The Sunday Assembly was started by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, two comedians who were on the way to a gig in Bath when they discovered they both wanted to do something that was like church but totally secular and inclusive of all—no matter what they believed.
The first ever Sunday Assembly meeting took place on January 6th 2013 at The Nave in Islington. Almost 200 people turned up at the first meeting, 300 at the second and soon people all over the world asked to start one.
Three years later there are 68 Sunday Assembly chapters in 8 different countries where people sing songs, hear inspiring talks, and create community together.
Come and celebrate with us and hear stories of how Sunday Assembly has created something beautiful, complete with epic songs and cake!
Come hear great talks, sing great songs and celebrate this one life we know we have!
This week’s speaker is Russell Arnott (the science guy), who’ll be speaking about ‘The Best Animal Ever’ (!). There’ll be poetry from Lisa Kelly and our house band is going to play some awesome music for you to sing along to!
“I’m going to take you back to a time when community defined where you walked and where you worked, what you did and whether or not you survived – a time when community was more than a mission statement or manifesto pledge, it was a matter of life or death. Welcome to one of the most demonised and exalted communities of all time – London’s East End.”
We’ll also be joined by music hall time travellers Underbling & Vow for an actual knees-up and the lovely Tim Wells will read us some of his poetry!
As always, we’ll get to sing some fantastic songs (this time by the likes of Blur, Pulp and Madness) and our super talented house band will be there to accompany us.
This Sunday is going to be awesome: our speaker will be Alom Shaha, author of The Young Atheist’s Handbook. science teacher, writer and film maker. He’ll be exploring how looking closely at the world, through the prism of science, enhances our appreciation of it.
Look forward to poetry by Dom Bury and singing songs by the likes of Tina Turner and Starship. As always, there will be tea & biscuits afterwards.
Come hear great talks, sing great songs and celebrate this one life we know we have!
This Sunday, Anna Hughes, cycling instructor, author and round-Britain cyclist, will be telling us about her 4000-mile, 10-week bike journey around Britain – a life-changing experience.
We will be hearing from Jeff (all the way from Sunday Assembly Los Angeles) in our “This Much I Know” slot. Our fantastic house band are back and will play some fantastic tunes.
We’re also holding a BAKE SALE in aid of the Nepal Appeal. So please bring some cake if you’re any good at baking and buy some if you’re better at eating.
Come hear great talks, sing great songs and celebrate this one life we know we have!
This Sunday, our very own Pippa Evans will explain how the principles of improvisation can be applied to live a full life. Just back from Edinburgh Festival, doing A LOT of improv, she clearly knows what she’s talking about!
There will also be poetry from Danny Scott.
Sing along to some awesome pop songs, listen to poetry, drink tea with lovely people and just have a nice time!
We have the wonderful poet Maitreyabandhu coming to share his words with us and our very own Sharon Little talking about Thinking Of You Week – an initiative by the Greeting Card Association to encourage people to write to those who we haven’t been in touch with or people who might be isolated.
Our theme for this Assembly is Justice and the headline speaker is Sarah Coope from the International Justice Mission. As the UK marks Anti-Slavery Day UK, Sarah will be exploring the challenge of confronting issues of injustice that impact the lives of the poor, including modern day slavery. She’ll discuss the hope for a better future that is emerging through collaboration, partnership and a movement of people.
We will have a poet to entertain or console us and the lovely Hannah Mottram will be ‘Doing Her Best’.
Happiness may be fleeting, but the brain can be rewired for lasting joy. Recent studies have found that by doing many of the things you are doing already – being kind to others, making and maintaining friendships and giving without asking for anything back – your brain begins to create new neural pathways around positivity and you, in turn, begin creating more joy in your life. This talk will discuss why this is the case and will introduce a simple exercise that you can do to help this process along.
We also have poetry from the awesome Julia Bird. On top of this you can join us at the end for tea and cake!
Andy Gibson thinks secular people should be able to have a spiritual life too. After launching Mindapples to help everyone take care of their minds like they take care of their bodies – he is now on a quest to help people develop their spiritual side in a non-religious way. He’ll be asking what it might mean to be spiritual without the supernatural and exploring how we can put the soul back into secularism.
Following this Assembly, we’re having another bake sale, this time in aid of Crisis at Christmas. If you like baking – bring a cake. If you like eating cake – buy and eat some cake on the day! Santa and all things yule are optional but welcome. As always, please no fresh cream or raw uncooked eggs in the icing or filling and let us know if anything contains nuts. Happy Baking (and eating)!
