OUR SERVICES (GATHERINGS)
Our welcoming, inclusive services are currently held in person once a month (on the third Sundays) at 4pm. We also hold online Zoom services on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month at 4pm. (Details are available from the minister).
THE WAY WE WORSHIP
We understand ‘worship’ according to the verb’s original Old English meaning – to recognise worth. In this sense, ‘worship’ is something everybody already does – albeit usually unconsciously. The question for us all then becomes not “Should we worship?” but “What should we worship?”
Not everyone these days believes in God as traditionally understood but almost all of us recognise a natural desire to celebrate what is good about life, humanity and the Earth we share. Most people also know that human encounter is preferable to a life of isolation. Our Sunday gatherings are therefore a celebration of community and the meanings we find.
Services follow what may seem at first glance a fairly typical ‘Nonconformist’ format with prayers/words for reflection, hymns and readings plus a talk from the person leading – usually our minister. Readings chosen are drawn not only from the Bible but from any source that is found to be meaningful – poetry, literature, non-fiction, or even the scriptures of other world faiths. This reflects the Unitarian conviction that truth comes from many sources – including of course our own personal experience.
A less familiar feature of the service is the lighting of a chalice flame at the beginning of each gathering. The flaming chalice is the internationally-recognised symbol of the Unitarian movement – the flame representing the light of truth, and the chalice representing the communal dimension.
As a non-dogmatic community, the intention is to help each person deepen their own faith in Life/God/Spirit according to their own best understanding. Our evolving tradition is therefore not a straightjacket but something that is free to change and develop.
Our services celebrate the positive values we share rather than requiring those present to conform to a creed.
coming up soon …
Our Minister:

Meet our Minister, Rev. Matthew Smith
The Rev. Matthew Smith became our Minister in October 2014 having previously worked as Information Officer at Unitarian Headquarters in London for fourteen years before a stint in local government.
Where we meet:
Our Unitarian Meeting House | Chapel
We welcome you to enjoy this beautiful historic space which has been a place of quiet reflection and celebration for centuries.
Rites of Passage:
Weddings, Naming Ceremonies & Funerals
We perform personalised wedding ceremonies, including same-sex couples, naming ceremonies and funerals with a special gathering of friends and family.
PODCASTS
Please click on the links below to download an MP3 audio file. These are all recordings from our Chapel.
Thoughts on Pain (reflecting ideas of Eckhart Tolle)
How should I know? (I'm only the minister)
At home with diversity
Is Individualism enough? Part 1
Is Individualism enough? Part 2
John Goodwyn Barmby - Suffolk Radical and Unitarian
The Arc of History & marks on our laundry (James Reeb & Martin Luther King)
A Cross or a Dove? Early Christians & Paradise
Grateful is more than thankful?
Gas, Fizz & Freedom
Religion is a love story
FRIENDS OF THE MEETING HOUSE
We are currently seeking to develop a Friends of the Meeting House scheme.
If you would like further information, please contact the current minister, Rev. Matthew Smith
Unitarian Site Links
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
The National Unitarian Fellowship
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Unitarian Church in Hungary’s Links Page (hundreds of links)
100 Questions that Non-Members Ask About Universal Unitarianism
The Send A Child To Hucklow Fund
Other Links
To sample some other ‘religious’ and ‘non-religious’ movements, too – try these:
Christian Sites:
The World Community for Christian Meditation
The Progressive Christianity Network for Britain & Ireland
Sea of Faith Network
The ecumenical community of Taizé
Radical Faith
Retreat Communities:
The Iona Community
Findhorn Foundation
Haughland House Retreat Centre
Othona Community at Burton Bradstock
Buddhist Sites:
Community of Interbeing
Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship
Pantheist Sites:
World Pantheism Movement
Taoist Sites:
Taoism Initiation Page
Sufi Sites:
The Sufi Way
Religious Freedom:
International Association for Religious Freedom
Green Spirituality:
GreenSpirit
Other Sites of Interest:
Dances of Universal Peace
INNER BOOKSHOP
The Faith Column – New Statesman website
Inspirational DVD by Neale Donald Walsch
Framlingham Unitarian Meeting House
Bridge Street, Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9AJ