Over £7,000 has been raised in memory of Welsh Unitarian minister and veteran campaigner, Rev. Cen Llwyd, who died aged 70,  having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease. The money raised will be donated to Parkinson’s UK Cymru, the My Name’s Doddie foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Cen’s widow, Enfys, said: “We are very grateful to everybody that contributed money in his memory. We wanted to donate the money in his memory to Parkinson’s UK, My Name’5 Doddie foundation and MND Association as these charities do amazing work in funding research to find new treatments, medication and perhaps one day, a cure for these diseases.”

Read more about Rev. Cen Llwyd here.

Read more in The Cambrian News here.

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Back in January Framlingham Unitarians helped to launch an Ecological Information Board in a much-loved local park. Sponsored by Framlingham Unitarian Trust and the town council; the board is made from recycled materials and was put up by a local Residents’ Group to encourage everyone to celebrate and protect the rich and biodiverse local habitat.

Rev. Matthew Smith pictured here with Lizzie Kingston Harrison, members of the Oak Tree Corner Residents’ Group, and representatives from Framlingham Town Council. 

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We are very excited to announce the publication on 4 April 2023 of ‘Cherishing The Earth – Nourishing The Spirit’, edited by Maria Curtis and published by the Lindsey Press. Buy the book here.

This new book presents a range of Unitarian responses to the global environmental crisis. Contributors include ministers, lay people, and children, writing from diverse theological and ethical perspectives, exploring what it might mean to live in right relationship with the Earth. Their insights range from the prophetic and political to the practical and intensely personal, but all share a sense of gratitude for the sacred gift of life.

As the Quaker writer and activist Alastair McIntosh says in the foreword he has contributed to this book “Some will ask: “What use is spirituality now? What is the practical use of a book like this?” My short answer is: because we need to reconsider how to live.”

Maria Curtis asks what changes we need to make in ourselves and in our society if we are to work towards healing the Earth and restoring balance to the global ecosystem: “We need to re-imagine what a healthy relationship between humanity and the natural world might look like, one conducive to the flourishing of all beings on Earth.”

The chapters are interspersed with poems, prayers, and short rituals. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion, providing a resource for study by individuals or small groups.

Rev. Dr Maria Curtis is a Unitarian minister with a background in education and psychology. On retiring from congregational work, she joined the team at Unitarian College, training students for ministry. Maria believes that the ecological crisis presents us with the major spiritual challenge of our time.

264 pages. £12.00. ISBN: 978-0-85319-098-1.

Published on 4 April 2023 by The Lindsey Press, London for the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.

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Cavendish Primary School in Didsbury marked International Women’s Day on 8 March with a mural of Margaret Ashton (1856-1937), a celebrated Unitarian women’s rights campaigner.

Read the full story in the Manchester Evening News here.

You can find out more about Margaret Ashton in the book ‘Unitarian Women: A Legacy of Dissent’ by Rev. Dr. Ann Peart, available in our online bookshop.

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Huw Edwards has unveiled a blue plaque to mathematical genius, political writer and minister, Rev. Dr. Richard Price, at his former home in Newington Green, north London. Price was the minister of Newington Green Meeting House, today part of New Unity, and New Unity’s current minister Rev. CJ McGregor was also in attendance, as well as Unitarian Chief Officer Liz Slade.

The English Heritage blue plaque is a tribute to Price’s hugely influential life and work and is part of celebrations to mark his 300th birthday in London, in his native Wales, in the USA, and elsewhere.

You can read more about this story in the Evening Standard, Hackney Gazette, and BBC Cymru (Welsh language).

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Yesterday morning severe winds brought down a tree onto the roof of the Nightingale Centre in Great Hucklow, Derbyshire, and caused a lot of external damage to the centre. They have had to close the centre to guests, and at present have no internet or phone connection.

The Nightingale Centre is a much-loved venue in the Peak District for retreats, and for groups like the long-standing Unitarian charity ‘Send a Child to Hucklow’, offering stays to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have a holiday.

While the Nightingale Centre team await a visit from their insurers and in the meantime ask for forbearance if they are slow to respond to enquiries. For those who have booked a stay with the Nightingale Centre, we ask for patience while the team assess the situation.

We are grateful to the deep commitment and care of the Nightingale Centre management committee and staff, and keep them in our thoughts as they deal with this situation.

For more information about the Nightingale Centre and how to support them, please visit their website.

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Pictured: Rev. Kate Dean and Rev. Sue Woolley at Buckingham Palace

Unitarians were among faith and civic leaders who visited Buckingham Palace last week to offer a “‘loyal address” to the new monarch, King Charles, in a tradition filled with pageantry, symbolism and history. The Unitarian delegation was made up of Rev. Sue Woolley (President of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches), Rev. Kate Dean (Rosslyn Hill Chapel, Hampstead), and Rev. Dr. Rob Whiteman (Dundee Unitarians).

They presented a “loyal address” to King Charles, as a historic ‘privileged body’. The address congratulates the new monarch and speaks of social needs at “this time of complex change and crises” when “the need for spiritual support and loving communities has not been greater”. You can read the address in full here.

Rev. Dr. Rob Whiteman has written a personal reflection about the experience, which you can read below:

“I was immensely honoured to represent Unitarians as part of the Free Churches delegation at the Presentation of Loyal Addresses to His Majesty King Charles on 9^th March at Buckingham Palace. It was a remarkable occasion for a number of reasons. We were among the 27 Privileged Bodies who presented their Loyal Addresses to The King, serving to emphasise and reaffirm their loyalty to the Monarch to mark His Majesty’s Accession. Obviously an occasion that happens rarely and has happened since the 17^th century. The bodies cover various Churches, Universities and civil authorities in London, Edinburgh and Windsor.

The pageantry of the event was a wonderful spectacle – slick, seamless and impressive. The event was in the Palace Ballroom with a following reception in the Picture Gallery – recognisable spaces from the TV but more impressive in reality. However there was a subtle understatement despite the surroundings, presence of a Beefeater guard and many uniformed staff. Around 400 people attended, many of them wearing formal robes befitting their offices; many of them well known faces.

All the bodies presented their addresses with a wide variety of speakers before His Majesty replied. In those addresses many marked and reflected on the great service of Queen Elizabeth II, paid tribute to His Majesty’s work in many fields and wished him a long and gracious reign. Only a couple jarred with overt attempts to push their own agendas. The place of faith in the tributes was noticeable. In his reply the King noted: “Whether in the fields of education, science, or the arts, or whether as representatives of the faith communities or of civic organisations, you advance our knowledge and our understanding of how we relate to each other and the world about us. You underpin the very foundations upon which our country is built and help to construct a framework of excellence and achievement within which our civil society functions and our national narrative can be formed.

In doing so, you are admired around the world for your contributions to public life.  You remind us of an essential truth – that a nation’s wealth and strength can be found, beyond the size of its economy or its place in the geopolitical landscape, in the values that it embodies – mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, fairness and friendship. These are values that have been at the core of British life throughout our history, and which, with your dedicated support, I trust will remain so for centuries to come.”

Those words echoed in my reflection on the day. We may live in a world of twitter spats, 24 hours and whipped up outrage but what lies beneath that is far more important, enduring than permanent. Those gathered represented some core of the civil society at the heart of our country: a warm, generous, hard working and inclusive people. Let me illustrate with a couple of examples of the first and last people that I spoke to. There were no set seats and I found myself sitting next to the Succentor of St George’s Chapel at Windsor, a man charged with part of the musical life at that chapel. I said where I was from and he said that he had recently been in St Andrews so that his son could look at the University and meet up with his godfather. His godfather turned out to be a good friend of mine and we talked of his former work in housing.

The last people that I spoke to at the reception were the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and his partner. He and I looked at each other and recognised each other. The task was then to work out where we knew each other from. He had been Chief Executive of a Housing charity while I had been working for a Refugee charity that rented a desk in their offices. In between I had made many other such connections with people in the room, the degrees of separation were astonishingly small, perhaps aided by their being a large number of people from Scotland in attendance, at least a fifth and perhaps more.
Meeting the only full time clerical member of the Royal Household was another fascinating encounter. When I said that I was a Unitarian he showed great interest and said that he often visited Unitarian chapels. He grew up in the northwest and said that Unitarians had a fascinating history of which we should be rightly proud. I suspect that some Unitarians will have mixed feelings about our participation in this event. I do not share them. It was a great privilege on a number of levels. Some may wonder about the Unitarian values of inclusion. It may have been the metropolitan constituency from which the attenders were drawn and the care with which the various Privileged bodies had chosen their delegations but the gathering was far more diverse than any Unitarian gathering that I have attended. I am not going to elaborate on that but most people were simple, ordinary people getting on with their jobs, representing their Body and embodying the values of  “mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, fairness and friendship” of which His Majesty spoke. I was honoured to be there and we are fortunate that those “values… have been at the core of British life throughout our history.” That remains true whatever the political froth may suggest.” – Rev. Dr. Rob Whiteman

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Image (Left to right ): Members of the festival organising team Siân Evans and Laura Davies (Gellionnen Unitarian Chapel), poet Benjamin Zephaniah, festival founder Andrew Webb (Evesham Unitarians), Miriam, and Gavin Howell (Unitarian Youth Officer).

Unitarians have once again taken the lead in the organisation of renowned Malvern Festival of Ideas, a multidisciplinary festival of ideas that takes place in Malvern, Worcestershire. It is a themed weekend of talks, discussion and activities. The founder and organiser of the festival is Andrew Webb of Evesham Unitarians and Unitarian youth group Malvern Transformers and both Siân Evans and Laura Davies on the festival organising team are members of Gellionnen Chapel and #Blessed young adult group.

This year’s festival welcomed poet Benjamin Zephaniah, author Michael Rosen, former First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, Professor Alice Roberts, and many more. Many Unitarians from around the UK also took part, including Danielle Wilson with a session on “White Privilege & Me”, Rev. Mark Hutchinson (Evesham Unitarians) and Josh Johnston (Dublin Unitarians), the Gamechangers youth group, and #Blessed young adult group.

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A message from the Executive Committee:

We are writing to update you on the outcome of the recent consultation on the flaming chalice logo.

We want to reassure those concerned that there is no intention to abandon the use of the flaming chalice as the symbol of British Unitarianism. Whilst the design of the symbol used by headquarters at Essex Hall will of course evolve and change over the years, the flaming chalice symbol and all that it represents remains constant. In response to the many interesting and helpful responses concerning the history of the symbol, we are creating a new page on our website telling the story of the flaming chalice and showing the diverse range of artistic interpretations available worldwide.

We would like to thank everyone who has been in dialogue with us on this subject since the re-branding in February 2021. The strong feelings we have heard expressed are a welcome reminder of the passion of the many people who play a role in stewarding this community. We hope that as we move forward, this passion for the ideas and values that we stand for can help us find our way forward so we can be sure the flame will be passed forward for many generations to come.

Back in November we wrote to all 152 of our congregations asking for their views and received responses from a total of 32 congregations, a response rate of 21%.

