History
The roots of our community lie in seventeenth century Hull - dangerous times for Dissenters. There were many occassions when worshippers had to meet secretly in private houses.
The congregation was established in 1672. The first building (1691) was in Bowl Alley Lane. The move to Park Street came in 1881 and the present building dates from 1977.
Leonard Chamberlainwas one of the first trustees. His trust still supports the Unitarian centre and the almshouses in Hull and Selby.
A notable former member of our the Unitarians was Dr. Alderson, the senior physician of Hull Infirmary in the nineteenth century..
The Ernest Penn Archive.
The Reverend Ernest Penn was a much loved and long serving minister with the Hull Unitarian Church. His ministry lasted from 1955 until his retirement in 1999. Hull Unitarians are grateful to Dr. Adrian Worsfold for his work in assembling and making available the texts of some of the Reverend Penn's sermons, which can now be presented to a wider audience and give a flavour of his work.
It is perhaps appropriate here to quote some of Adrian's thoughts on the man and his work.
"Ernest Penn, an ex-Methodist, but a long time back, was a thoroughgoing Unitarian. He was a denominationalist, but otherwise flexible in his beliefs. He had started at the Hull Church when it used a liberal Christian liturgy, and his ministry ended when the church was (compared with anywhere else in Yorkshire) relatively humanist - but it was under strain. It was theist-humanist with some liberal Christian elements. He operated according to the breadth identified of the denomination.
He gave sermons according to the old school and had a fully trained and capable speaking voice, and would need no microphone. He looked up and delivered, even though he followed the text.
His sermons give an insight into a Unitarianism that was broad in faith and focused on the denomination; well respected he nevertheless was someone within the denomination rather than being given many high level tasks and rewards for such a senior and loyal figure. He did serve on the then Development Commission, and these concerns for growth came through in much of what he said in what was always a struggle over numbers, with some good times and lean throughout."
Click HERE to go to the Ernest Penn Archive and read more.