited.

In 2002 further repairs were needed, the entire roof was replaced, windows repaired and the electrical system renewed, and the whole building redecorated. On completion we held a celebratory service of thanksgiving and renewal, both for the church building and our spiritual lives, and we thought that we had a weatherproof and beautiful church to hand on to future worshippers. However we later found that the work had not been completed as efficiently as we were led to believe.

Charles Darwin worshipped at this church with his mother and sisters, and attended the minister's school until he went on to Shrewsbury School; and because Dissenters were not given places at Universities he was baptised at St Chads, and at Shrewsbury School he attended Services at St Mary's with the rest of the school. While in Cambridge, and on The Beagle, his religious leanings slipped away, and although he married Emma Wedgwood, from a devout Unitarian family, he lost all his belief in a Deity.

Ministry

We have no minister but are very well served by visiting ministers and lay leaders, interspersed with regular "Circle Meetings" where we adopt a theme and celebrate it either with poetry, readings and music, or use it as a basis for discussion.
Our February Circle meeting will be attended by Mrs Ann Bartles-Smith of Amnesty International who will tell us all we wish to know about the movement, and we hope it won't be too long before we can welcome them back to our Porch on the High Street.

Contact us

Church Charity No. 234242

Chairman - Mrs Joan Hughes - telephone 01743 460333

Secretary - Mrs M Rossell - email rmrossell@aol.com

Unitarian Links

WHAT UNITARIANISM IS ALL ABOUT.

TO PROMOTE A FREE AND INQUIRING RELIGION THROUGH THE WORSHIP OF GOD
AND THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE; FOR THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY AND
RESPECT FOR ALL CREATION; AND THE UPHOLDING OF THE
LIBERAL CHRISTIAN TRADITION.



We offer gratitude for the blessings of this earth we have been given

We offer our gratitude for the measure of health we have been given

We offer our gratitude for the family and friends we have been given

We offer our gratitude for the teachings and lessons we have been given

We offer our gratitude for the life we have been given.