The responses can broadly be categorised as: 

• 19 preferred the old (2007) chalice logo (13% of our congregations, 59% of responses)
• 4 preferred the new (2021) chalice logo (3% of our congregations, 13% of responses)
• 5 were neutral or contained a range of individual views (3% of our congregations, 16% of responses)
• 4 were unclear and needed further clarification (3% of our congregations, 13% of responses)

The most common themes we heard were:

• A dislike of the style of the new chalice
• A lack of a sense of connection and meaning with the new design
• A wish for unity across the denomination
• A concern about a lack of consultation

Among those who supported the new look, the main themes were:

• Support for a bright and modern new look
• Appreciation of the aim of reaching new demographics

The Executive Committee have carefully examined the responses and discussed them at their meeting on 17th January, along with the feedback received at the listening circles we hosted in September 2022.

Balancing the views of the 32 congregations who responded to the consultation with the wider context, the EC would like to acknowledge to all our congregations and members that the communication and consultation around the change to the flaming chalice logo did not meet everyone’s expectations, and apologise to those who have felt upset, confused or left out of the process. We are committed to learning from this experience for the future.

The priority behind the rebranding, including the adoption of a new style chalice design, has always been to reach new people, beyond our existing, declining membership. Therefore, the new designs may not always appeal to those who have been Unitarians for many years – but we ask for your patience and trust that we have the best interests of the Unitarian movement at heart in our decision-making.

We will retain the design work adopted in 2021, including the new style chalice for use in the GA’s communications. However, we remind all congregations that it is their right to use any logo or symbol for their own purposes.

With best wishes,

Rev Dr Rory Castle Jones, Communications Officer

Liz Slade, Chief Officer

on behalf of the Executive Committee

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“We are sure that our Unitarian Community looks on with a deep sense of horror and hopelessness as we see the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Over the years we have supported the British Red Cross in their work of disaster relief, knowing how valuable their contribution has been. We would encourage you to help once more, by making a donation to their Crisis Appeal.” – Rev. Sue Woolley, President of the General Assembly of Unitarian & Free Christian Churches

Please help people affected by these earthquakes.

Following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria the British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal. On Monday at 4:17am local time a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Gaziantep in southern Turkey, devastating parts of Turkey and Syria. It was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks. Then at 13:24 local time a second earthquake (M7.7) hit the Elbistan district around 80 miles north of Gaziantep.

Reports suggest that over 33,000 have been killed as hundreds of buildings collapsed and many more have been injured. These figures continue to rise. Right now rescuers are racing to save people in Turkey and Syria who are trapped beneath the rubble and get shelter and support to those who have lost their homes or are afraid to return inside. The Turkish Red Crescent has launched a crisis response operation and mobilised teams in more than 10 regions across the country.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent is delivering medical and other humanitarian aid and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia. Together with the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent the British Red Cross is providing emergency first aid, medical treatment and evacuating people to safety.

You can make a donation right now to the British Red Cross to help people in Turkey and Syria affected by the earthquakes. Please donate to the British Red Cross Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal today if you can.

You can donate online here.

By phone: 0300 004 0339

By post to: British Red Cross, 44 Moorfields, London EC2Y 9AL

Please make cheques payable to the British Red Cross and earmarked for the British Red Cross Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.

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The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches is delighted to announce the following candidates have been offered Ministerial Training following the interviews last month: Kieren Mardle-Moss, Tina Gandhi, and Janine Sim.

Chief Officer Liz Slade: “Ministry is the kind of leadership our world needs more of right now, and so I am excited and grateful to see Janine, Kieren and Tina begin their training towards becoming Unitarian ministers. As demonstrated by these three new students, people from all walks of life and professional backgrounds find themselves called to serving the spiritual health of communities and align their vocation to the greater good. I applaud their courage and integrity in committing themselves to this journey and look forward to working with them.”

Helen Mason, Director of Unitarian College: “We are delighted to welcome Janine, Kieren and Tina as our 5th intake of ministry students at Unitarian College, joining the 13 others who have or are undertaking ministry training with us. We are are very excited about the potential of these three excellent new students.”

Rev. Ant Howe, Ministry Tutor: “It will be my honour to journey with these three new students as they build on the calling that they have been bold enough to answer. All three bring passion and commitment to our Unitarian movement, and I know that they will go on to become excellent Ministers”

Supporting our General Assembly’s Interview Panel is one of the tasks handled by Simon Bland, Congregational & Ministry Support Officer. Along with Sarah Tinker, who chairs the Panel, Simon is keen to thank all those Districts, congregations and individuals who support the ministerial training process. 

Anyone interested in knowing more about training for Unitarian & Free Christian ministry is encouraged to talk to Simon or Sarah, and to our college tutors – Rev. Claire MacDonald at Harris Manchester College, Oxford and Rev. Ant Howe, at Unitarian College. 

The Ministerial Students Fund is always in need of donations, large and small, helping to cover students’ travel and living costs during their training, and is a real investment in the future of the movement. Please contact Simon Bland for further information on this vital work.

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We are pleased to announce the election of two new members to our Executive Committee: John Bates and Rev. Wyn Thomas. The Executive Committee act as trustees for the General Assembly (GA) and Nightingale Centre and work with the Chief Officer and other staff and volunteers to develop and oversee the strategic direction and smooth running of the GA. John was nominated by New Unity CIO and Wyn by Cheltenham & Gloucester Unitarians.

As there were four vacancies on the EC and two candidates, both are elected unopposed and the remaining vacancies may later be filled by co-option.

John Bates is a retired Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School, with forty years’ experience in business and education. He joined Cambridge Unitarians in 1991 and later was a member of Islington Unitarians. John became Chair of New Unity when it was formed in 2015, before stepping down last year.

John says: “I wish to serve on the EC because I want to help more people find the Unitarian way of celebrating and reverencing life, love and community. Our message as Unitarians is right for the times. I feel we need to come together and use our resources of money, buildings, and skilled people towards communicating that message and achieving our agreed goals of love and justice for all.

A challenge for faith-based organisations with deep historical roots is that they can become hostage to their past. Aligning the movement’s resources and capabilities with an agreed goal may require some hard decisions. I can help us make those decisions in a collaborative way, without compromising our spiritual purpose.

We should strive to be greater than the sum of our parts, retaining all the vigour of our diversity and our localised autonomy, whilst working together towards a common vision of growth. I can listen, lead and inspire. I can contribute in strategy, finance and governance, and I understand the legal responsibilities of Charity Trustees. Unitarianism has much to offer the modern world. I would be proud to help the movement grow and thrive today and prepare it for a relevant future.”

Rev. Wyn Thomas is a Unitarian minister based in Ceredigion and is Chair of Unitarians Wales. He works as a Complex Case Officer and Engagement Project Leader for Tir Dewi, a Welsh rural support charity.

Wyn says: “As a lifelong Unitarian, and having served as a minister for 19 years, I am firmly grounded in the Unitarian heritage of which I feel both proud and blessed to have experienced and loved. As a leader in a rural mental health charity, I have seen the practical impact of living our values. I am passionate about developing a vision for the future of our movement. A future where all voices are heard, respected, and appreciated, in keeping with the inclusive embrace of our faith.

Our faith needs to evolve, and I consistently seek opportunities to learn, reflect, and adapt. I firmly believe that as a national movement we must respond to the enormity of the challenges society and our congregations face over the coming years.  Within these challenges lie opportunities for renewal and transformation.

I pledge to be honest and open in what are often difficult discussions, and to always welcome diversity of thought, ideas, and experiences in the process. Our Unitarian faith is important – I believe we have a uniquely valuable contribution to make to the world. Our General Assembly is important – I will serve it to best of my ability.”

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Unitarians have written to the Prime Minister in opposition to the government’s attempts to erode the right to protest in the UK with a new Public Order Bill.

Fifty-eight Unitarians – including ministers, lay people, the General Assembly President and Chief Officer – are signatories to the letter, which expresses alarm that “instead of arresting climate change, this government seems more interested in arresting climate change protesters.”

“Many of the rights we now cherish – including the vote – were achieved by protest” they write, “and history has shown that jailing protesters simply delays change and reflects badly upon the law makers.”

The letter, drafted by Rev. Jo James and Ed Fordham, calls on the government “to review this legislation and reflect upon the principles at stake. And please, hasten the protections and measures needed to protect our planet from climate abuse and fossil fuel degradation.”

You can read the letter in full here.

Unitarian Chief Officer Liz Slade is also a signatory to a separate letter by various faith leaders which calls on the government to abandon the new Public Order Bill, which they warn will criminalise ordinary citizens who engage in peaceful protests, including prayer vigils, public acts of worship, and community events. You can read this letter here.

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As the Church of England has once again make the headlines by refusing to offer same-sex marriage ceremonies or equal treatment to LGBT+ people, many Unitarian ministers and leaders have been publicly critical of the CofE – and have once again been shouting from the rooftops that many churches, including the Unitarians, proudly affirm LGBT+ equality and offer same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Rev. Robin Hanford, minister of Hinckley Unitarians in Leicestershire, made the headlines in the Metro newspaper when he took to Twitter to express his sadness, frustration and dismay with the Church of England’s treatment of LGBT+ people:

Rev Robin Hanford, a Unitarian Minister, responded: ‘How much longer will the lives and relationships of my LGBT+ friends in the Church of England continue to be sacrificed on the false alter of “unity” in order to try and keep homophobes happy?’

Rev Hanford, who lives and works in Leicestershire, told Metro.co.uk his first reaction to this morning’s news was one of ‘profound anger.’

He said: ‘I have a lot of LGBT friends in the Church of England who have been waiting patiently for change and have been actively working for it for years by diligently going through the proper channels and laborious process.‘

‘Now Bishops, which should have pastoral care at the very core of their being, have effectively slapped my friends around the face.‘

‘As a Unitarian Minister, I proudly marry same-sex and opposite-sex couples at my chapel in Hinckley, Leicestershire‘

‘But the Church of England has so much visibility as the national church, and I know I will inevitably be tarred with the same brush in the eyes of the public due to this decision from the Bishops.’

Rev Hanford added that while the Church of England ‘seems determined to cling to outdated homophobic theologies and practices’ many other churches and denominations ‘have moved on and are far more affirming of LGBT people’.

You can read the full story in the Metro here.

Find out more about LGBT+ Unitarian history here.

Find out about our ongoing LGBT+ Unitarian Voices project here.

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Unitarian HQ staff members Simon Bland and Lizzie Kingston-Harrison talk to The Village Halls Podcast about the Warm Space being offered in Framlingham in Suffolk by local groups and spaces, including Framlingham Unitarian Chapel, where Lizzie is a member. Click here to listen to the podcast in full (Episode 22).

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The Unitarians’ Chief Officer Liz Slade spoke recently about “maintaining a spiritual tradition that doesn’t have a rule book” at the Festival of Maintenance 2022, a day of fascinating talks with world-class practitioners, maintaining everything from technology to culture, democracy to the environment. The video of Liz’s talk is now available online to watch for free.

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We are looking for new candidates to stand for election to join our Executive Committee.

Who do you know who might be an asset to our movement in this role? Candidate applications close on 23 January 2023, so now is a great time to have a quiet word of encouragement with potential candidates!

The role of the Executive Committee is to work with the Chief Officer and staff team to lead and serve the Unitarian and Free Christian movement.

