When I became a committee member, I was given some light reading to introduce me to the church. It included the History of Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church. It was lovely learning about how our church first formed way back at the beginning when it was held in a member’s house. I was a regular member of the TCSC in the late 1970’s. The church was a small wooden hut and had a distinctive musky smell, but not unpleasant. It was cosy and had a wonderful energy.
Life took over and I moved away. But now I’m back!!
The New church is beautiful and very stylish. But I was concerned it might have lost that lovely energy I remembered so well. I need not have worried; I could feel it as soon as I walked through the door!
The History shows this church was built with amazing love by skilled members and friends. Every brick was paid for with love because we have a record of a ‘buy a brick’ scheme showing who made donations. All this contributes to why our church is so special. Every piece has been bought and built with love and you can still feel it.
In the write up it briefly refers to the man who built the wooden Rostrum as being Roy Carrington. Wow! I knew this man! I was so excited knowing he had a major part in helping make this church into what it is today. He was a skilled joiner/carpenter. To think his love and energy is here in this church makes me very happy. He was no ordinary man, and I had the privilege of calling him my friend, a very special, spiritual teacher.
Apart from his name being mentioned in the history, nothing else is known about him, so I was asked if I would like to change that and share my memories of him….
He was born in 1928. He lived just up the road in Thundersley and used to attend the church from time to time. I remember him telling me that he knew he was only going to live until his 70th birthday and he was right. He wasn’t afraid, and knew he had work to do here until that time came.
Roy was a very skilled carpenter and had his own Architectural Joiners company. He designed and built amazing projects, including work in grand mansions, libraries, and museums in London. He told me he had never had a day’s lesson in carpentry in this lifetime. But he knew he had brought his skill from a previous life…. he learned from the best, because he knew he had trained and worked with the famous furniture maker, Thomas Chippendale (I researched and it was back in the 1700’s). To think our Thundersley church is blessed to have his skilled workmanship in the form of our beautiful Rostrum, you only need look to see the quality of work. Roy also enjoyed carving with wood in his workshop. He made stunning birds and animal sculptures. I remember him showing my me and my son, he made it look so easy.
I will recollect some of my memories to give you an idea who Roy Carrington was as a person. He was very spiritual, but you can judge for yourself, how blessed we are that he helped build our church.
When my children were about 9 & 5 years old. A good friend told me about a local children’s group starting up on a Sunday, called ‘Pathways’. She introduced me to a lovely man, Roy Carrington who was the organiser. It turned out to be the best thing ever. All the families that attended, became good friends, it was a small group of about 10 children and looking back I realise now that this was a very special group. Roy & his wife ran it in their home, together with two other teachers. Such caring people. They took the children on nature walks and taught them about the insects and plants, the animals and the importance of being kind to everything. The children enjoyed expressing themselves though art, painting, and crafts. They were encouraged to show and share their hobbies with everyone, which helped to build their confidence. Some danced others played musical instruments. They enjoyed organising a fete in the garden, to raise funds for a Sri Lankan Orphanage, Roy was personally in contact with one. Then before they went home, they would sit in a circle, and give thanks and send love, light and healing to family and friends that were poorly. The group lasted for a few years, and I treasure those days; the children were always so happy there, and I found a wonderful spiritual friend with dear Roy. I am still in touch with one of the other teachers, lovely Carol. Roy told me it was no coincidence that these children came together, it was for a reason. To this day I wonder what he meant?
Roy held ‘Transmission meditation’ circles in his home several times a week to send healing to the world. I was invited to join them, which I did on occasions
One day he had a ‘dream’ downloading a detailed plan of how to build a machine with a copper circuit, which included quartz crystals and pure gold components! It was expensive to make, but he was told it had to be exact to the design. It was to be used in the meditation group, to magnify the effects of the healing energy. If I remember rightly, I think using maths by squaring the number (3 people’s energy would multiply to the power of 9, or 30 people would be 900 etc) . He showed me the machine he had built …. So complicated, but he was told by spirit this was the first prototype of its kind. I’m sure now there must be many all around the world.
