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Fifteen Years Older Than I Am(4th July): “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am.” Is Bernard Baruch’s remark a good basis for facing the passing years or a refusal to face the facts? How does the Church view older people?

A Heart Broken Open (11th July): Nathan Eddy from St Peter’s House ,leads a session based on the book “A Heart Broken Open: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue” by Ray Gaston.

Church Meeting[Business)] (18th July): This will be our regular Church Meeting for the transaction of business necessary for the running of the church. The agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 11th July.

What do you think?(2nd May):Margaret Edmonds introduces a discussion on a topic of general interest.

Christian Aid Video (9th May): At the start of Christian Aid Week David Garner introduces clips from the current Christian Aid video.

Church Meeting AGM[Business)] (16th May): This will be our Annual General Church Meeting for the transaction of business necessary for the running of the church including the election of Deacons. The agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 9th May.

Meet the Preacher (23rd May): Robert Cartledge leads our worship and second session today.

Coffee & Chat (30th May):An opportunity to relax over coffee and good conversation.

This is my Job (6th June): Brenda Marston talks about her job as a Social Worker working with children.

Meet the Preacher (13th June): Chris Shelley leads our worship and second session today.

Church Meeting[Strategy] (20th June): This will be a Church Meeting to enable us to discuss and reflect on the strategies necessary to ensure the long-term well being of the church. The agenda will be in the Order of Service for Sunday 13th June.

The Easter Event(7th March):A joint event between O&A and the church. Can you contribute something associated with the season, picture, own writing, poem hymn etc? Michael Welford leads this session

Work & Worship in the Bahamas (14th March): Wilston will talk about his experiences in the Bahamas where he lives and where he did his Catering Management placement last year.

Church Meeting[Business)] (21st March): This will be our normal bimonthly Church Meeting for the transaction of business necessary for the running of the church. The agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 14th March.

News of the Hideaway (28th March): An opportunity to hear from Gay Cox about how the projects at the Hideaway are progressing.

Meet the Preacher (11th April): Robert Parkinson, the minister of Didsbury Church, leads our worship and second session today.

Church Meeting[Strategy] (18th April): This will be a Church Meeting to enable us to discuss and reflect on the strategies necessary to ensure the long-term well being of the church. The agenda will be in the Order of Service for Sunday 11th April.

All about Clocks (25th April): Geoff Walker guides us into the world of clocks.

Good Friday (2nd April) at 10.30am (Joint Service with Withington Methodist Church)

Did you see?(10th January):Irene Roberts leads a discussion on TV programmes broadcast over the Christmas period.

Church Meeting[Business)] (17th January): This will be our normal bimonthly Church Meeting for the transaction of business necessary for the running of the church. The agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 10th January.

God or No God (24th January): An opportunity to discuss with our visiting preacher, Malcolm Purdy, on a topic of his choice.

Forgotten Illness (31st January): Today is World Leprosy Day. Leprosy is a disease of our time - a disease of poverty caused by a bacillus Mycobacterium Leprae (a distant relative of the TB bacillus). Most people are naturally immune but over 90% of people affected by leprosy live in developing countries where resources are scarce. Life expectancy can be reduced by 50%, mainly due to economic hardship.

Evangelism/Mission in a Liberal Church (7th February):Glen Marshall, who leads our worship today, will talk, and lead our discussion, on evangelism in a Liberal Church

Church Meeting[Strategy] (14th February): This will be a Church Meeting to enable us to discuss and reflect on the strategies necessary to ensure the long-term well being of the church. The agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 7th February.

Sing a new song (21st February): An opportunity to learn some new songs for Easter with Margaret Garner & Margaret Redhouse.

Worship at Union Chapel
November 1st – December 27th
Not Just on Sunday(1st November): Andy leads a discussion on the results of the Deacons’ survey of members earlier this year. Particular attention will be paid to what the church should be doing during the week.
How to find a Baptist minister (8th November): Gwen will explain the processes involved in calling a minister in the Baptist denomination.
Church Meeting (15th November): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 8th November.
Is God,or is God not? (22nd November): An opportunity to discuss with our visiting preacher, Malcolm Purdy, on a topic of his choice.
O broken town of Bethlehem (29th November): Christian Aid’s Christmas Appeal this year focusses on the plight of children caught in the literal and emotional cross fire of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Religious Freedom (6th December): Bryan Haymes leads this session on a topic which has occupied Baptist minds from John Smythe and Thomas Helwys onwards.
The Big Sing(13th December): From 11 – 13 December, people from all across the UK will be singing for Christian Aid. Find out why and join the fun!
Celebrating Christmas, Past & Present (20th December): End of term celebrations with the opportunity to share how people celebrated Christmas when they were young and how they celebrate it today

Talking of Many Things(6th September):Kay leads this session looking at her recent sabbatical and anything else which comes to her mind.

