Many members of other faiths find that their bond with others is in scriptural or creedal affirmations. That door is closed to us. Our bond is a belief that people can agree to work together for the deepening of spiritual life, the strengthening of moral character, and the improvement of society without agreeing to a set of theological doctrines. Ours is a fellowship in diversity, a band of pilgrims on the same spiritual seeking path, each having perfect freedom to follow the dictates of our individual reason and conscience to forge a living faith that will help us to follow the best that we know for the greater good of ourselves and the world.
Sue Woolley
Now in our service
Let us remember
Those gone before us
Worshipping here.
They were the bedrock,
They the foundation
And we give thanks for
What they held dear.
We who can pray now
Free from oppression
Must not forget how
Fiercely they fought.
Brightly the chalice
Burned in the darkness.
Liberty gained and
Freedom of thought.
In our thanksgiving
Do not forget that
We who are living
Now must take heed.
Treasure the past and
Look to the future
Live to the full life
In word and deed.
Gladly we raise and
Lift up our voices
Our hymn of praise and
Glory will say,
Joyful are we who
Gather together
To celebrate our
Own special day.
Bronwen Taylor, to the tune of “Bunessan” April 2001
Mid life crisis
Time affects us all in different ways.
Some open out while others hide their face,
so daunted by the changes that they fear
that they retreat, refusing to be free.
Their rigid minds embrace advancing years;
their ears are deaf, and blinkers blind their eyes.
But, left unused, our faculties decay.
existing without living, we stagnate.
How hard it is to spurn inertia’s coils,
to face our fears and fight, pursue our goals.
Youth’s aspirations fade whilst marking time.
It’s easy to neglect our heart’s desire.
But if we brave the challenges of life
and dare to seize our chances, we may find
that when we strive to gain our private dream,
we welcome change and let our spirits free.
Kath Forder, May 2000
Flying free?
How does a baby bird feel
before it makes its first, fluttering, flight?
Does it stand on the edge of the nest
looking fearfully at the void
and the ground far below,
thinking, ‘It’s too high,
My wings won’t support me.
I’ll flip. I’ll fall’?
I don’t remember how I felt
before I took my first faltering steps.
Did I cling to my mother’s embrace
looking across the expanse of carpet
to my father’s arms across the room,
thinking, ‘It’s too far,
My legs won’t support me.
I’ll trip. I’ll fall’?
Each time I face life’s challenges
I pause before I leap
and wonder if I’ll bridge that gap
between ‘now’ and what I seek;
looking at the chasm
I must cross to reach my goal;
thinking, ‘It’s too deep, too far.
I’ll miss my step. I’ll fall.‘
But with helping hands around me,
I know I’ll find the nerve
to launch myself into the void,
to trust I’ll reach my goal.
Then, like the child I was
and like the baby bird,
the woman I am now
will be
flying free.
Kath Forder, 2008