Before the festive break and the possibility of spending a lot of time with family members, we thought it would be good to hear from our speaker, Maria Peters. She likes people and laughing and runs personal communication workshops for people in the working world, covering topics such as conflict management, personal impact and influencing. She also teaches and performs improvised comedy.
As well as this awesome talk, we will be celebrating the Yuletide with some belters of festive songs and enjoying some much deserved tea and cake afterwards.
Join A Day Called Wonder 2015 for a gathering dedicated to celebrating life, building communities and wondering deeply. Sunday Assembly are bringing together inspirational speakers, profound thinkers and great doers who will provide you with tools to improve your life, grow your community and lead change in the world.
After a day of joyful gathering we’ll get together for an evening shindig which will carry on long into the night. The action doesn’t stop there as the next day there will be Sunday Assembly at 11 am in Conway Hall.
Visit www.adaycalledwonder.com to check out our awesome speaker line up and get your tickets today!
Celebrate summer with Sunday Assembly’s awesome band and choir
Get to the beet with a fabulous feast of seasonal sing-a-longs!
Comedy, spoken word and an EPIC raffle. Tweed and seasonal garb highly recommended
Bring a donation of non-perishable goods for our community collection. Proceeds will be distributed to local food banks, drop-in centres and homeless organisations
Come on by, and give peas a chance… Tickets £12.00 | £9.00 concessions
Join us for another awesome Sunday Assembly at Conway Hall! This week, we’ll be joined by Wired’s Olivia Solon, who will explain Why Humans Are Better Than Robots – and really, who hasn’t asked themselves that question? You can also look forward to some poetry by Jon Sayers.
And of course, we have picked some excellent songs for the talented SA band to play and for you to sing along to!
Then there’ll be TEA AND CAKE! There’s no need to book and everyone is welcome. It’s free to attend, but please give a small donation if you can, so we can cover our costs.
Assemble!
11:00 am, February 1 2015
Poet: Anna Kahn
This one is going to be special, as we are joined by Assemblies from all over the UK to talk about what Sunday Assembly is actually doing around the world.
Anna Kahn will read us some of her poetry and of course, we have picked some excellent songs for the talented SA band to play and for you to sing along to!
Then there’ll be TEA AND CAKE! There’s no need to book and everyone is welcome. It’s free to attend, but please give a small donation if you can, so we can cover our costs.
Just the Two of Us?
11:00 am, February 15 2015
Speaker: Rosie Wilby
Rosie Wilby is coming to talk about Monogamy. Ooh er! And of course singing, listening, reflecting with awesome peoples.
Family Fairytale Fun
11:00 am, March 1 2015
Speaker: Fliss Russell
Fliss Russell is not only a wonderful member of our SA London gang, but also a leading children’s entertainer! Come sing Disney songs and reflect on why imaginative play is so important for both children and adults!
All welcome – especially those with kiddies!
Morning Gloryville Mash Up
11:00 am, March 15 2015
Speaker: Samantha Moyo
On Sunday March 15th at 11 am the most joyous or uplifting place in the whole of London will be Conway Hall when Samantha Moyo of MORNING GLORYVILLE speaks at Sunday Assembly London on ‘THE POWER OF DANCE’.
More than just a talk as Samantha will bring a selection of Morning Gloryville dancers, and a DJ will be thrown into the mix alongside the Sunday Assembly House Band for a (morning) glorious singalong and (optional) booty shake.
Basically, the service will follow the traditional Sunday Assembly format with talks, poetry, reflection and tea and cake at the end, but with a bit more time to jiggle your tail feather.
Expect songs, (optional) dancing and non-chemical based fun times!
This Planet
11:00 am, April 5 2015
Speaker: Ed Gillespie
Ed Gillespie talks about travelling the world – without those planes. Say what?
How Not to Join a Cult
11:00 am, April 19 2015
Speaker: Rebecca Wait
Rebecca Wait talks about why our need to be accepted by others can be dangerous, and discusses her own experiences of manipulative groups.
See you there for singing, poetry and of course, tea and cake!
Free to attend – a collection will be made to cover the cost of running our fabulous events.
Play
11:00 am, May 3 2015
Speaker: Charlotte Roach
Come hear great talks, sing great songs and celebrate this one life we know we have!
We have the fantastic Charlotte Roach coming to speak for us, as well as poetry from Clair Whitefield. We’ll also be hearing from our beautiful band.