As Liz Slade, Chief Officer, wrote in a recent issue of the Inquirer: “This is an exciting time to be part of this leadership group, because of the nature of the challenges we are facing. Covid brought closer to home the fragility of many of our congregations, but also displayed the creativity and care they hold. We know that ‘more of the same’ could lead to chapels closing in the not-too-distant future, and we know in a movement like ours, the path to the future must be found locally, not imposed from the top down. So the work of leadership from Essex Hall is akin to that of gardeners – tending the soil, nurturing the seedlings, supporting the mighty oaks, taking care of the compost, having an eye on the weather, and the keeping the whole ecosystem in view.”

Executive Committee members represent the movement and are democratically elected by members across the country. They bring experience from within our movement and from their professional and voluntary work elsewhere. This may be in management, finance, communications, change management, charity governance, or some other experience that you would like to use in service of our denomination.

We meet around six times a year, usually in person in London, with dinner together the evening before a 9am to 5pm meeting. We also try to get together for a longer two-day meeting, and at times will have videoconferences or make decisions over email.  

Who can stand for election?
Candidates should have been part of the Unitarian community for at least three years and have experience as a member of either their congregation’s governing body or similar committee, or have been a trustee of another charity. They will also need to fulfil the Charity Commission’s legal requirements for trustees.

How do I apply?
Applications needs to be received by 23 January 2023, with support from the candidate’s congregation or other Unitarian organisation. You can find all the information you need, including nomination forms, here.

Questions
If you would like to know more about the work of the Executive Committee, or whether you should consider applying, please do get in touch with either me or Marion Baker, our Convenor.

Elizabeth Slade
Chief Officer – Prif Swyddog
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

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After another unpredictable and challenging year, our President Rev. Sue Woolley, offers this Christmas message.

There is a very neat meme which does the rounds on Facebook at this time of year, which sums up the true spirit of Christmas for me. It is a Christmas Bucket List, with six items, partly crossed out, and substituted with other words, so I’ll have to paraphrase for it to make sense:

1. Instead of buying presents, be present.

2. Instead of wrapping gifts, wrap someone in a hug.

3. Instead of sending gifts, send love.

4. Instead of shopping for food, donate food.

5. Instead of making cookies, make memories.

6. Instead of seeing the light, be the Light.

And yes, I get it, but in my opinion, it should be both/and, rather than either/or. I have bought presents for the people I love, but welcome the reminder to be present in the moment, day by day, instead of getting lost in the busyness. I will be wrapping the gifts I have bought next weekend, but will also be wrapping a lot of people in hugs, during the next few weeks (and being wrapped in hugs also, I hope!).

I will be sending gifts, but also sending love to all those people who make my life so blessed. Including you. I will be shopping for food, but not going overboard, and have already paid a visit to the Northampton Food Bank, with a donation. This Christmas, sadly, I won’t be making or eating cookies, or mince pies or many other sweet Christmas treats, because most of them contain gluten, but I will surely be making memories, particularly on Boxing Day, when the whole extended Ellis family gets together at my sister’s house. Finally, as well as seeing (and enjoying) all the beautiful, colourful Christmas lights, I will be striving to be the Light for those that I love.

It is a good reminder about the things which really matter at Christmas – not the tangible things one can buy, and consume, but the gifts of love and awareness, which cannot be bought, and always renew themselves. The things we can look back on with fondness, when the food has been eaten, the presents have been opened, the paper recycled, and the decorations taken down.

I also want to acknowledge what I think should be the true spirit of Christmas, “the spirit of good will and peace, … [the] spirit that bids us renew our hopes amid the gathering darkness, that kindles our generosity and our concerns, that attunes our ears to the ever-renewed angelic chorus” as the late Unitarian Universalist minister Max Gaebler put it. Because that is here too, in our minds, and in our hearts.

The Christian message, the message of Jesus – love God, love your neighbour and don’t forget to love yourself – is a crucially important one in this mad world of ours. If Christmas reminds people of this great truth, which is common to all religions, then I’m all for it. If it is just an excuse for over-consumption, a couple of days off work and some good films on the telly, then why bother? But the very fact that we are people of faith, who get together in our chapels, churches and meeting houses to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas, shows that it means more to us than that.

So let us celebrate Christmas as a time when the Christian message of love and peace and goodwill to all people is brought to the front of people’s minds, and our bit of the world grows a little bit more charitable and more kindly. This is the true spirit of Christmas.

I wish you a blessed, peaceful and merry Christmas, and a bright and hopeful New Year.

Rev. Sue Woolley

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Does your congregation have very few or no visitors?  Talking with leadership teams in small congregations, I'm finding some are waiting for visitors to come BEFORE they establish or re-start their process for welcoming and connecting with visitors and COMMUNICATING what that visitor experience will be like. 

In this episode, I explain why we can't wait for the visitors to show up before we map out how we are going to welcome, greet, and connect with them AND to communicate "the plan" to potential visitors.

For many, to feel comfortable visiting, they need to know what to expect. 

What's it going to be like?  Where do I go?  How do I connect with people when I visit so I don't have to suffer through an awkward and painful experience?  Is it going to be okay?  Can I do this or should I just stay on the couch watching Netflix?  I have a lot of shows waiting for me... What's the plan?  

Watch Episode 23 // Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 23 // Subscribe to Audio Podcast
 

If you do not have many visitors and want more, I recommend the following:

1) Agree on a simple process
Set a clear process for how you will welcome, greet, and CONNECT with visitors when they show up.  This includes creating a facilitated space to connect when they visit.   I discuss options for making casual opportunities to connect after your weekly services in this episode.  

2) List the process on your website
When visitors land on your visitor page, they should be able to read about the process and RSVP to participate.

3) Share via social media
Every week, when you share what's happening in your congregation via social media, also include this visitor opportunity with a link to your visitor page with RSVP form.  

4) Share via email 
Every week, when you share what's happening in your congregation via email, also include this visitor opportunity with a link to your visitor page with RSVP form.

Video Helps!  Adding a video that welcomes and orients newcomers to your visitor page including a description of "the plan" for visiting can help them feel comfortable making the decision to do so.  I explain how to implement this strategy and as well as other video content for visitors in my online training program Video Message Academy for Congregations. 

We are excited to announce the launch of a new website Worship Words, a collaborative online space sharing resources for worship from across the UK Unitarian community and beyond.

Worship Words hosts a collection of beautiful, inspiring, and meaningful readings for worship, bringing together new work alongside much-loved favourites from the Lindsey Press.

It is fully searchable by keyword, category, or theme making it easy to access high quality readings for use in your services. The site is free, open to all, anyone is welcome to use it and to submit their own resources. We already have our first 120 readings, and the collection is growing all the time.

With huge thanks to the team of volunteers from across the movement who made the site possible and to the ministers and lay leaders who have submitted readings so far.

Join us online at 7pm tonight (Wednesday 23 November 2022) for our official ‘Worship Words’ launch event.

Click here to visit the new ‘Worship Words’ website.

The post Unitarians launch new ‘Worship Words’ website appeared first on The Unitarians.

The Unitarians have joined others from across the faith and belief spectrum in calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to stand by his pledge to govern with integrity.

In a letter signed by 19 different faith and belief groups, signatories highlight how democracy has been weakened by the repeated undermining of integrity, and the failure of existing structures to hold politicians to account. It asks the Prime Minister to strive for a culture of truth and integrity in government and parliament.

The full letter was published in The Times on 18 November 2022. Read the letter in full here.

Find out more about the context here.

The post Govern with integrity, faith leaders urge prime minister appeared first on The Unitarians.

BBC Radio 4’s ‘Sunday’ programme welcomed Rev. Cody Coyne onto the programme this weekend to talk about wayside pulpits – those attention-grabbing posters outside churches. Rev. Cody is minister of Cross Street Unitarian Chapel in Manchester city centre, which was the first church in Britain to have a wayside pulpit back in 1919.

You can listen to the programme (from 8 min 50 secs in) in full here.

The post Rev. Cody Coyne talks Wayside Pulpits on BBC Radio 4 appeared first on The Unitarians.

Longtime LGBT+ rights campaigner Ed Fordham has publicly condemned the Church of England’s continued discrimination against LGBT+ people as “fundamentally wrong” and called for it to be disestablished in England, as it is in Wales and Scotland.

Ed Fordham, who is a local Unitarian leader at Great Hucklow Chapel in the Peak District, and a Liberal Democrat councillor in nearby Chesterfield, wrote that: “The C of E is currently exempt from the equality laws that apply to all other institutions and employers in the UK ” adding this meant the church could “ignore the progress being made to enable all couples who love each other to marry. Further, this also empowers the church to bully, sideline and ultimately sack clergy who exercise their legal right to marry.”

“It is time to disestablish the C of E, it is time to reassess the role of the church in the work of CBC and it is time to enable each mayor to choose the location and content of their civic service to reflect their own faith or indeed their secularism. What is not an option is for the council to support and enable the practise of homophobia through these historical partnerships. It is time to end the hatred and the exclusion and separate church from state.”

The Unitarians are proud to be longstanding advocated of LGBT+ equality and were among the small number of faith groups who campaigned for equal marriage in the 2010s. Click here to find out more about Unitarian LGBT+ history.

For more coverage of Ed Fordham’s comments, see The Derbyshire Times and The Derby Telegraph.

The post Unitarian campaigner condemns Church of England on LGBT+ equality appeared first on The Unitarians.

The American Unitarian Universalist podcast ‘Juust Breathe’ interviewed two young British Unitarians recently about how their faith inspires them to work for a better world through Unitarian youth and young adult groups – and how this work has changed and evolved since the covid-19 pandemic.

The hosts were joined by Aly Champion (member of ‘Bad Coffee Club’ youth group) and Zac Baker (member of #Blessed, a youth group at Gellionnen Chapel in Wales), as well as our Youth Officer, Gavin Howell.

You can watch the podcast in full here (video).

You can listen to the podcast in full here (audio).

The post Young Unitarians talk community action, youth groups, and changing the world appeared first on The Unitarians.

Social media platforms are changing how they determine what people see online!

Driven by TikTok's success, they are shifting from a "social graph" to an "interest graph."

What's that mean?

Instead of showing people content based on what they SELECTED they want to see -- like, follow, subscribe -- they are showing them MORE of what they are actively watching and engaging with!

These companies know what your members, friends, and potential newcomers are watching on their apps and websites. They have the data.

To get people to spend more time on their platforms and see more ads, social media algorithms are being re-designed to show people more of what is capturing and holding their attention.

If we aren't careful, this has the potential to SQUEEZE CONGREGATIONS OUT!

Where does that leave your congregation? 

In this episode, I explain the shift, what it means for you, and three communication priorities. 

Watch, listen, and read some key takeaway points below.

 Watch Episode 22 //  Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 22 // Listening Options

Highlights

These changes offer some HUGE opportunities for those interested in harnessing the power of the algorithms. It is actually getting easier to reach more people and grow an audience. Watch this segment.

