A UNITARIAN will ascend the pulpit on Sunday and attempt to
deliver the world's longest sermon.
James Barry, an IT professional who has been a Unitarian for
nearly 20 years, will stand up to preach at Ditchling Unitarian
Chapel, in East Sussex, at midday. To break the world record, he
will need to preach for more than 30 hours and eight minutes.
Guinness World Records does not distinguish between sermons and
other kinds of talks; so Mr Barry's would be the longest talk of
any kind, ever.
His sermon will be broadcast on the internet, and viewers are
invited to send in questions, to which he will respond during the
sermon. The Guinness regulations stipulate, however, that he can
only take a limited number of questions. They also state that the
sermon must not be read, although notes can be used; Mr Barry must
not repeat himself; and a minimum of ten people must be
present.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Barry said that during the sermon he
intends to talk about significant events in his life, such as being
rescued three times by the emergency services. Every hour, he will
talk about an aspect of Unitarianism.
Mr Barry said that he intends to "to go as long as I can"
because "a lot of people have sponsored me by the hour". The money
raised from the world-record attempt will be split between the
Ditchling Unitarian Chapel, the Unitarian youth programme, and a
Unitarian outreach project for disadvantaged children in
Derbyshire.
Mr Barry said that he hoped that the attempt would also raise
the profile of Unitarianism.
The sermon, which begins at midday on Sunday, can be viewed at
www.unitarians.org.uk/tv
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