MEET THE MINISTER

The minister at Kendal is Reverend Celia Cartwright, who took up her post
on 1st June 2006.

She is available in her office at the chapel (just through the main gate and on the left), Tel: 01539 737 021, at least on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10am & 12.30 if you would like to phone or call in for a chat. She is available at other times on 01539 733403, or you can email Celia direct by clicking here. Please contact her if you would like to discuss a wedding, baptism or funeral, or for any other reasons.

Hello. It would be tempting to simply tell you about the things I have achieved in
my 55 years - that I have two wonderful children, and was divorced in 1983;
that I have a degree in Theology and Religious Studies, gained in 1997 and a
Diploma in Counselling (2003); that I have been a qualified minister for 9 years
and was a Lay Pastor, Lay Leader in Charge and a Lay Preacher before that
(just to confuse you with the array of titles) - but would that tell you anything
about what kind of a person I am? So let me tell you a few things that may tell
you far more than my academic qualifications and Unitarian leadership history.

I was born in 1951 in Lancashire, but - due to my father's regular promotions in
the business world - before I was 17 I had lived in 6 counties up & down England;
all of which made me somewhat insecure, a trait that will still trip me up from time
to time. I grew up in a close and comfortable family, with mum, dad, two younger
brothers and a collie dog "Meg", who was a shining examply of patience and gave
unconditionally of her love and guidance! I had wonderful grandparents, and knew
my dad's parents best, sharing precious time with both of them - they were my
stability in childhood - and from my grandmother I learned to care, to love widely
and to trust. From my grandfather I learned how to laugh, at the world and at
myself - valuable lessons I hope I shall always cherish.

Unitarianism was also a strong thread that bound me safe as I grew up.
The family belonged to 6 congregations as we moved from place to place, and
from these various groups I learned the value of community, and more about loving,
generosity and the need for understanding and respect. At the age of 18, I stopped
going to chapel, but Unitarianism never stopped being part of me. When, at the age
of 34, newly divorced, newly moved to the West Country from London, and in a
new job, I lost my younger brother in a car accident, it was into the open and
welcoming arms of a Unitarian congregation I fell. It was these folk who held
me through the darkest times, holding me lightly while I sought to understand.
My experience of this time was a major part in my call to ministry.

I am a minister because I understand the need to be a part of a community; to
search out the way on our spiritual path; to be accepted just as we are, pain, joy
and all. We all have gifts we must share or see shrivel; mine, it seems, is the gift
to be able to minister. I hope my ministry is open and available and that it provides
the avenues needed for the growth and development of others. I hope I am loving,
respectful and lead gently, not from the front, but from the middle, where we
share our insight and our growth.

Celia Cartwright