Here are my top three communication priorities for congregations:

Priority #1: Email
But not just weekly long newsletters. We need to be writing emails crafted to be from your minister or other leaders to fellow human beings in a personal and relational way.
Watch this segment

Priority #2: Website Hub
We need to make websites our primary hub for information, getting involved, and connecting online.
Watch this segment

Priority #3: Video with a twist
Video is a powerful way to bring your leaders online, to connect, engage and inspire participation in congregational life. We need to be doing more with video, but I think it is prudent to be focusing more on publishing via YouTube. Then we can easily add videos to websites and include links in emails. So, video that we can deliver via our first two communication priorities.
Watch this segment

Ultimately, we need to prioritize and cultivate communication channels we control and can use to consistently engage with members, friends, and newcomers.   

Many social media platforms are evolving in ways that makes them less reliable for these purposes.

Bury St Edmunds Unitarians in Suffolk came up with a novel way to raise money for a disabled access ramp for their meeting house, by hosting their first ever Gin Festival. Over £500 was raised during the evening and the Meeting House’s manager, Amanda Martin, said: “We thought: ‘If CAMRA can have a beer festival at the cathedral, why don’t we open up our beautiful, baroque, 300-year-old building, and have something classy, like a gin festival? A lot of people had never been in the building before the festival, and they were absolutely flabbergasted by how elegant the building was. We’re really keen that the Unitarian Meeting House continues to be a venue for people to hold their meetings at, hold their celebrations at – and, also, to hold wellbeing events at.”

Read the full story in the Suffolk News here.

The post Bury St Edmunds Unitarians host Gin Festival to raise money for disabled access appeared first on The Unitarians.

Photo credit: Hannah De Boltz / Newsquest

Edmund Kell Unitarian Church in Southampton hosted the city’s first Transgender Pride this month. Southampton Trans Pride featured a parade through the city centre, speeches on a wide range of transgender-related issues, charity and advice stalls, and quiet zones.

Organiser of the event and chairwoman of People’s Pride, Mabel Wellman said that she was “overwhelmed” by all the support for the event. The 20-year-old said: “I’m ecstatic. I never thought we could reach this height. It’s humbling too because of all the people behind this today and behind me. I am so lucky I could do something like this with the support of the city, People’s Pride, and the transgender community. I hope we can create many more events like this in the future. It is so important to represent and to spread information for our community.”

Read the full story in the Southern Daily Echo here.

The post Southampton Unitarians host city’s first Transgender Pride appeared first on The Unitarians.

In this episode, how to write announcements that get results!  Download my free Announcement Makeover worksheet discussed in this episode:

• Announcement Makeover Worksheet (PDF)

The average congregation is an announcement making machine!  However, many are not getting results.  There's a reason for this.  Today, people are bombarded by information online. THEIR need to rapidly identify which content is relevant to THEM changes how WE need to write announcements.  I’ll tell you how!

 Watch Episode 21 //  Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 21 // Listening Options

Phil Tomlin writes movingly in ‘The Guardian’ about his late father Mike Tomlin, who played a leading role in charities dealing with social deprivation in Teesside. Phil writes that his father “was driven by his Unitarian beliefs to do whatever he could for his community to leave the world a better place.” Mike was a lifelong Unitarian, members of Stockton Unitarians, and served as our national President in the 1990s.

Click here to read Mike Tomlin’s obituary in full in the ‘The Guardian’.

The post Obituary: Mike Tomlin appeared first on The Unitarians.

We are delighted to welcome Ann Howell to the General Assembly staff team, in the role of Social Action Officer.

This is a part time position with the aim of supporting congregations and individuals across the Unitarian and Free Christian movement in making an impact in our social justice work. Ann will be working in partnership with the Penal and Social Affairs Panel, a Unitarian group that has been active in promoting social justice issues for the last thirty years, expanding from its original focus on prison reform to stay abreast of the key issues affecting our society. We are grateful to the Bowland Charitable Trust for their support of this role.

Ann has a strong background in communication and community development. She had a 15-year career in technical communications, working mainly in the printing and software industries, before moving to the UK from Montreal, Canada and shifting gears into the non-profit world.

A long-time Unitarian, her passion for social action in the movement spurred her to become one of the founding members of SimpleGifts: Unitarian Centre for Social Action, a community project at the former Unitarian chapel in Bethnal Green, East London. Since then, she has worked with other community projects near her home in Southeast London, including Lewisham Churches Care and Lewisham Pensioners Forum, as well as strengthened her involvement with her congregation, Lewisham Unity, serving as Chair/Co-chair since 2019.

Ann is very excited to be working formally with the Unitarian HQ and collaborating with the Penal and Social Affairs Panel, shining a light on the work that is already happening at a local level and developing a plan for future social action projects that will benefit Unitarians across the UK. She believes that living our values through work that reaches out to the most vulnerable among us is at the heart of what it means to be a Unitarian.

Find out more about our staff team here.

The post Welcoming our new Social Action Officer, Ann Howell appeared first on The Unitarians.

Congregations across religious traditions are challenged, stressed, and worried about their future.

In this episode of The Peter Bowden Show I share the KEY to growing congregations today (in my experience) and three easy ways to start growing your congregation.

• One is focused on connecting newcomers.
• Second prioritizes congregation-wide community building during periodic services -- I'm talking during PRIME TIME, not an additional program people have to register for.
• Last, making important changes to your small group program.

Sign up here to receive new episodes of the show and other content for congregational leaders delivered to your inbox.  This will allow you to forward specific episodes to other leaders based on the content.      

Watch Episode 20 //  Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 20 // Listening Options
 

As we approach the Fall, here are some tips for your congregation. We are in what I consider STORM conditions. I think most of you will benefit from a "Get everyone in lifeboats ASAP!!!" approach -- this means small groups, prioritizing and promoting group life, and helping newcomers bypass all barriers between them and face-to-face community experiences (online and onsite).

CHAPTERS
Jump to video YouTube video chapters using time code links below or in YouTube video description.

(0:00) Welcome
(0:40) Training Preview
(1:00) Digital is here to stay
(2:30) Hour long online worship not a viable first step
(5:00) Prioritize lifeboats = small groups!
(6:26) Expect group-LESS people to drift away
(7:20) Designing a viable congregation
(8:30) Different types of groups
(10:20) Connecting worship and group life
(12:25) If you have declining membership
(13:18) Use video to communicate and connect
(14:20) Engaging with video now essential skill
(15:00) Digital is a primary context of congregational life
(16:00) Recap
(16:17) Use groups to grow and rebuild
(18:16) Focus, simplify, group up, and thrive!
(19:00) Be clear, this is how we're organizing
(19:15) Some will always want to opt out
(19:50) Groups not your thing?
(20:30) Video Message Academy
(21:25) I know video is hard
(21:40) Small group growth training
(22:20) Share your questions
(22:25) Closing. Thinking of you!

Want information on trainings mentioned in this video?  Click here to get my email updates for congregational leaders including training announcements,  live stream invitations, replays, and other free resources.

Young people have been learning skills to protect and preserve historic buildings as part of the restoration project at Grade II listed Westgate Unitarian Chapel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The Wakefield Express reports that: “Westgate Unitarian Chapel needs urgent repairs that is being funded as part of the £3.8m Wakefield’s Upper Westgate Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project.

Part of the work at the chapel involves working with Yorkshire Lime Company, a specialist building contractor, that is teaching students from the building department at Wakefield College, about traditional methods for restoration.”

Sarah Cobham, Committee member of Westgate Unitarian Chapel, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be offering this opportunity to local people so that they can become upskilled and help restore our chapel at the same time. “Being part of the HAZ project is very important to us and we are proud to be enabling such important skills to be gained.”

Read the full story in The Wakefield Express here.

If you want to learn more about the fantastic developments at Wakefield Unitarians and how they have secured their funding, join us for a free online workshop led by Sarah Cobham and Paul Lindsay Dawson from Wakefield Unitarians: ‘How To Write a Bid for Funding’ on Monday 17 October at 7pm.

Photo: Chapel members with local teachers and students, Wakefield Express

The post Young people learning restoration skills at Wakefield Chapel appeared first on The Unitarians.

One the largest Unitarian congregations in the UK, New Unity in north-east London have welcomed a new minister, Rev. CJ McGregor, to serve their congregation. Rev McGregor arrived in the country on 1 September from the United States, where he previously served as a Unitarian Universalist minister. A warm welcome to Rev CJ on behalf of British Unitarians!

Rev CJ told the local press that he was particularly excited to join the New Unity community, as he was attracted by “the congregation itself, the work that it’s doing, who it wants to be in London in terms of justice work and definitely its historical nature”, adding: “We’ve considered ourselves dissenters for over 300 years.”

Click here to read ‘”Radically inclusive” congregation in Hackney and Islington welcomes new minister’ in The Hackney Gazette.

The post New Unity welcomes new minister appeared first on The Unitarians.

The National Unitarian Fellowship (NUF) is excited to offer a new ‘Digital Connections Award’ to a Unitarian congregation or group demonstrating innovation and excellence in reaching out to people over the past two years, using technology.

The NUF has a long history of supporting and connecting Unitarians who are not part of a Unitarian congregation or other groups and it has been has been rewarding to see all the new ways of connecting with individuals via technology over the last two years. They want to acknowledge all the creativity and dedication and while the prize for the winner is £200, they hope to showcase all submissions in an (online) event in 2023, as an opportunity for connection and learning from each other. The deadline is 31 October 2022.

You can find more details about this prize, and the four others available on the NUF website.

The post New Digital Connections Award announced appeared first on The Unitarians.

On behalf of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, we are deeply saddened by the news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.

The Reverend Sue Woolley, President of The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, has written to Buckingham Palace on our behalf. You can read her letter in full below:

Dear Sir or Madam,

The Queen’s death marks the end of an era. For more than seventy years, she was the one constant point in British life – an important symbol of stability in a rapidly changing world. Her long and unwavering commitment to her role, right to the end, and her high sense of duty as Queen was always impressive. She stood above the political fray and was respected by leaders and people the world over.

She was also widely loved. This Summer, during her Platinum Jubilee, people all around the country showed how deeply she was held in their affection. She will long be remembered. But we cannot wish her back. She is now at peace, with her beloved Philip.

And so we, the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, in common with the rest of the British people, give thanks for her life and her long years of service. We hold her family and all those who mourn her in our prayers.

We also hold our new King, Charles III, who has stepped into the role of monarch, in our prayers.

Rev. Sue Woolley
President
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

The post Death of HM Queen Elizabeth II appeared first on The Unitarians.

Manchester Unitarians took their place with pride in the Manchester Pride parade on Saturday 27 August. Unitarians have long been at the forefront of the battle for LGBTQ+ equality in the city and today continue to advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the city and beyond.

Cross Street Unitarian Chapel in Manchester city centre was the first place of worship in the UK to register for civil partnerships back in 2012, later registering to conduct full same-sex marriage ceremonies once that became legal.

Find out more about Unitarians in the Greater Manchester area here.

Find out more about our ongoing LGBT+ Unitarian Voices project here.

Photo credit: Impact Photography, Cheshire.

The post Unitarians march for LGBTQ+ equality at Manchester Pride appeared first on The Unitarians.

In the Annual Meetings in April, the membership voted to pass the following motion on 2021’s General Assembly rebranding work:

“That this General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches regrets the lack of consultation over the rebranding exercise and requests that the Executive Committee (EC) consults the constituent congregations and fellowships on whether to introduce the new logo or retain the traditional Chalice Design adopted in 2007 in the interests of maintaining a consistent denominational identity.”

