The Old Meeting House is the oldest Nonconformist building in Tenterden and was built in 1746. The Unitarian Church grew out of the priests being thrown out of St. Mildred’s Church in 1662 because they refused to conform to the Act of Uniformity, which mandated the use of the newly revised Book of Common Prayer and acceptance of episcopal ordination and the Thirty-Nine Articles. So since 1662 there has been a Unitarian presence in Tenterden, and the church has provided the town with several mayors in the past.

We are not alone in having an aging and declining congregation, nearly all denominations are affected in the same way. But it would be a shame for the town of Tenterden if such an historic building was to be closed and Unitarianism lost to this part of Kent.

It is also becoming difficult to provide Service Leaders for every 1st and 3rd Sunday throughout the year. So the calendar of services in 2027 may not be as comprehensive as it has been in past years. Notice will still be given of services coming up in the next 4 to 8 weeks, but there may well be less detail about who will lead them and what the theme of the service will be.

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We have received the very sad news that Pete Sanders died on 4th October. He was a regular and much-loved service leader at Tenterden, coming up regularly from his home at Rye. For many years the mainstay of the Hastings Unitarian Church congregation and Chair of their Trustees, he will be much missed. A Memorial Service is to be held at Hastings Unitarian Church on a date in November to be announced.