I was interested when Roy use to tell us about major world predictions, that actually came true. Including: The fall of the Berlin Wall. The release of Nelson Mandela. The release of Terry Waite. The resignation of Margaret Thatcher and other things. Amazing.
Roy would often call at our house for a visit, saying he was in the area. He had a wonderful smile and whatever we were doing, we would always be happy to invite him in for a cuppa. We would sit and chat, and often the conversations would turn to spiritual things. In those days (early 90’s) it was the early days of my spiritual journey and a lot of it went over my head, but I could listen to him for hours and I learned something new every time. One evening, he giggled and said while we had been chatting, he had been watching the top of my head because a white light had been growing taller and taller from my crown chakra as my spiritual awareness was expanding. Fascinating.
There were times when it was uncanny how Roy would turn up on the doorstep, just as we were in the middle of a crisis! On opening the door, instead of turning him away, we’d end up inviting him in and telling him what was wrong, and without hesitation he would ALWAYS resolve the problem! I will give you some examples:
My son’s two pet snakes had escaped while he was at school. They were baby snakes that squeezed out between the vivarium glass doors. Roy asked to be shown the room. It didn’t take long for him to find them… one was hidden curled up in a shoe inside the wardrobe, how he knew?… must be psychic and the other under the bed about to disappear through a hole behind a radiator pipe! He earned his cuppa that day!
Another time, we were desperately trying to finish decorating the lounge before our carpet was due to be delivered in a few days. We had bought wood to fit a Dado rail to the wall before we could paint and wallpaper. (It was fashionable in those days) But it was harder than we thought, measuring, levelling and mitring corners etc it was a nightmare. We were panicking and arguing. A knock at the door, dear Roy stood there with a smile. We told him it wasn’t a good time…. But you guessed it, he said “I’ll go home and get my tools and be back after lunch”. He got the job done within 2 hours! He saved the day again. To this day I feel blessed knowing Roy’s energy is in our Dado rail. Ha ha.
Roy was very caring and often took people under his wing. He was generous too and gave my son some beautiful crystals in the form of sculptures and a tealight holder, at the time when his grandad had died. I realise now, it was a way of giving him crystals to help with the healing. He still treasures them today.
Roy told me he never worried about money or where the next job was coming from. He trusted spirit because he knew he would always be looked after and have enough.
The time finally came, and sadly for us, Roy returned to spirit. I remember him telling me he knew this was his last incarnation as he knew he had lots of work to do in other realms. At his funeral, there were so many people, every seat was filled, and people stood several rows deep lining the walls of the large crematorium. Roy’s special friend, A World Teacher ‘Benjamin Crème’ took the service and when he gave the Eulogy, he explained Roy was a highly evolved soul and he touched the lives of many. Each would have amazing experiences and stories to tell. He said often Roy would turn up just at the right time to help people. It seemed everyone in the room nodded as they had their own similar stories, including me.
Benjamin Crème, stood boldly at the front, and said everyone in the room would receive a blessing. He held out his hands like I’ve seen pictures of Jesus do, slowing turning radiating out healing to everyone in the room, and as I looked at him, he was being overshadowed, his face and body changed, he looked a bit like Jesus, I was told later it was Maitreya. Incredible.
I could feel a wonderful energy radiate from his hands… and an emotion overwhelmed me, it bought tears to everyone’s eyes, it was indescribable and beautiful! I feel so privileged to have been there to receive that blessing and to celebrate Roy Carrington’s life . I am so glad my husband and son were able to be there to share in it too. What I witnessed that day, will stay with me for ever. I do feel truly blessed.
So, you see I felt I had to share what I knew about the man, Roy Carrington, who skilfully designed and sculped our beautiful wooden Rostrum. He was no ordinary man. We are blessed to have his energy in the fabric of our Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church.
I’d like to share a picture of him, but Roy was a modest man and wasn’t in many photos. I remember we spent a lovely day at Pathways, when we all took the children to meet some horses. I have found a couple of snaps which I have copied here. Roy is far right in both photos.
Written by Jill Shepherd – May 2022
