Our Minister

Welcome

Welcome to our church community website. I hope you can easily find the information you need. However, if you have a specific question that is not answered here, please get in touch or pop in for a chat. The church is always open on Sundays for Services 10.30-12.00, or on Wednesdays 10.30-12.30 for our Unity Café. You are also welcome to attend any of the special events advertised on this website.

It has been my privilege to be minister at Horsham Unitarians since October 2021. I trained as a Unitarian minister between 2016 and 2018, having previously worked for the fire service for 25 years.

My thoughts on our Unitarian community

We are a non-traditional church and I love being part of a church community where questions can be asked and doubts expressed and held. Although as individuals we may hold a variety of beliefs, as a community we gather around the values outlined in this website and try to do good in the world. Our  church is managed and shaped by its members who encourage and support one another to contribute according to their gifts.

Horsham Unitarians seek to play an active part in the community. Transition Horsham (a group of Horsham volunteers helping to care for the environment by initiating and supporting local projects) have helped us transform part of our garden into a wildlife-friendly area; and Sussex Green Living (a small charity educating and inspiring Sussex residents to reduce their environmental impact) use our premises to raise funds for charity by recycling hard-to-recycle flexible plastics. Our Unity Café started life as a ‘warm space’ initiative and is now a popular meeting place for the church and the wider community. We also raise money for one to two nominated charities every year.

We are a progressive church and seek to be inclusive. Historically, Unitarians have led the way on many issues. The first woman to be appointed for church ministry in England (in 1904) was a Unitarian. At Horsham we have many female ministers and service leaders taking our services. More recently, the Unitarian Church was at the forefront of the movement to legalise same-sex marriages, and our church is now registered to perform such ceremonies.

If you are seeking meaning in life, peace of mind, new perspectives, and are interested in doing good in the community, then you will find supportive companionship and a spiritual home in our church.

We look forward to welcoming you. Please come as you are.

My view of Faith

I believe that we all have a faith within us waiting to be discovered and lived. For me, this is a journey that lasts a lifetime - there are no quick fixes or easy answers. I think patience is an important spiritual quality and challenging to practise in a fast-paced digital age!

I think faith is a matter of the heart. I have a sense of connection with a greater mystery beyond my understanding but which is also within myself. It has many names, but is known by some as God.

My great privilege in ministry is to share life’s joys and concerns with the people I meet.