Page 3 - Moravian Messenger December 2019
P. 3

MYForum (Moravian Youth Forum) was a weekend of open, confident discussion about our church, bringing young people from across the British Province together at Whitemoor Lakes to learn about the church's running, engage with our own potential in the church, and to empower each other.
We really enjoyed having the speakers who came along. Br Michael Newman hosted a mock synod which was great to see the procedure at synod. Sr Zoe Taylor joined us on Sunday and led a great session on the sustainability project. We appreciated the opportunity to hear the progress so far, and to have our voices heard. Coming together to share ideas and experiences was truly valuable and I
think everyone who came has learnt something of what they could contribute to our community.
It was brilliant to have the time to get to know each other, make new friends and build connections throughout the Province. We have all come away with aspirations for our churches in the present and the future.
On behalf of everyone who attended, thank you for giving us this opportunity. We had a great time!
Sr Eleanor Noden
Royton
doing the rounds, although I never seem to get this quite right, but I mainly read them because they are good stories, exciting and immersive. I could give you a long list of books, but it is probably better if you ask a child or young person if they can recommend something for you. Or ask in the bookshop. I would suggest if you dismiss children's books as irrelevant that you read this book. It may change your mind.
Published by Bloomsberry Press this little hard back is only £6 - share it with friends and reduce the cost. ISBN 978- 1-5266-1007-2 Sr Joy Raynor
Do you read children's books? Or teen fiction?
Maybe you think you are too grown up to enjoy them, or that the language is dumbed down, or the story will not interest you. This little book, basically an essay by Katherine Rundell, sets out to explain why you can read and enjoy children's books without guilt or embarrassment. I read quite a bit of children's fiction and young adult fiction considering it important to be aware of what stories are
Once the museum was open the committee and friends set about attracting visitors and raising money. The first minutes' book shows that 760 people came in 1969 and the annual totals then grew steadily to a figure of 3,465 in 1982. Numbers declined in the following years to 1997 but only in 1990 did they fall below 900.
The Committee held two or three minuted meetings each year to take stock of the progress of the museum, discuss problems to be sorted out and fund raising. As well as coffee mornings and selling Sr Balmforth's homemade marmalade, members offered other ideas. For example, in 1976 Br Wilfred Mortimore agreed to write a pamphlet about Fulneck and the museum for distribution in the district and Sr Mollie Hillam designed notelets to sell.
The friends of the museum were an
important part of the running of the
enterprise and on 25th November 1970
forty people gathered in what was then
called the Mission Room, now the
Moravian Room, to hear a talk by the
Director of the Leeds Museum and Art Gallery Service on the position of small museums in relation to large ones. After coffee a short meeting was held in which it was decided to hold friends' evenings quarterly. The Friends' Evenings lasted for many years and the themes were on widely differing subjects. In 1954 Mr Norman Johnson came from Anglesey to talk about 'Clocks' and illustrated his talk with slides. The friends sometimes went on an outing instead of having a speaker. The museum was registered with the Museums and Galleries Commission but in 2003 it was
decided to cancel the registration because it was expensive and not good value for money.
Among all the ongoing activity there was one event which the committee could have done without. In June 1982 the building was broken into and several brass and copper kitchen items were
stolen along with a pair of china dogs, an Edwardian vase and eight dolls, altogether valued at £1,060. Most of these items were recovered and two men were charged with theft and remanded in custody.
After Sr Balmforth's passing it was decided to reform the museum committee to allow a new outlook to accommodate modern ideas in the use of the museum for education as well as visitor viewing. Wider publicity is essential to encourage this approach. To this end the tours of the settlement are carried on as well as talks about Fulneck being available to groups of any age or interest. Our annual Heritage Open Day is becoming well
known in the Leeds area and is a big part of the publicity drive.
In retrospect the decision to create a museum from the two old cottages was inspirational. Most people enjoy their visit and, whatever their interests, get a great deal from it. As Br John McOwat said at the 50th anniversary service in July, 'This is our history of which we can be justly proud'.
Sr Maureen Ingham
Fulneck
135
Fulneck Museum Part 3:
From its opening in 1969 until the present
MYForum
at Whitemoor Lakes, Lichfield 25th-27th October 2019
© Sr Maureen Ingham


































































































   1   2   3   4   5