New Songs & Hymns (13th September): We need to learn some new songs and hymns to use in worship. Come along and make your voice heard!

Kay’s Last Sunday (20th September): A time to say our goodbyes to Kay as she leaves us for pastures new.

Church Meeting (27th September): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 20th September.

My Job (4th October): Helen Kwan talks about her job working with pupils excluded from main stream secondary schools.

Religious Freedom (11th October):Bryan Haymes leads this session on a topic which has occupied Baptist minds from John Smythe and Thomas Helwys onwards.

Meet the Visitor (18th October): We are glad that Simon Oxley is leading our worship today and we will have an opportunity to talk with him in the second session.

Meet the Visitor (25th October): It is a great pleasure to see Alison and Marc Dummer who are leading our worship and second session today. Many members will remember them from the time when Marc was studying for his PhD at NBC and Alison was working in the real world!

Church Weekend Review(5th July):For those who did not attend the Church Weekend this is an opportunity to find out what went on. For those who attended this is an opportunity to review and comment on the Weekend.

Talking about Uganda (12th July): Daniel Hodgkinson recently spent five weeks in Uganda working for an aid organisation. He will be speaking about his thoughts and experiences.

Church Meeting (19th July): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 12th July.

Church & Community(3rd May):How should a church with multi-purpose buildings use its facilities in the service of the Community? Are all potential users acceptable? What should be the balance between church and other users? When a church opens its buildings should it attempt to evangelise the other users?

Taking it Further (10th May): An opportunity to reflect on, and discuss, the themes considered in the morning worship.

Annual General Church Meeting (17th May): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 10th May.

New Songs & Hymns (24th May): We need to learn some new songs and hymns to use in worship. Come along and make your voice heard!

Imagining Pentecost (31st May): How has the coming of the Holy Spirit been represented in Art?

Church Action on Poverty (7th June): We welcome back Niall Cooper, National Coordinator for Church Action on Poverty. Niall will lead our worship and in the second session we will have the opportunity to discuss with him issues of current concern.

To be announced (14th June):This slot is unfilled at the time of going to press

Meet the Visitor (21st June): We are glad that David Goodbourn is leading our worship today and we will have an opportunity to talk with him in the second session.

Sunday Worship in Lent:Sense Making Faith - is the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland’s Lent course looking at how our various senses help us understand and develop our faith. We are drawing very loosely on the themes to look in our services at how Bible stories connect with the senses.

Christianity in a Multi-Faith Society(1st March):On 11th February the Anglican General Synod debated a motion relating to the uniqueness of Christ in a Multi-Faith Britain and what kind of witness is appropriate today. Is trying to convert people to Christianity a requirement of being a Christian? Does evangelism involve, in the final analysis, telling people that they got it wrong and Christians have got it right?

Looking at the Constitution (8th March): We need to rewrite our Constitution and will use the Baptist Union format - there are places where we need to choose options which will reflect the Church we are and want to be - this session is to look a those choices.

Church Meeting (15th March): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 8th March.

My Life (22nd March): Colin Marchbank-Smith will be talking about aspects of his life and work.

Barnado’s - Leaving Care(8th February): We welcome Michael and Enid’s daughter Ruth to talk about the work she is doing with Barnardo’s with children leaving care.

Being a parent (5th April): A recent survey for the Children’s Society found that UK children are amongst the unhappiest children globally and placed the blame on their parents This session looks at parenting today.

Godly Play(26th April):We welcome back Revd. Clare McBeath from Mersey Street Baptist Church in Openshaw who will lead our worship and introduce us to the concept of Godly play - a way of using the imagination in understanding the Bible.

Exploring Lent & Easter(11th January):An initial meeting to devise a community activity to create symbols of the spiritual heart of the church for Easter. There might also be a possible link with the Lent resource “Seeing Jesus”

Church Meeting (18th January): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 11th January.

Meet the Visitor(25th January): We welcome Hermann van Eijck to lead our service and second session. Hermann is a student at NBC and based at Didsbury Baptist Church.

Singing for All (1st February): An opportunity to learn some new songs and revisit some old ones.

Fear of Children (8th February): A survey for Barnados (October 2008) revealed that 43% of all adults believe that “something has to be done to protect us from children.” A chance to discuss the way adults feel about children today.