In response to this, we are pleased to invite people to some ‘listening circles’ as a chance for the General Assembly (GA) to hear what’s on people’s minds and hearts relating to the design work, and their relationship to the chalice symbol (of any design).

Initially, there will be two opportunities:

1pm, Tuesday 20^th September – Zoom Link

7pm, Wednesday 21^st September – Zoom Link

We ask that people register in advance if they wish to come (by clicking on the links above). It is possible to join by telephone if you are unable to join by videocall.

These won’t be forums for decision-making or debate, but a chance for people to be heard.

What we learn from these initial listening circles will inform our next steps in consulting with the wider community.

Beyond the specific issue of chalice design, we heard a wish for more communication and engagement more broadly, and we will be considering how we can develop the ways in which the GA communicates with the wider Unitarian movement.

From some of the feedback received so far on the branding work, we recognise there are some elements of the approach that have not come across clearly, and there have been some misunderstandings in the intention and ethos. We hope that the information below will help to clarify some of these.

As ever, we welcome anyone to get in touch by email.

An overview of the branding work

You can read more about our approach here and in the Inquirer via interviews with Liz Slade, and with the design team we worked with, This Ain’t Rock & Roll. You can also read about what they said about working with us, here.

We started the work in spring 2020 and launched the new GA website in February 2021.

In mid-2021 we launched a ‘design programme’ that helps to guide congregations through the process of deciding for themselves how they want to communicate to the world – what words, images, ideas, colours, fonts are right for their individual community. This included a WordPress website template that can be adapted for use, as well as a series of ‘how to’ videos to guide people in setting them up. We have also created new information leaflets which were distributed at the Annual Meetings and can be requested from Essex Hall, so that you can have a pack to give out locally.

The reason for the work is that we know we need to stop being a well-kept secret. We know that we have much that we can offer people, but we have been hiding our light in lots of ways – including behind out-dated looking websites and leaflets.

The ethos of how the design work is used

The steering group recognised the importance of empowering each congregation to express their unique ethos clearly and authentically, seeing the strength in the diversity of what each congregation offers. We are not a ‘top down’ denomination, and it is down to each congregation to communicate with their local community in the way that is appropriate to them and their context. This means that we have moved away from the ‘consistent identity’ approach that was used in the past to encourage all congregations to use the same design for their chalice symbol.

The design programme aims to give congregations a helping hand in reflecting on what they want to communicate, and a toolkit for helping them do that. Congregations have total freedom in what text, images, colours and symbols they use. If they use the design programme, there are elements that can help show visually that they are part of the wider Unitarian and Free Christian family.

We recognise we didn’t make this freedom of choice clear enough, and can understand that people may feel upset if they felt that a new design was being imposed on them without an ability to choose whether or how to adopt it.

We have seen a rich array of congregational websites appear over the last year, using different elements of the design programme in beautiful and creative ways. Some use the ‘old’ chalice, some use the new one, some a different version completely, and some no chalice at all. From the GA’s perspective, all are welcome.

The post Chalice Consultation Update appeared first on The Unitarians.

Ministers are spiritual leaders, who provide care, guidance and inspiration to our communities – and to the world. We believe in the importance of visionary leadership for our communities and offer training for ministers at Unitarian College and Harris Manchester College, Oxford. 

Applications for ministry training beginning in 2023 are now open. Apply online here. Click here to download the application guidance and declaration.

To find out more contact Simon Bland, our Ministry & Congregational Support Officer.

Deadline for applications: 4 October 2022.

Photo: ‘Ministry In The Making’ at The Nightingale Centre, 2022

The post Apply for ministry training appeared first on The Unitarians.

As we approach the Fall, here are some tips for your congregation. We are in what I consider STORM conditions. I think most of you will benefit from a "Get everyone in lifeboats ASAP!!!" approach -- this means small groups, prioritizing and promoting group life, and helping newcomers bypass all barriers between them and face-to-face community experiences (online and onsite).

CHAPTERS
Jump to video YouTube video chapters using time code links below or in YouTube video description.

(0:00) Welcome
(0:40) Training Preview
(1:00) Digital is here to stay
(2:30) Hour long online worship not a viable first step
(5:00) Prioritize lifeboats = small groups!
(6:26) Expect group-LESS people to drift away
(7:20) Designing a viable congregation
(8:30) Different types of groups
(10:20) Connecting worship and group life
(12:25) If you have declining membership
(13:18) Use video to communicate and connect
(14:20) Engaging with video now essential skill
(15:00) Digital is a primary context of congregational life
(16:00) Recap
(16:17) Use groups to grow and rebuild
(18:16) Focus, simplify, group up, and thrive!
(19:00) Be clear, this is how we're organizing
(19:15) Some will always want to opt out
(19:50) Groups not your thing?
(20:30) Video Message Academy
(21:25) I know video is hard
(21:40) Small group growth training
(22:20) Share your questions
(22:25) Closing. Thinking of you!

Want information on trainings mentioned in this video?  Click here to get my email updates for congregational leaders including training announcements,  live stream invitations, replays, and other free resources.

We are excited to announce a new role on the GA staff team – Social Action Officer. This is a part time position with the aim of supporting congregations and individuals across the Unitarian and Free Christian movement in making an impact in our social justice work. The Social Action Officer will be working in partnership with the Penal and Social Affairs Panel, a Unitarian group that has been active in promoting social justice issues for the last thirty years, expanding from its original focus on prison reform to stay abreast of the key issues affecting our society. 

This is an exciting new role at a critical time, that will help Unitarians to make a bigger collective impact in creating a more just society. Please see job description for more information.

If you would like to apply, please submit your CV and a short covering letter outlining why you are interested in this role and what you would hope to bring to it. We are grateful to the Bowland Trust for their support of this role.

Deadline for applications: Monday 22 August 2022

The post Job Vacancy: Social Action Officer appeared first on The Unitarians.

Rev. Anna Jarvis, minister of Monton Unitarian Church in Greater Manchester, made a bold statement at Salford Pride earlier this month, decked out in full rainbow gear with a large sign saying simple: “Free Mum Hugs”. Anna, who is herself a mother, wanted to offer hugs to Pride attendees to give out a message that “whoever and wherever you are, know that you are a precious, cherished, wonderful human being – and you are loved.”

Lots of people came in for a hug – and Anna and her congregation members staffing the Unitarian stall had a fantastic day. Their stall offered, amongst other things, the opportunity to write a name on a prayer tree. A total of 61 names were added, which were then read out in the church’s special Pride service the following day, where the congregation celebrated “the uniqueness of every human being, and pledged to continue working towards justice for all in the continued battle against discrimination.”

The post Monton Unitarians embrace Salford Pride appeared first on The Unitarians.

Earlier this month Shana Parvin Begum, who is training for the ministry at Unitarian College, hosted a campfire discussion on faith, sexuality and gender diversity at the UK’s first wellbeing festival for queer, questioning, curious women and those who are non-binary. The ‘Out & Wild Festival’ took place in Pembrokeshire in June. Shana’s gathering offered the space to talk about religion and LGBTQ experiences and bring two often conflicting topics together in a safe place. Click here to find out more about ‘Out & Wild Festival’.

The post Unitarian ministry student hosts discussion at Queer Festival appeared first on The Unitarians.

We are sorry to announce the death of the Reverend Cen Llwyd earlier this month, at the age of 70. From 1976, Cen served as minister at various times to seven Unitarian chapels in Camarthen, Cribyn, Alltyblaca, Cellan, Ciliau Aeron, Felinfach and Llanwnnen, before retiring in 2020. As well as his work as a minister, Cen was well known in Wales and beyond as a passionate Welsh-language campaigner and pacifist. He was a longtime activist in both Cymdeithas yr Iaith and the campaign for nuclear disarmament.

Elin Jones MS, Llywydd of the Senedd (speaker of the Welsh parliament) said: “He gave his life and soul to the Welsh language and to Wales. And for his community and his belief with tenacity of principle and a wicked sense of humour.” You can read tributes to Cen in the Cambrian News, North Wales Live, and BBC Cymru.

The funeral will be held on Saturday 25 June at 2.30pm at Capel y Fadfa, Talgarreg, Ceredigion. Our condolences go to Cen’s widow Enfys and daughters Gwenllian and Heledd.

The post Veteran campaigner and Unitarian minister Rev. Cen Llwyd dies, age 70 appeared first on The Unitarians.

One the largest Unitarian congregations in the UK, New Unity in Islington and Newington Green, London, has been saying farewell to its longtime minister, Rev. Andy Pakula. During his sixteen year ministry, the church grew from one of the smallest Unitarian congregations into a thriving, vibrant and energetic community, describing themselves as a “non-religious church.” New Unity have appointed a new minister, Rev. CJ McGregor, to succeed Andy. You can read more from Rev. Andy and his congregants in this article in the local press. We wish Andy a very happy retirement in Scotland!

Image: Rev. Andy Pakula with Emily Thornberry MP at his farewell party.

The post New Unity says farewell to Rev Andy Pakula after 16 years appeared first on The Unitarians.

The historic Bank Street Chapel in Bolton, Lancashire, held its final service on Sunday 14 May after 160 years of serving the local community. With an ageing congregation and a large historic building to maintain, members of Bank Street took the decision to close and will attend other local Unitarian chapels.

Mayor of Bolton Cllr. Linda Thomas took part in the service, and said: “I thought it was going to be such a sad occasion. People have been worshipping in that building for 160 years. But it was a celebration… unfortunately, things come to an end and things change and people have to move on, and they’ll find another area to worship and do their good work.”

Read the full story in The Bolton News here.

The post Bolton Bank Street Chapel holds final service after 160 years appeared first on The Unitarians.

The fortified Unitarian church in Nagyajta,Transylvania, Romania, built between 1360-80, has been painstakingly restored thanks to 1.1 million euros of funding from the European Union and 443,000 euros from the Hungarian government.

Follow this link to see beautiful photos of the exterior and interior of the church.

The post Nagyajta fortified Unitarian church in Transylvania beautifully restored appeared first on The Unitarians.

TV presenter Jay Blades spent time at Newington Green Unitarian Church (New Unity) as part of his recent Channel 5 documentary ‘No Place Like Home’, exploring the Newington Green area of London where Jay grew up.

Best known as the presenter of The Repair Shop, furniture restorer Jay Blades spent time at Newington Green Unitarian Church with historian Katie Donnington, learning about the historical links between the area and the slave trade. The church’s congregation included people who benefitted from slavery, as well as leading radical anti-slavery campaigners like Anna Letitia Barbauld.

You can watch the programme, broadcast on Channel 5 earlier this month, online here (from 24 minutes in to 33 minutes).

The post Jay Blades visits Unitarian church, exploring legacy of slavery appeared first on The Unitarians.

Congratulations to Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley on the tenth anniversary of their ground-breaking civil partnership ceremony, which took place on 6 May 2012 at Ullet Road Unitarian Church, Liverpool.

Unitarians were pioneers in the campaign for civil partnerships, same-sex marriage, and LGBTQ+ equality – find out more here.

