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Anyone who reads the publications of the denomination or who has attended the General Assembly cannot be but aware of the fact that numerically Unitarian numbers are in decline. I’m sure that many of you read the series of articles published in the Inquirer Magazine by Andy Pakula with hints on how to establish Congregational Growth. In Dublin we may have felt very smug because we have seen our congregation swell under Bill’s leadership. Just when all was well with our world Bill retired as our Minister and has returned to the Metropolis of Pontefract. In the weeks leading to Bill’s retirement the Church has been buzzing with activity as we planned a party and our surprises for our beloved Minister, people attended Church in greater numbers than ever to hear Bills last few Addresses, it was as if we were trying to stock up on Bill’s Wisdom as we faced into the reality of his departure. Church Members arranged weddings with the intention of having Bill officiate. Even the weather conspired to make the last few weeks extra special, having had three Summer’s of non-stop rain, this year brought the sunshine and long bright evenings, this weather fills us with energy and enthusiasm when we felt that life is indeed great and it’s possible to achieve great things. It has been the type of weather that tempts us to buy elaborate barbeques, garden furniture and sun cream. Then on the stroke of mid summer Bill has left and we as a congregation are faced with our own mountain to climb. For those of us who love the long summer evening it may seem that we are indeed heading into darker days. So how can we negate our dark thoughts how can we look positively and with determination to our future? Believe it or not there are many positive factors we can consider. In 2002 when Bill became ill, he left us as we all believed to die, so we must be really glad that this leaving does not have the black clouds of terminal illness hanging over it. This leaving will allow Bill time to enjoy his life without the responsibilities of this Church. I recently put our Baptism records on a data base, over the years a pattern emerged, a new minister came, with the passing of the years the handwriting became shaky then more and more difficult to read in the end it became illegible and then the circle began again with a new Minister…. I’m glad Bill has left us when he is fit and well. The growth that Bill fostered so wonderfully had begun before Bill came as our Minister. In the four years following the Ministry of Kenneth Wright all the services were taken by the members of the Church and the congregation had begun to grow. I first attended this church towards the end of that period and there was a really positive energy in the Church. I was amazed at the quality of the Services provided by the members of the Congregation. I hadn’t heard Bill’s Candidating Service, I did attend one service given by a Minister from the North, it was quite a memorable experience, preaching bands and pulpit thumping! Then when I heard the “Great News” that Bill had agreed to become the Minister, my reaction was one of horror. It took me a long time to realise that “hell fire and damnation” didn’t feature in Bill’s repertoire. So we know that the members of the Church are capable of running the Church. The acceleration of growth in Dublin can to a great extent be attributed to the quality of Bills Sermons, addresses that were full of insight, knowledge and wit. But also and importantly Bill came to Dublin at an opportune time. The dominant Religion in Ireland has lost many members because of scandals within the church and we have attracted people who are actively looking for a spiritual refuge. Irish people are still by and large Church Goers, attending Church is part of the regularity of life. Let’s not forget that Bill spent four years working in the Unitarian Church in Wakefield. Two years as student minister and two as Minister, during that time despite Bill’s insight, knowledge and wit the congregation in Wakefield did not grow. A real positive for this Church is that Irish People still feel a strong need to belong to a spiritual community. Another factor in our favour is that during Bill’s Ministry, this Church has run like a well oiled machine. The smooth running is due to the huge number of individuals who give of their abilities and actively participate in the life of the Church. In this list I hope I don’t leave anyone out: Kevin our caretaker, the welcomer, the provider of flowers, the reader, the Sunday Club Leader and volunteers, the people who take Services, the Organist, the Choir, musicians, the Coffeemakers, the leader of the Meditation Service, the rota co-ordinator, the publisher of Oscailt, the poster organiser, the Information co-ordinator, the Web Manager, putting notices in the Irish Times, the Catering Crew, the Management Committee, the finance committee and now the Ministerial Search Committee. Over the past two years social groups have established themselves within the Church, we have a film club, book club, walking club, exercise group, meditating group, and an active interfaith group. There is a wealth of talent here more than one hundred people are involved in running the Church. All of these people have helped Bill in his Ministry, of course all of these people would be wasting their time if we did not have a Congregation sitting in the seats at Sunday Services. As we continue the journey of this Church we do so with this infrastructure in tact. This is a time of transition for us and we need a time of transition. If we could wave a wand and have a new Minister appointed next month, imagine how difficult it would be for that Minister. I think their task would be well nigh impossible. That person would face a Church full of glum faces all fervently wishing that it was Bill Darlison in the Pulpit. It is not my intention to try to replace Bill. I hope that having worked