Pressing Matters (15th February):An opportunity to discuss what matters to us as a Church, so as to feed in to decisions made at Church meetings.

Fuzzy Church (9th November): Michael Welford leads a discussion on models for the church. He builds on ideas outlined in the last and present issues of Christward.

Church Meeting (16th November): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 14th September.

Faith & Unity (23rd November): We welcome Rosemary and Richard Kidd to lead our service. Rosemary will lead the Second Session on her work with the Faith and Unity Department of the Baptist Union.

Hospitals in Nigeria (30th November): Victor will tell us about his visits to Nigeria to work in hospitals there.

Stained Glass for Christmas (7th December): Beryl and Michael lead a practical session preparing decorative panels on a Christmas theme.

Watch this Space (14th December): Not confirmed at the time of going to press.

Carol singing (21st December): Continuing the Christingle Service through coffee, mince pies and carol singing.

A New Start(7th September):The first second session of the new term but what kind of ‘start’ will it be? Come along and find out.

Slave Museum follow-up (14th September): Some members willvisit the Slave Museum in Liverpool on 13th September. This session will be a time for all of us to reflect on what was learnt.

Church Meeting (21st September): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 14th September.

Harvest - WaterAid (28th September): David Redhouse will talk about WaterAid and his recent experiences in Cameroon

Living the High Life (5th October): Come and hear about Beryl Dykes’ recent fabulous trip on the QE2

Singing for All (12th October): Learn and enjoy some new songs and also reprise some old ones.

Governance in Africa (19th October):The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in 2005 identified four positive trends on the road to creating capable states in Africa: democratic transitions, political inclusiveness, voice and accountability and economic management. How far have these trends progressed? Is good governance in Africa an achievable goal?

Meet the Preacher (26th October): Revd Eric Bray will be leading our worship and speaking in the second session,

Our theme is water and we are supporting Water Aid, so we are pleased to welcome David Redhouse to talk in the Second Session.

We will have had our International Evening on Saturday On Sunday we focus particularly on Africa & China. In the second session we will look at Governance in Africa.

Past Slavery: An Apology (11th May): The Baptist Union Council recently made a statement of apology for any past involvement, or benefit from, the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This is an opportunity to hear about the North West Baptist Association’s Forum meeting that discussed the issues involved, the reactions to the apology and the question of where we go from here.

Church Meeting AGM (18th May): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 11th May.

Meet the Visitor (1st June): We welcome Peter Oakes from Didsbury Baptist Church to lead our service and Second Session.

Present Slavery: Responses(8th June):Despite all we know of past abuses, slavery is still a reality in many places. We will focus on the CHASTE campaign which seeks to unite churches in campaigning against sex trafficking.

Did you see?(15th June): We look or listen together at some popular topical item - a TV soap, a film, a book, music, whatever.

Bullying in Churches (22nd June): The Regional Minister’s Conference this year heard from Revd. Sheila Martin who is doing a Masters focusing on Ministers who are bullied in their Churches. She has had an extraordinarily rapid and engaged response to a questionnaire she sent out - This session gives time to feedback and reflection on what seems to be disturbing news, as well as some of the work going on to fix such difficult situations.

Church Weekend (29th June): Union Chapel Church Weekend 27 - 29 June, Beechwood Court, Conwy. Theme: Faith. Contact Andy or Beryl for details.

Meet the Visitor (9th March): Revd Dr Brian Haymes who led our service will also lead our second session.

Church Meeting (16th March): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 9th March.

My Life (30th March): Lorna will talk about her work and some of the changes occurring in Cancer Services

Social Trends (6th April): Social Trends draws together statistics from a wide range of government departments and other organisations to paint a broad picture of our society today, and how it has been changing.

North West Air Ambulance Trust (13th April): Tunde and col-leagues will tell us something of what is happening with the Trust

Home is.....(20th April): What makes a place home? What’s it like to come to a different place and culture? A chance to reflect on our different experiences.

Belief as a natural phenomenon (27th April): What is religion and how did it evolve? It comforts some and inspires them to magnificent deeds. For others it becomes a consuming obsession and leads to terrible deeds. Is it a genuine human need or an addiction? A brief look at two books by Daniel Dennett and Lewis Wolpert.