Read the story of Kieran and Warren’s civil partnership in this Liverpool Post article (6 May 2022).

Photo: Simply Perfection Photography / Carl Crozier

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We are delighted to announce that following its launch at the Unitarian Annual Meetings, our new book Why Are We Here? Discerning our Unitarian Mission in an Upturned World is now available to buy. This latest title from the Lindsey Press was commissioned by Dr. Jane Blackall, with contributions from Shana Parvin Begum, Rev. Dr. Rory Castle Jones, Rev. Jo James and Rev. Kate Brady McKenna, and a foreword by our Chief Officer Elizabeth Slade.

The book is a radical exploration of the ways in which the landscape of “doing church” has changed, especially during the Covid pandemic. Five contributors, all of whom are serving or aspiring Unitarian ministers, draw on their own experiences to consider how Unitarian communities can flex and adapt in turbulent times while remaining true to their religious roots. Their chapters are a selection of talks given at the 2021 Summer School at Great Hucklow, addressing a wide range of challenges, from the impacts of climate change on our planet to invisible types of social discrimination, both within and beyond church congregations. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion. Lindsey Press, 2022, ISBN: 978-0-85319-096-7, Softback, RRP £5.00. 

You can buy the book online from all major retailers, including Waterstones, Amazon and others. Or, if you would prefer to make your purchase directly from Unitarian HQ, please ring +44 (020) 7240 2384.

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At the Annual Meetings of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches held on 19-21 April 2022 in Birmingham, delegates voted in favour of a motion calling on the UK and devolved governments to make a renewed commitment to a well-funded NHS and to abandon plans and practices which divert public resources to private healthcare companies.

Chief Officer Liz Slade said: “The NHS is rightly a source of great pride for many people in Britain, and I’m glad that as a movement we are speaking out against the privatisation of our health service. My previous career was in the health sector, working with the NHS and with health systems in many other countries, and I know that while our NHS may not be perfect, the moral principles for which it stands, and the impact it has on the overall health of our society are worth protecting. While we as a movement look to create spiritual health, we know that the NHS’s role in serving people’s physical and mental health needs is essential for everyone’s overall wellbeing.”

The full text of the resolution is as follows:

“That this General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches supports a well-funded NHS, free at the point of use and considers that the increased use of the private sector in delivery of NHS healthcare, benefitting shareholders at the expense of patients, is ethically reprehensible. We therefore call on the UK Government to make a renewed commitment to a well-funded NHS free at the point of use and to abandon plans and practices which further divert public resources to private healthcare companies.”

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At the Annual Meetings of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches held last week in Birmingham a collection was taken for Ukraine, raising over £4,000. These funds will now be donated to the Red Cross Appeal to help the people of Ukraine as they face the horrors of war. You can support the appeal here.

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At the Annual Meetings of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches held on 19-21 April 2022 in Birmingham, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion to reaffirm transgender people’s rights and to support the adoption of a self-declaration model for gender recognition.

The motion was debated, with a number of transgender Unitarians speaking passionately in favour, as well as careful and compassionate voices speaking against it, raising concerns about elements of the motion. An overwhelming majority of delegates voted in favour of the motion, which was passed and received with applause and emotion in the hall.

Chief Officer Liz Slade said “Unitarian congregations have long been places that allow and encourage individuals to explore and express their true nature, offering belonging and acceptance. I’m proud that as a movement we have now formally expressed our support of trans people. My hope is that as a society we can move beyond the oppositional and divisive ways in which trans issues are often discussed, and I hope Unitarians can play our own small part in that.”

Unitarians have long been advocates for LGBTQ+ equality, dating back to the 1960s (find out more here). Today, Unitarians are the leading faith group in the UK offering same-sex marriage ceremonies and campaign for equal rights and justice for transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay, and queer people. There are 160 Unitarian churches, chapels and meeting houses in Britain.

The full text of the resolution is as follows:

The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches:
a) Affirms with joy that each person’s understanding and statement of their own gender identity is a matter of conscience;
b) Affirms that transgender rights are human rights;
c) Joins the British Medical Association, the Trades Union Congress and others in civil society in urging the adoption of a self-declaration model for gender recognition by the UK and devolved governments; and
d) Requests that the Chief Officer lobby for this model in response to UK or devolved government consultations and on any other suitable occasion.

If you would like further information about this story, please get in touch with us.

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The Annual Report of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches for 2021 has now been published, ahead of our Annual Meetings in Birmingham next week. Inside you can find out what we’ve been doing as a movement, with reports from our President, Chief Officer, trustees and much, much more. Click here to read it in full.

“As we look to the future, let us appreciate our current unique opportunity. In our denomination, districts and churches, as we assess the after-effects of lockdown, as we must, we can adopt innovations, introduce improvements, embrace changes – without feeling unduly tied to the past.” – Anne Mills, President

“We see part of our responsibility as leaders for the GA to take some leaps of faith too. We are not in a time societally or as a Movement to rely on tried and trusted playbooks; yes, we must learn from what has gone before, but recognise that today’s circumstances are new.” – Liz Slade, Chief Officer

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It’s hard to make change happen without learning from what hasn’t worked. That’s why our Chief Officer Liz Slade has taken part in the Ratio network’s project around making mistakes and learning from them. The project has resulted in a publication, ‘How To Be Wrong’, which is now available to download here.

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Rev. Jim Corrigall (pictured front row, second from left) represented the Unitarians at an ‘Act of Witness’ in West London on Sunday 3 April, called by British churches in support of Ukraine.

After a vigil outside the Ukrainian embassy, church leaders gathered nearby at the statue of King Volodymyr, who established Christianity in Ukraine 1000 years ago. Those taking part included the Greek Orthodox Archbishop in the UK, the Ukrainian Catholic bishop, Methodists, Welsh non-conformists, and several Anglican bishops. 

The event was organised by Christian Aid and supported by Churches Together and other groups. The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches was a founder member of Christian Aid in 1945.

Unitarians have been organising appeals, fundraisers and vigils in support of Ukraine since the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022. You can support Ukraine through the DEC Appeal here.

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Unitarian Chief Officer Liz Slade has written in The Guardian about the need for religion to evolve. You can read her article on The Guardian’s website, or below:

“Robin Dunbar’s article (The big idea: do we still need religion?, 28 March) outlines the scientifically measurable benefits of religion. After two years of the pandemic, when our collective physical health has been prioritised, it is now time to focus on these benefits to our spiritual health.

Though Dunbar states that religion is not going anywhere, most congregations have been shrinking for decades. Most churches in Britain today would be flabbergasted if 150 people turned up on Sundays. In order to offer community that works for most people, churches must evolve.

The benefits of religion that Dunbar explains – community cohesion, greater trust, greater happiness – will be vital as we crawl out of the pandemic, and if we are to navigate the climate crisis.

Evolution is part of the DNA of Unitarian churches, which are open to wisdom from all sources, and practise free inquiry into faith and belief, rather than all conforming to a single doctrine.

Religion is here to stay – but we must adapt it to what is needed and what works for us right now. Unitarians don’t have that finished version yet – but anyone joining us can be part of creating it.”
Liz Slade
Chief officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

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The following is the replay from my March 24, 2022, live strategy session discussing the following question:

 "Changes in US society and culture seem to have made organized religion less relevant to our population. How can churches change how they "do church" to make them more relevant?"

What should congregations do in response to the decline of organized religion?  My short answer: Change HOW you organize!

 Join me this Thursday for a LIVE STREAM tackling the question:

 "Changes in US society and culture seem to have made organized religion less relevant to our population. How can churches change how they "do church" to make them more relevant?"

Watch live here March 24 at 1:00PM Eastern: 

Photo: Students with Rev. Maria Pap (Mansfield and Ashfield Chad newspaper)

Mansfield Unitarians in Nottinghamshire have organised a large-scale operation to gather supplies for Ukrainian refugees, with local students joining Rev. Maria Pap and her congregation in an operation to gather much-needed items including food, drink, medical supplies and pet food. Like many of our congregations across the country, Mansfield Unitarians felt compelled to do something to help the people of Ukraine in their hour of need.

Thanking students for their efforts, church member Pauline Smith said they had been: “totally overwhelmed by their response and the enthusiasm and willingness they showed.”

Read the full story in the local press here.

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We are delighted to announce the appointment of Rev. Dr. Claire MacDonald as Tutor in Ministerial Studies at Harris Manchester College Oxford, which was founded in the eighteenth-century by Unitarians and today is one of two colleges which train people for the Unitarian ministry in the UK, along with Unitarian College.

Rev. Claire says: “I am thrilled to have been appointed as the new Unitarian ministry tutor at HMCO. It is the college where I trained as a minister and a place whose commitment to inclusion and diversity is matched by its commitment to creativity and innovation. It’s wonderful to feel that I too will be part of shaping its future. It will also be an honour to share new possibilities for ministry education with colleagues at Unitarian College.

Radical collaborative, spiritually rich, approaches to education have been part of our long history as Unitarians and I look forward to being part of developing life-long learning for lay leaders and communities as well as present and future ministers. As we say at Lewisham Unity, it’s where sacred meets social.”

Professor Jane Shaw, Principal of Harris Manchester College, says: “Claire MacDonald’s dynamic vision for ministry is very much in tune with the college’s longstanding commitment to educational innovation and inclusion, and her wide-ranging background and gifts in the arts will be greatly valued by colleagues and students. We all very much look forward to welcoming her to the college and working with her.”

Unitarian Chief Officer Liz Slade says: “Rev. Claire McDonald’s appointment as Tutor marks the start of an exciting new chapter in our movement’s long relationship with Harris Manchester College. In this time of great societal change and uncertainty, the role of ministers in serving the spiritual health of communities is more important than ever, and we know that the future of ministry will look different to its past.

I know that Claire’s thoughtful and creative approach in collaborating with colleagues at Harris Manchester College, and at Unitarian College, as well as partners beyond our Unitarian movement and outside the traditional borders of faith communities will help us to ensure that Unitarian ministers are equipped to serve the congregations of the future.”

Unitarian ministers serve their communities by supporting their spiritual health. They do this by hosting the inspiration and togetherness of services and gatherings, sharing wisdom reflecting their own theology while holding space for learning and reflection from other perspectives; they help build connections between members of a congregation, and with partners in the wider community; they provide pastoral care, as well as encouragement and challenge; they help their congregation to serve their community and the wider world, and work towards making a more just and loving society.

Anyone interested in knowing more about leadership in the Unitarian movement is encouraged to read more on our website, attend a Ministry Inquiry Session, or get in touch with Simon Bland (Ministry & Congregational Support Officer).

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Wakefield Unitarians in West Yorkshire have been running a project to discover and share the stories of the forgotten women of their community, including: Ann Hurst, a newspaper proprietor who campaigned for the abolition of slavery; Clara Clarkson, an early suffragist and Unitarian who rejected social conventions around class and gender; and botanical artist Eliza Gleadall.

Image: Sarah Cobham of the Forgotten Women of Wakefield project (Photographer: John Clifton, Yorkshire Post)

Read more about this project in the Yorkshire Post.

Find out more about the Forgotten Women of Wakefield project by visiting their website.

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Leading Unitarians have signed a joint faith and belief letter to MPs ahead of final votes on the Policing Bill.