Come have a sing and a listen!
Grace, John and Cake
11:00 am, May 17 2015
Speaker: Grace Gelder
Poet: John McCullough
Come hear great talks, sing great songs and celebrate this one life we know we have!
This week our speaker is Grace Gelder, who married herself! Our poet is John McCullough and the whole thing will be held together with the glue that is Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones.
We’ll also be having our first bake sale in aid of English For Action, a charity which offers free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses to adults in our community.
So do bring a cake if you’d like to contribute!
Lessons From The Film ‘Up’ And Chinese Nail Houses
11:00am, June 21 2015
Speaker: Drew Buddie
Jon Sayers
This week’s speaker is DREW BUDDIE, who’ll be telling us why stubbornness can be good and how he learned his most important lesson in life from the film ‘Up’ and Chinese Nail Houses.
There’ll be poetry from our resident scribe, JON SAYERS, and of course lots of singing! Then there’s tea and biscuits at the end. What a wonderful way to start your Sunday!
AND… Remember CHARLOTTE ROACH, the speaker at SA on 3rd May? She was the triathlete who cycled home from Beijing and now plays games with Rabble, because she was bored of boring exercise.
Charlotte will be leading a special SUNDAY ASSEMBLY RABBLE at 1.30pm, outside Conway Hall in Red Lion Square Gardens. No experience, or equipment necessary – just wear trainers and clothes you’re comfortable running around in:
No experience, or equipment necessary – just wear trainers and clothes you’re comfortable running around in. Come down for British Bulldogs, Dodgeball and more.
“Remixing the playground games of old, for smiles new. Rabble was born because we got bored of boring exercise. We don’t play traditional sports – it’s games from start to finish, rules are simple and each game builds on the last.”
Always wanted to play in the Sunday Assembly London band but didn’t know how? Sent in emails and been routinely ignored by our slightly disorganised administration system?
Well come to Premises Studios on June 15th and meet band members, jam along with songs we’re learning for the festivals and become part of the network that is SA London’s band of dreams!
Marina Cantacuzino founded The Forgiveness Project which uses the real stories of victims and perpetrators to explore concepts of forgiveness, and to encourage people to consider alternatives to resentment, retaliation and revenge.
Sounds pretty heavy! They will be songs and poems and joy and laughter as we explore the idea of forgiving people who we feel have wronged us.
Afterwards we’ll be having a picnic in the square. Bring some nibbles!
What does E=mc2 actually mean?
11:00 am, July 20 2014
Speaker: Russell N. Arnott
The fabulous Mr Russell N. Arnott MSc will be explaining to us some of those science facts that we think we know, but do we REALLY know?
There will be FACTS! There will be FUN and of course, SONGS!
It’s free to attend. We ask for donations to keep the event non-ticketed (the money pays for the hall, refreshments and expenses). Please give generously if you can so we can keep it free for those who can’t.
Everyone’s an artist!
11:00 am, August 3 2014
Speaker: Jo Hunter
Jo Hunter will be talking about her project ’53 Million Artists’, a campaign to unlock the creative potential of every human being in England. It invites people to commit to doing something different regularly, reflect on that and share it with other people at 53millionartists.com [Update 2026: it’s now known as 64 Million Artists]
As usual, there’ll also be some great songs, our lovely choir, fantastic band, poems, tea & cake.
Everyone’s welcome, no need to book. It’s free – but please donate if you can, so we can cover our costs.
It’s Play Time!
11:00 am, August 17 2014
Speaker: Steve Chapman
Join us for some Creative Adventures with Steve Chapman who believes we all have a unique ability to create, imagine and innovate no matter who we are, what we do or how creative we believe we are.
Steve will tell stories of losing and then re-discovering his own creativity, share some simple creative practices that can help us find our own and indulge the audience in some simple, exciting and energising experiments. If you want to discover your inner creative genius, this one is definitely for you!
As always, there’ll also be awesome songs to sing, poetry to listen to, tea to drink, cake to eat and other lovely people to meet. What a way to start your Sunday!
If you can, please bring along some cash for donations, so we can cover our costs. No need to book – just turn up!
Awareness is Freedom
11:00 am, September 7 2014
Speaker: Dr Itai Ivtzan
Poet: Julie Mullen
Our headline speaker for this assembly is Dr Itai Ivtzan. Mindfulness meditation is becoming enormously popular, but what is it really about? And how could it contribute to our happiness? He says it makes his heart sing. He is convinced that if we befriend both psychology and spirituality, and succeed in introducing them into our lives, we will all gain super-strengths of awareness, courage, resilience, and compassion.
