Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House, Births & Deaths
A member of the congregation is willing to search the transcripts of the Meeting House registers, which
cover the following periods:
1. Baptisms, dedications and welcomings: 1738-1852, 1908-1932, 1939-1999
2. Burials: 1805-1852
3. Record of burials & deaths: 1938-1999
For more information, email: king.linda@virgin.net
The original Meeting House registers are held at Suffolk Record Office, Gatacre Road, Ipswich.
Rites of Passage
Because the stages of human existence are worth celebrating and marking in spiritual depth, we offer services
and ceremonies to mark the passage through life from birth to death. In all cases, we believe that the beliefs
and hopes of those most centrally concerned should be respected and reflected in what occurs. We regard honesty
and personal integrity as crucial at such important occasions. It is certainly preferable to paying lip-service
to things you don't actually believe in! Yet many people today do feel the need for something deeper, something
more spiritual, than a purely secular approach, and don't realise that there is a place - the Unitarian Meeting
House - where their needs may be met. Our only conditions are, firstly, that those involved are sincere and serious
in their intentions; and secondly, that we are not asked to say or do anything which conflicts fundamentally with
our own beliefs and principles.
Birth
Welcoming a child into the family and into the world is an occasion for thanksgiving. It is also a time for
making solemn commitments about caring for that child and raising him or her with positive, compassionate and loving
values - in accordance with the teachings of Jesus and all 'great souls'. We offer ceremonies for such occasions
when the accent is on thanksgiving and commitment on the part of parents, godparents and family members. They may
be called 'christenings', 'welcomings', 'namings' or 'baptisms'. As Unitarians, we believe that children come into
the world innocent and pure, so there is no element of 'washing away' the inherited guilt of 'original sin' - a
doctrine to which we don't subscribe. Generally speaking the ceremony takes place during the course of a Sunday
morning service. It is as a community that we welcome the child. However, we can also arrange for it to be held at
some other time if necessary. Should a family want a similar ceremony for a child who is past the baby stage - perhaps
when he or she has been adopted - we can usually oblige.
Marriage
In addition to marriages involving people from our own faith community, we are willing to accommodate couples
with a particular reason for wanting a Unitarian wedding. In particular, we try to meet the needs of couples who,
although serious and sincere in their intentions, have found it difficult to get married elsewhere. For example, we
don't see a previous divorce as, in itself, a bar to getting married again in a religious setting. Also, we try to
accommodate 'inter-faith' couples who are committed to having a religious ceremony, especially in situations where
neither partner's own faith community is prepared to marry them. And although our own tradition is rooted in liberal
Christianity, we welcome requests for ceremonies of a more generally 'spiritual' or religious humanist nature, as long
as they are consistent with our own liberal religious principles. Very often, it is precisely this category that is
catered for neither by other churches and religious organisations, nor by civil and secular humanist ceremonies. Because
we believe that the life-long commitments made in marriage are very important as the basis for family life, we are glad
to enable couples to make those commitments in a ceremony that is true to their own consciences and aspirations. As a
result we offer those getting married the maximum opportunity to be involved in planning their own ceremony. When, for
whatever reason, a couple find it more convenient to go through the 'legal' side of their wedding at a registry office,
we can still offer a religious ceremony to bless and celebrate the marriage afterwards.
Death
A service to mark someone's death and to give thanks for that person's life, is a very important part of the
mourning process for those who remain. Such services, although they may well contain a strong element of celebration,
should still recognise the grief and sense of loss that a death involves. It is not true, as someone has written, that
'death is nothing at all'! For those who have lost a loved one and wish for a ceremony that does justice to that person's
life and beliefs, we seek to provide an occasion that is honest to who he or she really was. We welcome, if required,
maximum input by family and close friends and plan the service and its content with them. Generally speaking, services
for non-members, although conducted by our minister, take place at a crematorium or cemetery chapel. We are also open
to requests to hold a funeral or memorial service at our Meeting House.
Other Occasions
Life presents us with various other times when we feel the need to invoke the spiritual dimension of
our existence; to ask God's blessing on something we are doing or to ask for help in a difficult situation. Sometimes,
a special ceremony is an appropriate way to meet this need, and we may be able to offer something. Here are one or two
examples.
Renewal of Wedding Vows - Married couples, for a variety of reasons, sometimes wish to renew the vows they made when they
were first married. We can help them with a ceremony in which they can do this, either at the Meeting House or in another
setting of their own choosing.
Adult Baptism
This is not a characteristic part of our religious practice, but sometimes an adult who was not baptised
as a child feels the need to make this personal act of commitment to the Way of Jesus. We are able to offer a liberal
Christian baptism in these circumstances.
Partnership Blessing
Although same-sex couples are now able to hold a Civil Partnership ceremony at a registry office
or other strictly secular venue, they are not permitted to include in it any religious elements. Because we feel that
same-sex couples should have the opportunity to ask God's blessing on their union and to celebrate it spiritually, we
can enable couples do this once they have been through their Civil Partnership ceremony.
Fees & Donations
We are a faith community, not a business operating on a commercial basis! Nevertheless, maintaining
our Meeting House and our ministry costs money. For this reason, we expect non-members who make use of our services and
our building to make a realistic contribution to our funds, commensurate with their ability to pay.
For a wedding or partnership blessing service we usually charge £350-00, payable in advance. This includes the services
of the minister and organist.
For a funeral or memorial service held in the Meeting House, we invite a minimum donation of £100-00, exclusive of
minister's and organist's fees.
For christenings/welcomings held during a regular morning service there is no charge, although we invite the christening
party to make a donation or to give generously when the collection is taken. If a separate ceremony is held, we expect
a donation to our funds.