The letter asks MPs to support the Lords’ amendments to Part 3 of the bill, including removing the ability to put noise limits on protests.

It urges MPs to speak out against measures that remain unchanged in the bill, particularly those that will disproportionately affect marginalised communities. 

Chief Officer Liz Slade and seven Unitarian ministers signed the letter alongside 80 other faith and belief representatives.

Full text of letter and list of signatories

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The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

We condemn the unjustifiable attack on Ukraine and call for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces and for an immediate ceasefire. 

We urge the UK Government and devolved administrations to offer whatever humanitarian aid is possible to prevent catastrophe in the region. 

Safe corridors for the passage of civilian refugees are now an urgent priority and we urge the UK Government and devolved administrations to offer safe haven and refuge to those fleeing this war. 

Warfare creates terrible suffering, reinforces social inequality and causes incalculable environmental damage. We resolve to prioritise peace and peacemaking in our Unitarian worship and culture.

This statement was issued by the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches on 2 March 2022.

A message from our President, Anne Mills:

“As President of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, I endorse the sentiments of horror, apprehension, and fear aroused by the recent Russian attack on Ukraine. On behalf of us all, I send messages of solidarity, sympathy and support to the people of this war-torn country; we are thinking of them and praying for them, in their need; and we are glad that their neighbouring countries are freely offering them help and care, in their suffering. Many of our chapels are organising vigils, which we may join, either in person or in spirit, and I know that our prayers will bring encouragement and reassurance to Ukraine. Please remember that we may be able to help, tangibly, by donating funds; Unitarians have long supported the Red Cross as a way of providing relief in disasters, raising over £115,000 in the last ten years, and you can donate online to support humanitarian work in Ukraine here. Let us all help, in whatever ways we can; no contribution is too small or insignificant. Thank you for your empathy, your efforts – and your hopes.

With very best wishes,

Anne.” 

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Rev. Melda Grantham appeared on BBC Songs of Praise this Sunday for their St. David’s Day special, explaining how the leek became a symbol of Welshness. Melda met up with presenter James Lusted at a leek farm on the Gower peninsula, near Swansea.

Melda is a Unitarian minister in Ceredigion, Wales, and works as the Secretary of Unitarians Wales, as well as our Weddings Lead.

You can watch the programme in full on BBC i-player here (from 14 minutes in)

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Congratulations to Coventry Unitarians, who have successfully registered their Meeting House to be able to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies. The Unitarian Meeting House is one of only two places of worship in Coventry offering same-sex marriage ceremonies, along with the United Reformed Church. Since the law was changed in 2014 to allow churches to offer same-sex weddings, over two thirds of Unitarian churches, chapels and meeting houses have successfully registered to do so.

Click here to find out more about same-sex weddings in Unitarian places of worship.

Click here to search for your nearest Unitarian congregation registered for same-sex marriage.

Click here to find out more about Unitarian LGBT+ History.

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We are delighted to announce that three candidates have been accepted for Unitarian ministerial training in 2022. Robert Foreman, Hannah Stephenson and Francis Elliot Wright will be studying at Unitarian College for their training.

Rev Sarah Tinker, Chair of the Interview Panel said: “Interview Panel members were glad to once again hold interviews for ministry training at Harris Manchester College in Oxford. We recognise the commitment and hard work that have brought candidates to this stage and wish them all the very best for the years of study ahead of them.”

All three new students recently met with Unitarian College staff for a 24 hour orientation retreat at The Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow. At this gathering, students were given a training overview and an individualised learning plan was begun.

Training will consist of a blend of Unitarian College residentials, study of academic theology, congregation-based placements, online modules and other courses.

Helen Mason, Director of Unitarian College said: “Unitarian college is delighted to welcome Francis, Hannah and Rob to our student body and we look forward to walking with them as they embark on their ministry journeys.”

Rev Ant Howe, Ministry Tutor of Unitarian College, who will have primary responsibility for coordinating training said: “I am excited to welcome three excellent and talented new students who will – in time – become valued colleagues. I look forward to working with all three over the next few years as Unitarian College helps them prepare for professional Ministry within the Unitarian & Free Christian Churches. It is a particular joy to me that all three of our new Ministry students have previously undertaken lay training courses with Unitarian College and have now chosen to return to us for our Ministry Training programme.”

Unitarian ministers serve their communities by supporting their spiritual health. They do this by hosting the inspiration and togetherness of services and gatherings, sharing wisdom reflecting their own theology while holding space for learning and reflection from other perspectives; they help build connections between members of a congregation, and with partners in the wider community; they provide pastoral care, as well as encouragement and challenge; they help their congregation to serve their community and the wider world, and work towards making a more just and loving society.

Anyone interested in knowing more about leadership in our movement is encouraged to read more on our website, attend a Ministry Inquiry Session, or get in touch with Simon Bland (Ministry & Congregational Support Officer).

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Unitarians are marking LGBT+ History Month with special services and events throughout February. Unitarians have a long history of campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people’s equality and inclusion and have the largest number of churches offering same-sex marriage of any denomination in the UK. Below you can find a timeline of Unitarian LGBT+ history and useful resources.

Many of our congregations are currently holding special events under the umbrella ‘A Celebration Of Love’ between 25 January and 14 February, the respective days of two patron saints of love, St. Dwynwen and St. Valentine. As part of this, one Welsh Unitarian minister appeared on Welsh television with his husband to talk about LGBT+ inclusion in the church.

UNITARIAN LGBT+ RESOURCES

Find out more about same-sex marriage ceremonies in Unitarian churches, chapels and meeting houses.

Download an LGBT+ Pride Chalice Logo, created by Rosslyn Hill Chapel Unitarians, Hampstead

Video: Unitarians at London Pride (2016)

‘Where We Stand’ LGBT+ Leaflet (2010)

‘We are proud to be an LGBT+ inclusive church’ social media images for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

UNITARIAN LGBT+ TIMELINE

Some important dates in the story of LGBT+ inclusion in the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches:

• 1963 – The General Assembly passed a resolution urging a more liberal approach to homosexuality.
• 1964 – The booklet “Man, Woman and Child” by the Social Service Department of the General Assembly called for implementation of the Wolfenden Report‘s recommendations on homosexual law reform (which did not happen until 1967 in England and Wales).
• 1970 – One of the first grassroots church initiatives in the UK supporting LGBT+ people ‘Integroup’, led by Dudley Cave, was set up at Lewisham Unitarian Church by Rev. Dr. Tony Cross, and also at Golders Green Unitarian Church by Rev. Keith Gilley, who began conducting “gay union” ceremonies in the 1970s. Carol Steele has recently written that Rev Keith Gilley was the first clergyman to accept her as a woman in “Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows”. From ‘Integroup’ emerged the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard and the Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Project.
• 1972 – The Unitarian Young People’s League held an autumn convention at Great Hucklow focussing on homosexuality and agreed to raise the subject at the next General Assembly.
• 1973 – The General Assembly passed a resolution on ‘Homosexuality’ after considerable discussion, setting up a ‘study group’ to examine the question. Guest speakers were Anthony Grey (Trustee of the Albany Trust and Chairman of the National Federation of Homophile Organisations) and Stephen Etherington (Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the Gay Liberation Front). The same year, Rev G.L. Pruce, in a lecture at Manchester College, Oxford, on “Love, Marriage and the Family”, convened by the General Assembly’s Department of Social Responsibity, called for homosexual relationships to be given legal and social sanction, like heterosexual marriage. 
• 1974 – The General Assembly was presented with a Report on Homosexuality.
• 1975 – Gay Sweatshop performed the play Mister X in Golders Green Unitarian Church.
• 1977 – The General Assembly passed a resolution on ‘Open Ministry – Gay Rights’ which confirmed Unitarian ministry was open to all regardless of sex, race, colour or sexual orientation. The same year, a second resolution on ‘Homosexuality’ declared: “abhorrence of discrimination solely on the basis of sexual orientation” and pledged to “to bring liberalising pressures to bear on those public bodies where discrimination against the homosexual still persists”.

• 1984 – The General Assembly passed a resolution on ‘Homosexuality’ in favour of the age of consent being the same for homosexuals and heterosexuals.
• 1993 – “Celebrating Life: a book of special services in the Unitarian and Free Christian tradition” included a section on the blessing of a same-sex partnership. It was recognised with an Institute of Social Inventions Award.

• 2000 – The General Assembly passed a resolution on ‘Sexual Equality’ against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, and called on the government to outlaw such discrimination, and a second resolution calling for repeal of the infamous Section 28 legislation that prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities.

• 2008 – The General Assembly passed a resolution calling for same-sex civil partnerships in church.

• 2012 – Cross Street Unitarian Church (Manchester) became the first place of worship in the UK to register for civil partnerships and Ullet Road Unitarian Church (Liverpool) conducted the first religious same-sex civil partnership in the UK.

• 2012 – The General Assembly passed a resolution calling for same-sex marriage in church and campaigned for a change in the law, along with allies including Liberal Judaism, Reform Judaism, and the Quakers.

• 2013 – The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was passed, allowing for same-sex marriages in churches and other places of worship. The change in the law was celebrated by the Unitarians any Unitarian churches immediately began the process of registering to offer same-sex marriage ceremonies.
• 2016 – Rev. Stephen Lingwood, as bisexual queer man, wrote on “Navigating relationships and sexuality” in the Lindsey Press publication “Living with Integrity: Unitarian Values and Beliefs in Practice”.

• 2021 – A report by York and Leeds universities showed that Unitarians were leading the way in offering same-sex marriage ceremonies in church.

If you have more information, photos, memories or resources to share about Unitarian LGBT+ History, please get in touch.

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“Reverend Kate Dean has really fulfilled her mission of creating an inclusive and thriving community spirit offering something for everyone which comes at a most prescient time in our lives. It’s inspiring to meet someone with such a passion for people and helping others. A true local hero.”

Rev. Kate Dean, minister of Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel in Hampstead, London, was interviewed by Russell Bentley for the ‘Hampstead & Highgate Express’ local newspaper. She tells her unique story from a childhood choice between biscuits and Buddhism, through her career as a toy designer, before becoming a Unitarian minister. You can read the full piece here.

Photo credit: Russell Bentley

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How do you design messages for online services that are engaging for children, families, and people of all ages? This question comes from a colleague in a congregational setting.

In the video below,  I share how I approach designing messages focused on sharing a specific teaching, insight, or life lesson. 

This draws on my experience working with preschoolers through elders, working as a producer and educator on nationally syndicated children's television shows, and coaching leaders on video & digital strategy.

This is ROUND 1 in response to my colleague's question.  Do you have follow-up questions?

I'm collecting follow-up questions in the video comments and via my online questions box form. After I collect questions, I'll do a follow-up video. 

If video won't play, watch it on YouTube here.  I'm having trouble with Firefox for some reason. Thx! Peter (1/27/22) 

Rev. Lena Cockcroft has been celebrating 40 years since being ordained the first female minister in our sister organisation, the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland (NSPCI). Rev. Cockcroft was ordained in 1982 and has served as minister to Cairncastle & Glenarm (1982-2016), Ballymoney (1982-97), Downpatrick (1999-2003), Dunmurry (2012-14), and Holywood (2019-20). Now retired, she has been enjoying celebrations within the NSPCI to mark the anniversary.

