We are thrilled to be hosting an art exhibition by two debutant artists – Olga Hejnowicz and Emma Thickitt. Come and enjoy the artset in the peacefulness of our chapel.
Olga uses watercolour, ink and oil pastels to depict the diversity of animals in the natural world. Each piece showcases the beauty and variety of wildlife, from the cunning fox to colourful birds. Through her artwork she aims to capture the essence of these creatures and evoke a sense of connection to the world around us.
Emma is a landscape architect and an artist who has drawn inspiration from coastal landscapes while on holiday in Cornwall as well as from local walks in Staffordshire and the Peak District. In her work Emma uses colour, light and texture to capture a sense of place and landscape character. Emma works primarily in acrylics and has been a regular at Denstone Art Group since moving to the area in 2017.
See “Heritage Open Days” for the details of the opening hours.
Take an informative tour of the Grade II listed non-conformist chapel, garden, and medieval boundary wall. Learn fascinating anecdotes about people associated with the chapel, and its place in Leicester’s history, including the chapel’s school, its 19th century Domestic Mission and its connections to the anti-slavery movement. Admire the peaceful interior with its recently restored 1786 octagonal plaster ceiling and experience its excellent acoustics. Children can participate in a special trail. Check out the tombstones in Swithland and Welsh slate with revealing inscriptions.
On Saturday 14th September join us for afternoon tea from 2pm with homemade cakes, accompanied by a jazz band in the garden. We will also be hosting a special art exhibition in the chapel entitled “Great Meeting of Nature: Wildlife and Landscapes” by two emerging artists: Olga Hejonowicz and Emma Thickett.
Opening times:
Saturday, 7 Sept 10:30-16:30
Sunday, 8 Sept 12:00-15:00
Monday, 9 Sept to Friday, 13 Sept 11:00-15:00
Saturday, 14 Sept 10:30-16:30
The course will start in Autumn
This autumn, we will offer a free 8-week Mindfulness Meditation Programme (exact dates and times to be announced based on demand). The programme consists of 8 one-hour sessions partly modelled on the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy designed by Professor Mark Williams of Oxford University and Dr Danny Penman.
For the first four weeks of the programme the learning emphasis is to pay open-hearted attention to different aspects of the internal and external world. You’ll also learn how to use the ‘Three Minute Breathing Space’ meditation to ground yourself throughout the day, or whenever you feel life is running away with you. It helps to consolidate the things that you learn during the longer formal practice.
The remaining four weeks of the programme build on this work by giving you more practical ways to see thoughts as mental events – like clouds in the sky – and helping you to cultivate an attitude of acceptance, compassion and empathy towards yourself and others.
Course leader: James Locke
We have a real coup for our next folk gig at Great Meeting! “Astonishing, all-out virtuosity” says no less than the New York Times. The Ciderhouse Rebellion feat. Adam Summerhayes (fiddle) and Murray Grainger (accordion) are an internationally acclaimed folk duo. For the incredible price of £10 you can see them at Great Meeting on Saturday 19th October doors 7 pm programme starts at 8pm. Licensed bar. Hurry as tickets will sell fast!
Profound and eloquent, epic, haunting and dramatic, Masters of improvisation The Ciderhouse Rebellion sees virtuoso musicians Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger combine to produce incredible spontaneous tapestries of sound.
The pair specialise in creating music in the moment, based on traditional tunes or their own compositions – often springing from a single note, key, time signature or emotion. It’s this unusually improvisatory focus that is uniquely magical. Their quest is to create music with no conscious thought between conception and playing – always searching for the unexpected and the possibility to create a deep sonic narrative that transports the audience.
Our Chapel has been selected as hosts for this years EMU District Family Day, which will take place on Saturday 17 August 2024. A day of community, networking, worship, afternoon tea, live music, and a choice of activities for people of all ages and with varied interests.
Our new monthly group will follow David Usher’s Book “Life Spirit: For Groups and Individuals Exploring Deep Questions.” The book is designed to help us explore some of the big questions about life, and to help us reach to our own conclusions. There are several reasons why you might be interested in this course. Perhaps you find yourself asking questions about your life, and how you can live it more meaningfully, with more attention to your spiritual health and well-being, but you don’t like being told what to believe. You want to nurture your spirit, but you don’t want to compromise your intelligence. You want to be free to believe what you think is true, and not believe what you think is not true. And you want to be free to choose which spiritual practices suit you.
The book has 12 ‘stand-alone’ chapters, and our aim is to consider one chapter a month. We will meet in the last week of each month, but to allow as many different people to attend through the course of the year, we will change the day of the week each month, so look out for further announcements.
In-person in the chapel and via the Sunday Service zoom link
We have made the decision to transform our services on the first Sunday of the month into more relaxed family-friendly worship experiences. These services will centre children and young people, will be lighter in their content, and there will usually be some form of sensory/experiential prayer or meditation. It also means that the needs of children (as well as anyone who may find it difficult to remain quiet for a full hour!) will be centred.
In our services, you should never worry about needing to fidget, make a little noise, or walk around a bit, but at the Relaxed Family Services, it will be even more welcome!
And afterwards: a board game afternoon with bring-and-share lunch as usual!
What’s the better way to spend your Sunday afternoon than some board games in a good company? Come and play with us: Scrabble, Codenames, Codenames Duet, Ticket to Ride, Patchwork, Onitama, Bananagrams, Stratego, Quoridor, Camel Up, The Mind, Mindbug, Backgammon, Qwirkle, Azul, Ocean Pods, Four Corners Kaleidoscope, or Monopoly! You are more than welcome to bring your own board games too.
Additionally, we usually bring some light snacks to share so that we don’t play on empty stomachs! 🙂
Pop in for a free cuppa in our beautiful Garden Room overlooking our peaceful grounds. Come and relax, chat and connect with new people. We welcome all who are welcoming! We usually meet in the Garden Room, but on nice days over Summer we make the most of our garden and sit outside enjoying the calm oasis in dappled shade in the heart of our busy city.
What to expect: A cuppa, cakes or biscuits, and a small group (usually between 5 and 12 people) made up of people of various ages (from Uni student to pensioners) and of diverse interests. You can pop in at any time between 11am and 1pm. And if you wish you can stay for the MidWeek Recharge meditation service at 1pm.
Our Coffee Mornings are part of the Places of Welcome network.
