Worthing Unitarians
Meet at The Friends Meeting House,
34 Mill
Road, West Worthing, West Sussex
1st and 3rd Sundays at 2.45pm
All Sunday meetings, unless otherwise
stated, are led by
Rev.
Jane Barton.
Tel.
01903 202477 - email:
barton.445@btinternet.com
1st Sunday
- themed meeting with music, reflection, readings and commentary.
3rd Sunday
- talk on a religious/ spiritual subject followed by informal
discussion.
APRIL
4 The Symbols of Easter – from sacred to secular
18 God in the Natural World: Native American and other Earth-Centred
Spiritualities`
Speaker – Historian, lecturer and writer Mark Perry- Nash
MAY
2 Living in the question ….
16 Music and The Mystic - with recorded music
For further information
please contact Reverend Jane Barton
Tele No: 01903 202477.
E.mail: barton.445@btinternet.com
top
The History of Worthing Unitarians
The Worthing Unitarian Fellowship saw
the light of day on 23 April 1964. Research undertaken by the Rev.
Graham Short then minister, of the Brighton Unitarian Church, and the
Rev. E.D Davies, London District Unitarian Church, had revealed that
there were Unitarians living and working or retired in the Worthing who
found it difficult to travel to Brighton to attend a Unitarian Service.
The Friends Meeting House in West
Worthing was available and so began a long and fulfilling relationship
with a meeting was arranged, and attended by fifteen people - The
Worthing Fellowship was born. Four monthly meetings later a committee
had been formed. A constitution drawn up and the decision taken to hold
regularly fortnightly services. Ministers and Lay Preachers in the
London area rallied round to such and extent that two years later
services were being held each Sunday as they still are today.
Early copies of the Quarterly
Bulletin ( now known as The Newsletter and published every two months )
started in 1966, show how much the new Fellowship was indebted to the
Rev Graham Short, the Rev ED Davies and the Rev Basil Viney who for
three years 1967- 1970 had pastoral oversight of the Fellowship.
In 1969 the Fellowship was recognised
by the General Assembly and entered into a period of development with a
fairly constant membership of twenty. In 1978, and for the next twenty
years , the affairs of the Fellowship were dealt with at quarterly
meetings of members, the officers being responsible for day to day
matters.
1979 was a tragic year when seven
members died among them Sam and Florrie Hellen, formerly of Mansford
Street Church , Bethnal Green who had been principally involved,
together with Olive Poole in bringing the Fellowship into being the
founding members present at the first AGM in 1965. Others present were Miss JA Badcock, Mrs EA Dawtrey, Mrs
A Furst, Mr and Mrs K Haynes, Mrs EM Hovenden, Mr and Mrs D Hutley Bull,
Mrs EW Phillips, Miss MS Preston, Mrs HD Robinson, Mrs Spears, Mrs HG
Wheal, Miss E Wilson
From 1996 to 1999 the Fellowship
formed part of the Downslink Area Ministry and for the first time there
was a designated minister Rev Johanna Boeke who was shared with Horsham
and Godalming churches. From October 1999 to 2008 the fellowship shared
the ministry of Rev Jane Barton with Brighton Unitarians. This was made
possible thanks to a generous bequest by one of the founding members
Olive Poole.. In 2007 it was realised that it was no longer feasible
for Worthing to fulfil the financial and administration demands of the
Charity Commission and it was agreed that the charity status would be
relinquished and funds transferred to Brighton for administration, in
accordance with the dissolution clause. This followed from discussion
with Brighton and they are fully appreciative of their responsibilities
both moral and financial, to sustain a Unitarian presence in Worthing.
Although she retired from Brighton at the end of 2008 the Rev Jane
Barton remains with pastoral oversight of Worthing and there remain
regular meetings at the Quaker Meeting House in West Worthing.