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Where could you find, only 45 minutes from Bristol, an elegant Victorian Gothic church, packed with around 200 Unitarians, 2 ministers and a gospel singer welcoming 22 new members? The answer is in Dublin, where John and I recently spent a few days. (The 45 minutes are by plane of course.) It was easy to locate the church, facing the pretty central square, St Stephen’s Green, as it was shrouded in plastic and scaffolding - undergoing restoration through the heroic efforts of the congregation. After a typical friendly welcome, we discovered it was “Membership Sunday”, held in place of harvest Festival to gather in people rather than goods to this urban church. Below colourful windows demonstrating “Discovery, Truth, Illumination, Work” through such figures such as Columbus, Luther, and Florence Nightingale, congregation and new members pledged to continue our Unitarian traditions. The assistant minister, Rev.Bridget Spain, had a story for the dozen or more children, a jolly bearded American sang to his guitar and the chief minister, Rev.Bill Darlison, gave a short but inspiring address. He has recently written a new book, The Gospel and the Zodiac, which is proving inspiring reading. After the service we were invited downstairs to coffee in a large meeting room, thronged with lively Unitarians of all ages. It was a tremendous pleasure to enhance our holiday with such an inspiring encounter.
~ Anne Weeks
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