Sunday 9th February
If Jesus smiled like the Dalai Lama... reminiscing on meetings with the Dalai Lama, and a reading from his writings In our daily lives we love smiles. Hymns included Celebrate the gift of laughter by the late Rev. Francis Simons (18 in Sing your Faith).
Sunday 2nd February
York Unitarians celebrated Unitarian Youth Sunday with a Bright Lights Intergenerational service led by Claire Wilton, who is a member of Youth Panel, and asking the question As York Unitarians, what can we do to welcome, nurture and empower children and young people? Our answers were written on flames and stuck onto a chalice attached to the pulpit, hymns included From the light of days remembered (42) and Here I am all alone (60), and readings from the writings or speeches of young people Greta, Dara, Lyra and Malala.
Sunday 12th January
On Sunday 12th January about 60 people, including friends from our Scarborough, Chorlton and Dukinfield congregations, attended the service to wish our minister Nicky Jenkins well in her retirement. Nicky lead her final service and returned the ministry back into the hands of the congregation. The closing words were Blessings on you and yours, may you have the courage to seek the truth and have compassion wherever you go. Lunch was served after the service and this was followed by an entertainment mixing Nickys Scottish heritage with her time in New Zealand and the presentation of gifts.
Sunday 29th December
Serendipity - an informal well attended service with contributions from members of the congregation sharing thoughts of the old and new year. Quotations included pieces by Thomas Hardy, Robert Frost, Frederick Silver, Spike Milligan, Eily Dickinson, Neil Garrett and T.S. Eliot and many more - a real mixture of lucky discoveries.
Sunday 1st December
A service on Light in Darkness - several people lit candles to commemorate people who had kept their spark alive (a quote from Albert Schweitzer) - and we sang some appropriate purple hymnbook hymns "Joyful is the dark" (82) and "Dark of Winter soft and still" (27).
During the service a cheque was presented to Caroline Robertson of MySightYork, which has been our local fundraising charity during 2019. MySightYork helps people in York with sight loss to live well. Fundraising efforts included a concert in the spring by the U3A choir, a sponsored walk in the autumn, a book sale and collecting loose change in MySightYork's collecting boxes in the shape of pink elephants. A total of £1200 was raised.
Sunday 3rd November
A service by Rev Nicky Jenkins remembering the dead on All Souls day, particularly family members whom we have lost. We wrote the names of loved ones on a silver star and placed it in the sky - a strip of dark blue material spread into the chancel, so that their light may always be with us, referring to the Maori Matariki festival relating to the star cluster of the Pleiades. Readings included All Souls by May Sarton and All is Dukkha by Elizabeth Tarbox.
As well as remembering the dead on All Souls day there was a collection for the living of tins, cereals, toiletries and underwear for Carecent who provide breakfasts and other necessities for the homeless in our neighbouring Methodist church down the street, which has wonderful spacious accommodation. Somehow this year we had forgotten to have our usual tin harvest, so at the instigation of our chairman we put out an appeal a week before which produced a excellent collection of goods.
Lovely music, hymns, and coffee and cake with conversation afterwards.
Sunday 6th October
The annual membership service was held in the York Chapel, with four new members able to attend. A fifth new member will be welcomed at a later date. The service included the dedication This is my church, it is composed of people like me, we make it what it is ….. it will be friendly if I am ….. Appropriate hymns from Sing Your Faith included 62 Here we have gathered and 92 Let us renew our covenant. The minister, Nicky Jenkins, conducted the service, and the membership secretary, Claire Lee, welcomed the new members, invited them to sign the membership book, and gave them each a Unitarian chalice badge.
Sunday 22nd September
A Bright Light Intergenerational service led by Claire Wilton - Not all who wander are lost. Footprints led the congregation into the chapel, and the first hymn was Open the door, step right inside. Readings from Richard Mabey, W.B. Yeats and an unknown Guardian reader. The activity was wandering with meaning with the invitation to read the small footprints around the chapel one footprints read The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes (Marcel Proust)
Sunday 15th September
A very musical Sunday where the Clerkes of All Saints choir came to support our service and sang beautiful acapella pieces by James MacMillan, Gerald Finzi, Joseph Rheinberger and Peter Aston. Service led by Nick Morrice on Me and my Shadow - an exploration of Jung and on wisdom, Sophia and folly, with a benediction written by Kathleen McTigue May the light around us guide our footsteps…..