Unitarians from around the Midlands gathered on a fine October day to share our Annual Lunch at Kingswood Meeting House. Following some very time-appropriate devotions from Rev. Ant Howe, in which he recalled what we owe to our Unitarian forebears, Rev. Winnie Gordon started her talk with a moment of silence, so that those present could centre themselves, followed by the lovely hymn from the purple book Come and Find the Quiet Centre which set the tone for what was to follow.
Winnie’s message was that no matter how busy our lives are, we should try to find time to make spirituality the centre, around and through which everything else happens. It should be embedded in the fabric of our everyday lives – if it is, it will lead to enhanced physical and mental well-being.
She explained that there were three steps to making this change:
1. taking the time to connect with your spirituality
2. defining your spiritual practice
3. engaging in the practice, regularly and with intention.
By the end of her talk – which included a very useful handout, on which those present were invited to record the things they do daily, weekly, monthly and annually, which could be described as spiritual – I think we were all convinced that finding the spiritual in our everyday lives was not just an esoteric practice for the few – we could all have a go.
We then all adjourned to the schoolroom, where Jill Bowie and her team had laid on a delicious lunch. Our community was renewed, in food, faith and fellowship.