Our Minister

Our Minister - June Pettitt

Whilst I am writing for this edition of our Calendar, at the same time I am looking at a copy of our first edition, which is now nearly 50 years old (December 1959). Many thanks to Dennis Nichols, who has brought this copy to our attention.

In this first edition, Trevor Jones, (then Lay Pastor at Underbank Chapel) wrote about the symbol of the Flaming Chalice, which was printed in red on the front page. Trevor explained how it was “quickly becoming the symbol of Liberal Religion both in England and the U.S.A. among Unitarian and Universalist Churches”.

Fifty years on we can see how important this symbol was to become. We now light a chalice in our services - I have led worship in a number of our other churches in the past year and lit a chalice in each one, just as we do in ours. Look at the chalice (the cup or base) on our symbol and note its significant shape. It is wide, not narrow, thus implying sharing amongst the people. The flame may remind us of, ‘the light of truth, the warmth of love and the fire of commitment’. Yet this is only one suggestion. Like any good symbol, its meaning has never been confined to one, fixed interpretation.

Our chalice at Underbank clearly connects the past with our present and I have no doubt, it also connects us with our future. Trevor wrote in 1959, “Let us hope that this new venture of our Chapel Calendar will prove to be of great value in augmenting our own ‘flame’ of belief and witness in Stannington”. Long may it be so, Trevor!