He is a positive psychologist, a senior lecturer, and the program leader of MAPP (Masters in Applied Positive Psychology) at the University of East London (UEL). He is also an honorary senior research associate at University College London (UCL).
Dr. Ivtzan has previously given a Russell Square TEDx talk in 2013.
As always, there’ll also be awesome songs to sing, poetry to listen to, tea to drink, cake to eat and other lovely people to meet. What a way to start your Sunday!
If you can, please bring along some cash for donations, so we can cover our costs. No need to book – just turn up!
Wonder More!
11:00 am, September 21 2014
Speaker: Jenna Im
Come along to sing SONGS, hear TALKS, share TEA and CAKE and enjoy COMMUNITY.
The fantastic, funny and all round generally great Jenna Im is going to give a talk on what it’s like to grow up British, become Bahraini, move back to Britain and learn a lot about yourself, and the culture your from.
Come to the SUNDAY ASSEMBLY and celebrate being alive. It’s for everyone who wants to LIVE BETTER, HELP OFTEN and WONDER MORE.
See you soon down there.
Love,
Sunday Assembly Team
Assemble Everywhere!
11:00 am, September 28 2014
Speaker: Ruth Kaiser
Ruth Kaiser is bring positivity from California, we’re bringing songs and joy – we’d love you to be there.
We’ll be livestreaming and linking to all the Assemblies across the globe as we celebrate this movement going from strength to strength.
Awesome songs, a fantastic speaker and, of course, tonnes of cake!
Free entry: donations welcome!
What I Learnt as a Choir Leader
11:00 am, October 5 2014
Speaker: Dom Stitchbury
Following last week’s extra London Sunday Assembly to coincide with the launch of more than 30 Assemblies world wide, we’re back to normal now, meeting on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.
For this week’s Assembly, we’ll be joined by Dom Stichbury, leader of the Chaps Choir – a choir of chaps. To get hundreds of people to sing as one voice takes some talent, and couldn’t we all do with being better leaders? He’ll share tips and tricks that help him turn the many into one.
Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book.
It’s Not Boring!
11:00 am, October 19 2014
Speaker: James Ward
Poet: Katie Bonna
Our headline speaker for this assembly is James Ward, founder of the Boring Conference and someone who knows a lot about stationery.
Edinburgh Fringe First Award winner, Katie Bonna, will treat us to some of her poetry.
Our lovely choir and band will provide the music for you all to sing along to. Dancing in the aisles is optional.
There’ll also be tea and cake and a chance to socialise. No need to book and everyone is welcome. The event is free, but as ever, we appreciate donations to cover our costs.
Remembrance
11:00 am, November 2 2014
Last year we hosted the first ever non-religious Remembrance service. This will be our second. Come and remember those who gave their lives in battle.
I’m Alright Me!
11:00 am, November 16 2014
Speaker: Samantha Cleasby
Poet: Mike Galsworthy
We are back with an excellent speaker: Samantha Cleasby, writer, blogger and public speaker. Spreading awareness of IBD, Ulcerative Colitis, ileostomies and j pouches and being so bad ass…
Then there’ll be TEA AND CAKE! There’s no need to book and everyone is welcome. it’s free to attend, but please give a small donation if you can, so we can cover our costs.
Nice Cup of Tea
11:00 am, December 7 2014
Speaker: Ed Flint
Poet: Sophia Walker
That’s right! We’re celebrating tea at Sunday Assembly London.
Come and hear Ed Flint talk about tea, listen to Sophia Walker’s poetry and sing some Christmas pop classics as we warm up for Yule Rock.
You can also find out about all the fantastic ways you can get more involved with Sunday Assembly London.
Festive Funtimes!
11:00 am, December 21 2014
We’ll be having a fun look at the joys of giving, singing classic yuletide pop and wearing Christmas jumpers the likes of which have never been seen!
Yule Rock is the rockingest Christmas singalong in the land. Unleash all your favourite holiday classics for an evening of Wham!, Slade, Bing Crosby, Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl and many more.
Yule (!) be belting these out with sounds from the incredible Sunday Assembly house band and choir, with the help of some SPECIAL GUESTS. Good cheer mandatory. Christmas jumpers advisable.
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