And we're off!

I have a glass cutter and goggles - I'm in!!

So wrote Karen in commenting on a Facebook posting of mine on the Staffordshire Unitarian group page. Sounds like we could be planning some sort of jewel heist or doing a bit of house-breaking. We are actually planning a stained glass workshop led by my friend Lorna who lives in Hove. We were best friends when we were 16 and have stayed that way for over 40 years. Our lives have taken quite different paths - Lorna is a teacher and an artist. She seems to be able to pick up skills to do a variety of artistic things very easily - I am not hopeless but I wouldn't make a living out of it. But we do share things - we are both joiners and we are both people who get passionately involved. And we like to know about each others' lives and the people in them.

Thinking back to last Sunday and our coming of age ceremony for C, and I make the link with our plans for a stained glass workshop. Although there are people who have found themselves at our door through a focused search - I am one such person - there are many others who come because their friend or a family member does; or they come along to a wedding or a funeral; or join us for a social or a walk. At every opportunity we are each, as individuals and as a group, the public face of Unitarianism. We are all ambassadors. Which means that we must

• Talk about our Unitarian communities with enthusiasm but also be prepared to listen to the deep yearnings of others;
• Have highly enjoyable events and activities to invite people to;
  
• Be creative with our ceremonies and rites of passage; and
• Invite people along.

This is not just about finding new members but about believing that there are people who need what we have to offer if they but knew. It is also about people being touched by a loving and open faith community, with no expectation of anything more. A Unitarian community, as any other, is where networks collide. This should provide us with abundant opportunities.