with Bill for three years that in some way that I can provide a thread of continuity as we head into the future period of change. I hope I will be given the support of the community and that in 2012 or before it that Providence will answer our prayers with the gift of a Minister who will lead us as we continue to grow and flourish as a Congregation of Faith. I have agreed with the managing committee that I will take two services each month, for a period of eighteen months until February 2012. The other services will be taken by members of the Congregation or by visiting Ministers. In the weeks to come we will hear very different voices from this pulpit. The content and style will be different, some services will be more polished than others. It is natural that some services will have more appeal, we will all have our own favourite service takers. Please put these preferences aside and come to every service that you can. If we work together we can emerge from this inter regnum a stronger and more vibrant community. I hope that people will offer to take services or part of a service, either the opening part or the address. I hope that old hands that felt they could safely retire with Bill at the helm will resume “preaching mode” and that new voices will offer to share their gifts and perspectives with us. In the Autumn we will arrange a group to discuss service topics and to plan services. As the Irish adage says “Ni neart gur cur le ceile” Together we will be stronger. Each one of us is challenged to contribute to the work of this church. We must continue the work because more than ever our liberal message is needed. The Traditional Christian Denominations are in decline, the only religious groups that are growing, not just growing but showing phenomenal growth are the Evangelical Christian Groups and Islamic Groups. Their message is that humanity is essentially sinful and in need of redemption. The message requires conformity of belief and unquestioning acceptance by its members. Some of these religions require that members leave their intelligence outside the door before entering the Church. On a recent television programme a Pastor from one of these Churches, stated his absolute belief in the existence of evil spirits, he believed that he had experienced evil spirits, he was out walking at night at a place frequented by evil spirits and hot pebbles were thrown at him causing his skin to blister. This was viewed on national television, RTE this year; this minister preaches to a packed church every Sunday, he does the preaching equivalent of a Marathon, the service goes on for hours. The fundamentalist message stands in absolute contrast to the Unitarian Message, where we are encouraged to explore our human existence; to understand our world and to try to live a decent life. Unitarians have never set down a creed or a doctrinal statement, this is a strength of the Church, we do not have a position to uphold we can examine the perennial questions with freedom and honesty. We have the luxury that we can admit we don’t have all the answers, we welcome seekers, we welcome the broken, we honour the entirety of the human soul. I can still remember the joy I felt when I discovered my home in this community. Having given up trying to make myself fit into a particular religious mould it felt wonderful when I discovered a Church that welcomed me without any test of dogma or creed. Jennifer Flegg will soon publish a book of addresses which she gave in this Church over a number of years. The Book is called “Room for the Goats” It is important that this Church continues to exist to provide space for goats of all shapes and hues, that people know that we exist and that they are welcome here in our community. We are at the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our community. Some days I feel as if we have been abandoned by a beloved parent, then I remind myself that being a good parent is about encouraging the child to independence. It is about letting the child become an adult, it is about having confidence that the wisdom and the qualities that the parent has tried to impart are alive and growing in the child. Bill’s Ministry has given this community a treasury of wisdom, this treasure is in addition to the wisdom that exists in all religious traditions, and the wisdom that resides in each of us. I hope we can move forward into the future with confidence as a Religious community. In parenting the process of letting the child go is a gradual one. I hope that Bill will enjoy a Summer of Freedom, I hope that both he and Morag enjoy their revamped house, that they will find joy in re-establishing family ties and friendships. I hope that after a few months Bill and Morag will remember that Ryanair provide cheap flights from Leeds to Dublin and that we will always welcome them “home” to Dublin. We will always welcome Bill back to this pulpit. If or when this happens I hope that Bill will find that the Church he worked so hard to build up has continued to flourish. This will happen if each one of us makes their contribution, the most important contribution we can make is to come to Church. To maintain a vibrant Unitarian Community in Dublin is the best possible gift we can make to Bill and not just to Bill but to our community and even to this country. I have nightmares that people will stop coming here on Sunday Mornings and that I will feel responsible. I know just how huge Bill’s shoes are and that I can never fill them but then I reason that this Church is more than Bill and his erudite, wise and witty addresses. There is a wealth of talent in this church and I ask you all that you will share your talents with the community in the times ahead. These words from a poem by Guillaume Apollinaire come to mind:-
Come to the edge, he said. Bill’s retirement has pushed us to the edge, let’s face the challenge and let’s hold hands and all fly together with confidence. Amen
Rev.Bridget Spain 27th June 2010 |