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The Meeting House in Kidderminster is where we worship God, or whatever name we ascribe to the mysterious 'Ground of All Being' and the spirit within each of us. This is our connection with all other forms of life and the Universe. We seek to be in harmony with ourselves and the world around us. For Unitarians, there is no fixed creed or dogma, and therefore the spiritual growth of our members, is encouraged in accordance with their own personal reasoning and conscience.
The teachings of Jesus, together with Peace, Social Justice, and the Celebration of all Life, are important to us. We do not pretend to know all the answers to life's mysteries, but are content with the faith, that there is an Infinite Power behind the universe, which is greater by far than anything we can possibly imagine.
Our Services
Services are held every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday in the month at 11.00 a.m.
Activities
- Friday Mornings: The Church is open from 10am - 12.30pm on Friday mornings for Spiritual Reflection, Refreshment (Coffee,Tea and Biscuits) and the Friendship of our Church Community.
- The Weaver's Loft: A Carpet Museum situated at the Meeting House and open each Saturday morning from March to October from 10a.m.- 1p.m. Contact Melvyn Thompson on 01562 67077 or email
- Kidderminster Operatic and Dramatic Society: K.O.D.S. meet regularly in the Church Hall to rehearse for the numerous productions they perform each year. These are usually held at The Rose Theatre in Kidderminster. Contact Secretary Jackie Rutland at www.kods.org.uk
- Rambling Group: We have a small but keen group of ramblers who take it in turns to organise monthly rambles in the lovely Worcestershire countryside. Contact Roger Mathews on 01562 850538 or email
- Kidderminster Cyclist's Touring Club (C.T.C.): The cyclists group meet every Tuesday evening during Autumn & Winter months. Contact Secretary John Preston on 01299 401005.
The Church
The church is set well back from the road and approached between lawns flanked by trees, shrubs, and flower borders. It dates from 1782, but was greatly enlarged a century later in 1882 when the striking neo-gothic frontage was added. The interior also benefitted from the 1882 improvement, with the addition of a vestibule entrance, wooden galleries and a chancel. Beautiful Stained glass windows by Hardmans of Birmingham depict the life and teaching of Jesus, and rare acaustic tiles from Jackfields of Broseley, Salop adorn the chancel walls. However, the greatest treasures within the church have to be the 17th c. carved Jacobean pulpit of Richard Baxter (which was once situated in Kidderminster's Parish Church) together with his Complete Works (18th c) bound in four large volumes.
History
New Meeting's origins reach back to the days of the civil war in England and Richard Baxter, who served as a chaplain in Cromwell's New Model Army. Richard Baxter was one of over 2000 ministers to be ejected from the Church of England in 1662, because of their refusal to conform to the introduction of a new standardised liturgy and prayer book. A further edict by parliament, forbade them from preaching within five miles of their former living. Baxter was forced to leave the town he loved, but his spirit of freedom in matters of religious belief and practise lived on in the town.
Later on in 1689, The Non-Conformists, or Dissenters as they became known, were allowed by Parliament to erect their own places of worship and Kidderminster saw the founding of the Old Meeting House beside the banks of the river Stour close to the town bridge. It was a condition of the 'Act of Toleration' that such churches were to be discreetly placed in a location set back from the road - often behind shops and houses, and Kidderminster's first 'Meeting House' was no exception.
In 1781, the much loved and long standing Minister of the Meeting House -the Rev'd Benjamin Fawcett died and the controversial appointment of a successor led to a split in the congregation. A significant minority decided that they felt unable to worship under the new Minister and on Boxing Day of that year, they took the momentous decision to leave and form their own church. Less than a year later in October 1782, the New Meeting House was formally opened in Church Street with great decency and solemnity.
Today the Unitarian congregation still cherishes Richard Baxter's spirit of freedom, and refuses to lay down fixed articles of belief in the form of creeds and dogma. Services are held on the 1st,3rd and 5th Sunday of each month at 11am. Everyone is assured of a warm and friendly welcome.
Contacts
New Meeting House
Church Street
Bullring
Kidderminster
Worcestershire.
For further information about Kidderminster Unitarians contact:
Secretary/Treasurer:
Roger Mathews
29 Woodlands Road
Cookley, Worcs
England, DY10 3TL
Telephone: 01562 850538
Email:
Our Minister Emeritus:
Our Minister Emeritus, the Reverend Ann Latham may be contacted regarding weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies or consultation on 0121 602 2091. Email:
Unitarian links
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