Show & Tell : Iceland (6th January): A chance to see and hear about Iceland from Beryl Dykes
Reflection on a Bible passage (13th January): Steve Roberts
reflects on a Bible passage of his choosing.
Church Meeting (20th January): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 13th January.
Joint Service (27th January): To mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity we join Platt Lane & Ladybarn Methodist Churches for a joint service of worship at Platt Lane Methodist Church. The time is to be announced
Considering Communion (3rd February): A further session to consider issues around Communion
O & A (10th February): O&A - Opportunities & Activities is an Adult Education Initiative running regularly in the Chapel. This is a chance to hear from organisers, tutors and students about what goes on and what it means to them.
Meet the Visitor (17th February): Our service today will be led by a former minister of Union Chapel, the Revd John F V Nicholson.
John has been Ecumenical Officer for England and Area Superintendent for the North Eastern Area of the Baptist Union. In our second session, Taking it Further, there will be an opportunity to discuss with John some of the issues raised in his sermon.
Good News (24th February): What was the Good News? How was it reported and how do we understand it now?

Christmas Squares (4th November):Beryl will lead us in creating artistic squares for a Christmas display

The Pity of War (11th November): A look at the subject of war as seen through the eyes of three artists, Goya (3rd May 1808), Spencer (The Resurrection of Soldiers), & Picasso (Guernica).

Church Meeting (18th November): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 9th September.

Prayer from a Nigerian Context (25th November): Rachel and Tunde will be looking at the meaning and practice of prayer from the perspective of the Nigerian Christian.

Advent Reflection (2nd December):We will be welcoming Revd. Sue Thompson to preach and lead our second session on the theme of Advent. The second session will be a time for quiet, reflection, thought, and activity around the themes of the Advent Season.

News for Today (9th December):What’s in the headlines today- what matters and why? Read the paper, listen to the news and come ready to discuss

Good News (16th December):What was the good news? How was it reported and how do we understand it now?

Coffee and Carols (23rd December): A time to relax and look forward to Christmas.

Christmas Squares (4th November):Beryl will lead us in creating artistic squares for a Christmas display

The Pity of War (11th November): A look at the subject of war as seen through the eyes of three artists, Goya (3rd May 1808), Spencer (The Resurrection of Soldiers), & Picasso (Guernica).

Church Meeting (18th November): Agenda will be published with the Order of Service for Sunday 9th September.

Prayer from a Nigerian Context (25th November): Rachel and Tunde will be looking at the meaning and practice of prayer from the perspective of the Nigerian Christian.

News for Today (9th December):What’s in the headlines today- what matters and why? Read the paper, listen to the news and come ready to discuss

Good News (16th December):What was the good news? How was it reported and how do we understand it now?

Coffee and Carols (23rd December): A time to relax and look forward to Christmas.

Worship at Union Chapel

March 4th – April 22nd

Keith Hobbs (4th March): An opportunity to talk to Revd Keith Hobbs, who leads this morning’s worship about a topic of his choosing.

The Israeli/Palestine Wall (11th March): DVD and discussion about the implications of the dividing wall built by the Israelis.

Church Meeting(18th March): - Agenda will be published with the Order of service for Sunday 11th March

The Slave Trade (25th March): Today is the bicentenary of the passing of the Bill to abolish the Slave Trade. We shall consider some of the questions on the Slave Trade which are raised in the current issue of the church magazine

Pressing Matters (1st April): this is one of our occasional opportunities to discuss current church matters. This time we’ll talk about the buildings and how we use them. There are many people using the building at different times- how do we balance our needs and the use of the building? How also do we get to know who’s who and what they contribute to our life?

Easter Sunday (8th April): No second session

Sunday 15th April: No second session

Considering Communion (22nd April): Kay is finally tackling the last leg of her Master’s -the dissertation - it’s going to be on Communion and I’ll be looking at some Baptist history and at our practice here. This session will be a time to start examining some of the issues.

Did You See? (7th January): David Garner will lead us in consideration of a TV/Radio programme or book/film of current interest

Church Meeting (14th January): Agenda will be published with the order of service. The Meeting will be followed by a simple lunch + reflection time

Home Mission (21st January): - A chance to hear about the current work of the Home Mission department

Joint Service at Ladybarn Methodist Church (28th January): A Joint Service to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Please note that this service starts at 10.30am.

Taking it further (4th February): An opportunity to explore some of the ideas considered in the morning's sermon.

Using Your Talents (11th February): Charlie Watts will talk and lead the discussion. The session will be followed by a simple lunch + reflection time

How to meditate (18th February): Rosetta Wilson will talk about the do's and don'ts of successful meditation.

