#BELIEVEINGOOD
Looking for community, reflection, and connection, where all are welcome irrespective of belief? Join us for a new series of all-accepting Sunday gatherings starting at the end of March 2025. Next one is 04 May - scroll for details and more dates.
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ABOUT​
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Brum Unitarians is a radically inclusive community meeting weekly in the centre of Birmingham, with a 300+ year history of social action. We are focused not on what we believe (plenty of us are atheists) but instead on the values we share, and the way we can best live those values out in the world.
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In ​2025, we're starting a new series of 'non-religious' Sunday gatherings open to people of all faiths and none. We believe there's good in gathering together, singing together and sharing time together, and we're focused on being inclusive of all. A bit like a church where everyone’s welcome, including atheists, and where inspiration is taken from sources other than religious texts.
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Join us if:
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You have a gap in your life you'd like to fill with more community and connection
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You like the idea of a space in your week to bring you back to yourself: a space to step away from the practicalities of work, caring, consumerism, etc and to reflect more consciously about what you are doing and who you are being in the world
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You have an interest in religion and/or spirituality but haven't found a place that feels comfortable for you
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The idea of a children's programme examining their values, the world around them and how they fit into it appeals to you for any child/ren in your life
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The first six of these gatherings will take place on:
30 March // 6 April // 20 April
04 May // 1 June // 6 July
On these dates dedicated childcare activities will be available during the gatherings, professionally-led, at no cost. There'll be tea, coffee and chat at the end.
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Whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever you believe or don't believe, whatever your background, the colour of your skin, whoever you love: there is a place for you here.
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Our building is wheelchair accessible and has an induction hearing loop, and we are welcoming of all diversities including neurodiversities. If you have any accessibility needs that you want to discuss before attending, please just get in touch.
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SUNDAYS / COMING UP
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What if humans focused less on religion and more on building community and changing the world for the better? We welcome people of all beliefs, including those who don't identify with any religion. What matters to us is the values we share and the way we try to live those out in the world. Our focus is on honest inquiry and practical change, rather than dogma or rigid belief systems. Our gatherings bring people together to explore life's big questions, drawing on wisdom from multiple traditions, our ethics and our own life experiences. Amongst our community in Birmingham, you can find all sorts of people, from committed atheists through to those who have specific faith heritages like Christianity or paganism, and yet others who take an eclectic approach to faith. We put less emphasis on formal beliefs and more on connection, meaning and practical living.
If you walk into one of our Sunday gatherings, you’ll find a welcome, a time to greet others, a
time for silence and meditation, a time for sharing joys and sorrows, excellent music, and a
message delivered by our minister or a guest visitor / lay member. So it may look a bit like
what you might recognise as a ‘church’ service, but without the traditional religious elements
and language which go along with that.
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All our gatherings are a space for everyone, from 0 to 99+. Children's laughter, cries and conversation are welcome expressions of their presence. There are always toys and books in the lobby for children to explore, whatever the week. There's tea, coffee and connection straight after.
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And during our newly launched non-religious gatherings (scroll for dates), there will be professionally-led childcare provision during which the children will explore the theme of the gathering, through an activity.
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11am. Come join!​
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A couple of advance dates for your diary:
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This week: On 20th April (Easter Sunday) our gathering is due to explore the theme of imperfection. In light of this week's Supreme Court judgment, we will be holding our trans siblings in our hearts and minds during this gathering.
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And coming up:
Who do you hate? And how's that working out for you? On 4th May, our non-religious Sunday gathering will be co-led by Rev. Andy Pakula - the minister once barred from delivering Radio 4's "Thought for the Day", for being an atheist. He'll be sharing a provocative message titled "Love Your Enemy?" Andy is a devout believer in the power of community, love and justice to transform our lives and our world. Join us for a thought-provoking session that might just open your mind (and your heart). We look forward to seeing you there! ​
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On Pride weekend, Aleks Zglińska (she/they) will be leading the 25th May Sunday gathering, themed around "Peace and protest". It will be a cafe-style gathering for all ages to honour our queer ancestors, celebrate the space we carve out together, and build connection.
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Join our WhatsApp announcements group to be kept up to date on this and other speakers and events coming up during this year, either by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below:
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https://chat.whatsapp.com/H7Eir42Tbga9Rb8JiCDDtt
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CEREMONIES
Weddings/marriage
We conduct weddings and blessings for all same-sex, heterosexual and queer unions. We believe that every relationship of love between human beings is sacred. There is no requirement to be a member of Brum Unitarians, or to hold any belief.
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When getting married here, the couple themselves are encouraged to help arrange the ceremony, choosing their own music, rituals, readings and forms of words to make it a meaningful process and ceremony for them, and a joyful and memorable occasion.
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Child dedication/naming ceremonies
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These ceremonies (similar to baptism/christenings) can celebrate a child's birth, adoption, or coming of age into the community of life on earth. They are happy and undogmatic occasions.
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Parents will be encouraged and helped to participate in creating a service that has meaning to them, incorporating rituals (new or old), and words that symbolise their wishes for their child's future.
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Memorial services / funerals
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We can provide bespoke funerals, commemoration services and memorial services to support those who wish to mark their grief at the loss of a loved one, say goodbye, and celebrate their loved one's life in community with others.
Services may include a eulogy, poems or readings, prayers or time for meditation, music with hymns/songs, personal reflection, stories and memories of the departed. We can work with you to reflect your own preferences.
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Please contact Winnie to talk more about any of these:
LEADERSHIP
Our congregation is a collaborative leadership between our committee and our part-time minister Rev Winnie Gordon (she/her) since 2014. Winnie's delivery of Sundays consciously caters for the spectrum of beliefs held by those who attend Unitarian services.
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Originally raised Roman Catholic, Winnie came to Unitarianism in 2006, seeking a place where doubts were welcome and questions encouraged, and she very quickly recognised it as her spiritual home. For Winnie, her practice as a Unitarian is a way of living a life that is inclusive, furthering fairness and equality, and seeking justice for all. She works at fulfilling these precepts in all she does: in conducting inclusive gatherings, aiding in training of 'lay worship' leaders, and in encouraging Unitarian endeavours in anti-racism work. She is also involved with the Ladywood Community Project, a local charity that aids families experiencing financial hardship and poverty.
SPACES
We have a number of spaces for hire, suitable for community groups, events and celebrations, and classes. For queries about room, hall or whole building hire, or car parking space hire, please contact:
unitariannewmeetingbirmingham@yahoo.co.uk
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FIND US
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31 Ryland St, Five Ways, Birmingham B16 8BL
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You'll find our building at the address above, just off Five Ways, - look for the one storey brick building in the photo below.
It’s accessible by any of the local buses going towards Broad Street, by Five Ways Train Station, by Five Ways Metro Tram Stop, and has easy (free) on-site parking too, though is
within the city’s clean air zone.
Contact form for car park and building rental queries
This form is undergoing testing, so if it doesn't work for you, please use the email address for space/car park hire queries instead:
unitariannewmeetingbirmingham@yahoo.co.uk
31 Ryland Street, B16 8BL