The God Delusion (25th February): Alan Redhouse will lead a discussion based on Richard Dawkins' book 'The God Delusion'. 'Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?' (Douglas Adams)

How does ritual help us to mark and remember significant times in our lives?
What's important to you and can it be described as a ritual. An opportunity to share ideas and discuss together.

David & Margaret garner will be leading a discussion on the book
''The God we never knew' by the theologian Marcus Borg

This session will be led by Eric Bray who was minister of Union Chapel until his retirement 5 years ago.

An opportunity to find out more about the Samaritan organisation, what Samaritans do,
how they have changed since they were formed, and how they are trained.

An Advent Carol Service, time to meet old & new friends and then share a buffet lunch together

Church Meeting (10th September): Agenda will be published with the order of service

Pressing Matters (17th September): - The Deacons have been having some interesting discussions on the nature and challenges of how we live and worship as Union Chapel - this is an opportunity to feedback that discussion and to continue it with the wider congregation.

Flickering Images - Film & Theology (24th September): There have been some great films out this year which explore issues of interest to many. They are not 'religious' films but do they explore theological themes? If so, how and what relevance do they have for our understanding of God. Come and explore this topic together.

How liberal can you be? (1st October): Within every denomination there is a spectrum of beliefs from happy clappy to wishy washy liberal but can you be too liberal? This session gives you the opportunity to state your views.

Harvest (8th October): Harvest Service - Body and Soul - the BMS Appeal this year focuses on the Karren and Karreni refugees, forced out of Burma into camps in Thailand. BMS works on Agricultural projects using the limited space available in the camps, as well as the spiritual needs of the people. As we celebrate Harvest we will also share a lunch together.

Clare McBeath (15th October): Today we welcome Revd.Clare McBeath to lead our worship and speak about Communion. Clare is a Minister at Mersey Street, Openshaw and involved there in Community Regeneration. She has done a lot of work on liturgy and with her colleague Tim Presswood has a book due out this month called 'Crumbs of Hope" on the subject of worship in the inner city.

Hebrew Women in Art(22nd October): A look at some of the representations of some important Hebrew women in painting and sculpture.

Annual General Church Meeting (14th May): Agenda will be published with the order of service. Election of deacons and officers.

What's Acts all about (21st May):.An overview of the Acts of the Apostles. What happens and why.

The Purpose of the Church part II (28th May): Continuing our discussion on the challenges facing the church in today's world. Michael Welford, who is attending a course at NBC where this topic

The Church in the City (4th June): Brian Haymes will talk about his work at Bloomsbury Central Church as they explored what it meant to be a 'Church in the City'.

Film & Theology (11th June):.Graham Sparkes from Baptist Church House will be leading our worship and speaking in the second session

Incarnation (18th June): Begotten not made; being of one substance; God as man; a second Adam; the Word made flesh. Do atonement and salvation depend on incarnation? What does it all mean? No clear answers promised but hopefully some insight.

Pressing matters - Being the Church (25th June): Feedback from Deacons' discussions on this topic.

Church Meeting (9th July) ): Agenda will be published with the order of service

Church Meeting (8th January): Agenda will be published with the order of service.

Anabaptist Spirituality (15th January): Margaret & David Garner will share some of what they are learning at a workshop which has an emphasis on Anabaptist approaches to spirituality.

Joint Service (22nd January): To mark the end of the Week of prayer for Christian Unity we are holding a Joint Service with Ladybarn and Platt Lane Methodist Churches. Please note this service begins at 10.30am.

Ignatian Spirituality (29th January): Michael Welford updates us with the exploration of Ignatian Spirituality.

Pressing Matters (5th February): This session allows us time to consider general matters which we might wish to discuss during a Church Meeting but for which there is never enough time. This cycle we shall be looking at the topic of money. This is a chance to explore some of the issues around money matters. Who do we give to, who will we accept grants from and why?

Celtic spirituality (12th February): Following a group service on the theme of pilgrimage, which is a strong element of Celtic Spirituality, Hannah Kidd will be picking up on some other elements. This may involve rope and creating Celtic knots!

Buddhism (19th February): Gwen Mattock looks at Buddhism in an occasional series on the great world religions. Buddhism is the majority religion in Nepal where we have link missionaries.

Mission matters (26th February): What are our BMS link missionaries, the Craighead family, doing in Nepal? What is their life like and how can we support them? This session provides us with a chance to think more about what our link means and to plan some live contact.

The Desert Experience (5th March): We start Lent with an exploration of the desert experience. Why did Jesus go out into the wilderness at the start of his ministry? Why have others done exactly the same in later centuries? Is there something to be found in that experience of barrenness or is it irrelevant in our day?

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