The denomination will be holding a Service of Thanksgiving and Reflection celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the ordination of Rev. Lena Cockcroft, and 40 years of women being ordained into the NSPCI as ministers of religion. This service will be held at The Travel Lodge in the grounds of The Lodge Hotel in Coleraine at 4pm on Sunday 6 March 2022. Click here for more information.

Rev. Cockcroft also spoke to the Belfast Telegraph about her life in ministry. You can read the article (behind a paywall) here.

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Welsh LGBT+ Unitarians Rev. Rory Castle Jones and his husband Rhys talked to Welsh-language TV channel S4C’s ‘Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol’ this Sunday for the programme’s ‘Love’ special, ahead of the St Dwynwen’s Day (the Welsh patron saint of love) on 25 January.

Rory and Rhys spoke to about their own journey of faith, getting married at Gellionnen Unitarian Chapel near Pontardawe (one of the first in Wales to offer same-sex marriage), and Rory becoming a Unitarian minister last year. Rhys spoke about having to leave another denomination because of homophobia and the couple explained to viewers how Unitarians have led the way in LGBT+ inclusion and same-sex marriage.

You can watch the programme on BBC i-player (with English subtitles available) here (from 16 minutes in).

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Our Chief Officer, Liz Slade, reflects on two recent articles in The Church Times and The Economist in her latest blog post looking at church, change, and culture.

“These pieces help reassure me of what we’ve been exploring at Unitarian HQ – that our central strategy needs first and foremost to be about supporting local leaders; building the capacity that will mean they can be responsive to the needs of their local communities, and tune in to the vision of the congregation for how they want to serve those needs. Rather than a top-down plan, it’s using the resources of the centre to fill the tanks of the local congregations…”

Read the blog in full here.

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Image: Festival founder Andrew Webb (Evesham Unitarians) with members of the organising team Siân Evans and Laura Davies (Gellionnen Unitarian Chapel)

Unitarians are taking the lead in the organisation of renowned Malvern Festival of Ideas, a multidisciplinary festival of ideas that takes place in Malvern, Worcestershire. It is a themed weekend of talks, discussion and activities.

The founder and organiser of the festival is Andrew Webb of Evesham Unitarians and Unitarian youth group Malvern Transformers. In 2021, Andrew was put in touch with another Unitarian group, #Blessed at Gellionnen Chapel in south Wales, through our Youth Officer, Gavin Howell. From this initial contact, two members of #Blessed, which is for 16-25 year olds, have joined the organising team of Malvern Festival. Laura Davies and Siân Evans said: “we are having so much fun and learning a lot in helping to organise the festival – and working with Andrew is great. It’s brilliant to have Unitarians collaborating and we’ve developed new friendships and connections between South Wales and Malvern.”

You can watch a video about the festival, featuring Laura and Siân, here.

You can find out more about Malvern Festival of Ideas here.

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York Unitarians are to celebrate their 350th anniversary this year, having served the city since 1672. Celebrations will centre on their Grade II listed chapel in the historic St. Saviourgate street in York city centre. York Unitarian’s minister, Rev. Stephanie Bisby, who was appointed in January 2021, said:

“It’s very exciting – and a little humbling – to be marking such a significant anniversary. Looking back makes us very aware of our place in history, and the legacy of free thinking that we aim to uphold.

Thinking about what the next 350 years might bring encourages us to look at our priorities in a different way as we try to imagine the ways in which the world might change in that time, and how we as a spiritual community might contribute to the changes we’d like to see in the world, such as by participating in social justice campaigns, learning to care better for the environment, and continuing to provide a positive and inspiring place for people to meet and join in worship.”

Read the full story in the York Press here.

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Our new Congregational Connections Lead, Lizzie Kingston-Harrison, talks about her first two months in the role – and what she’s been up to building connections between our congregations and supporting new, innovative projects in the Unitarian movement. You can watch the video here. Lizzie says: “Thank you to everyone who has been in touch sharing ideas, resources, connections and inspiration. If you are interested in finding out more about the projects mentioned here, please email me.”

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Rev. Goronwy Evans, retired minister of Brondeifi Unitarian Chapel in Lampeter, Ceredigion, has launched his tenth book, ‘Procio’r Cof’ – Stoking the Memory. The book was written during lockdown and reflects on his life and ministry in west Wales, including his childhood in rural Ceredigion, fifty years of Unitarian ministry, and extensive charity work with Children In Need and Cancer Research. In the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, Rev. Evans was awarded an MBE for services to charity and to the community in Lampeter. You can read more in the local press here.

Procio’r Cof is published by Y Lolfa, and is available now priced £9.99.

Photo: Rev. Goronwy Evans presenting a copy of his book to the mayor of Lampeter, Cllr. Selwyn Walters.

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Rev. Lynne Readett, retired Unitarian minister, led a ceremony attended by over 100 people to remember the 344 miners who lost their lives in the tragic Pretoria Pit Disaster in Lancashire in December 1910. The moving ceremony was attended by former miners, local people, politicians and civic figures. You can read more about the ceremony and the history of the disaster here.

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In case you missed it, a Welsh Unitarian chapel’s dog nativity video went viral on Christmas Eve, appearing across social media, the press and TV – including on BBC Breakfast.

Speaking to the BBC about the video – which featured Three Wise Whippets and the infant Jesus played by a pug puppy called Margaret – Rev. Rory Castle Jones of Gellionnen Chapel near Pontardawe said: “We wanted to just make people smile, see and hear the Christmas Story again – but in a way they probably hadn’t heard it before.”

You can a BBC News report with clips of the video here.

You can watch the video in full on Gellionnen Chapel’s Facebook page here.

You can read more about this story in articles from BBC News, Wales Online and the Daily Mail.

The post Unitarian Dog Nativity goes viral appeared first on The Unitarians.

Happy 2022!  To my colleagues, family, friends, and all new to my community, here's an overview of my vision and plans for this year.  This is an overview of where my heart and attention are focused.

In addition to my existing training and coaching work with community leaders, I'm expanding my community-building efforts in these new and exciting ways:

1) Video Strategy for COMMUNITY Leaders

This year I'm expanding SOCIAL VIDEO strategy and skill training for community leaders so you can engage with and LEAD YOUR COMMUNITY in today's video-dominated world!

2) COMMUNITY for all via Small Group Lab open source models

To help crush our loneliness epidemic, engage people with the justice issues of our time, and ensure all people have meaningful connections, this year I'm sharing the core small group models I've used successfully for decades through my Small Group Lab project. Think "open source" resources you may use, adapt, and build upon. Free.

Decentralized. Autonomous. Non-hierarchical.

These resources are being optimized for supporting a decentralized autonomous small group network.

I believe that to meet our community needs as humans we need to re-connect in ways that aren't dependent on institutions, though nonprofits, congregations, schools, businesses, and other organizations can and should supersize their connecting efforts. I can help.

Free resources for individuals including guides, templates, and group sessions as they roll out in 2022, as well as updates on related training opportunities. Sign up for Small Group Lab updates at http://www.smallgrouplab.com 

Existing organizations, contact me for custom training, program design & implementation support.

Fans of DAO's  -- decentralized autonomous organizations: This is not a vision for a DAO.  I'm envisioning a decentralized network of independent small groups of friends, peers, colleagues, etc... who gather using a common format.  Gatherings may be online, physical, or a combination.  Groups are independent of any organization, though may be resourced by organizations choosing to create session content for the network.  There are emergent properties and benefits from using a common group format so we can move more readily between groups and share group session plans.)

3) My version of COMMUNITY groups! 

I've been participating in local offline communities my entire life. Over the last two years, like most people, things have changed. Now, I'm starting my own community groups where I can connect with others interested in the themes and topics I love exploring. These groups will serve as the engine for developing the content, such as group session plans, to be shared with others.

That's the overview!   I'll be sharing related resources on a rolling basis as we move into 2022.

Connect with me via social media here.

After nearly 20 years, I'm officially retiring from my work with children's television production!     

For the last two decades, while growing my training and coaching practice, I worked as a producer and educator on multiple nationally syndicated PBS Kids shows and web series produced by GBH in Boston.  

Here are the shows I had the pleasure of producing live-action activity segments for: 

• The Curious George Show
• Peep and the Big Wide World
• Pinkalicious and Peterrific
• Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
• Plum Landing
• Matha Speaks
• Design Squad
• Arthur 

So, why retire from such amazing work?  Two primary reasons. 

1. My work as a trainer and coach has grown to the point where I don't need the work.  Hooray for me!  
   
   
2. Specializing in community-building and using media to educate & inspire,  I want to use my skills to strengthen the social fabric of society and engage people with the justice issues of our time.          

Conversation and community can serve as a catalyst for building trust, deepening understanding, and inspiring action on the issues we care about.  

That's it!   I'll share more on what's next --- new projects coming!!! --- after the New Year.

Video Examples

Below are some of the many video segments we've produced over the years.  For all of these, I'm just off-camera working with the participating children, running the activity, tracking our educational objectives, and more! 

  

Video  

  Watch even more of our videos in this playlist.

Hi friends!

The New Year is upon us and I have an exciting way I'm kicking it off -- and you're invited! 

Recently a friend of mine, life coach Tara Sage, published the best-selling book The Brules of Life:15 Bullsh*t Rules to Break for a No-Vacation-Needed Life.

It's about identifying the unofficial rules that hold us back so we can intentionally break them and move forward. 

As I was reading The Brules of Life I had two thoughts:

1)  My face is smushed up against a BRULE BARRIER.  Yes, there are brules I've internalized that are holding me back. Time to name them and break them!  Not laws, mind you, but assumptions about what is allowed, who has permission to act, etc...

2) Talking BRULES with TARA would make for an amazing New Year live stream event! 

I reached out to Tara with that idea and she loved it.  So we are joining forces to host a New Year BRULE BREAK-A-THON!

UPDATE:  Here's the replay!

• Subscribe to Peter's YouTube channel

• Subscribe to Tara's YouTube channel

Harris Manchester College seeks to appoint a Tutor in Ministerial Studies, for a fixed term of three years, beginning in September 2022. Applications are invited from ministers on the roll of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. Click here to download the job description and information about how to apply. Deadline 31 January 2022.

The post Harris Manchester College Oxford seeks new ministry tutor appeared first on The Unitarians.

Friday Hot Topics 🔥 Ministry Strategy Session
Many congregations are starting to look at hybrid ministry approaches seeking to integrate gathering online and offline. In this session, I share some considerations based on my MOST RECENT conversations with congregational leaders. This is an ongoing conversation.

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your interest.

After an unpredictable and challenging year, our President Anne Mills, offers this Christmas message.

At this time, last year, I was preparing a Christmas service for one of my local Unitarian chapels; the weather was extremely cold and wet; daylight-hours were perceptibly shorter; and the number of Covid cases was soaring, despite the first vaccinations being rolled out. It was difficult to keep our spirits high, especially when the promised festive respite was reduced, at the last moment, from five days to just  Christmas Day. Christmas 2020 would be different, we said; there would be other years when we could celebrate under more usual circumstances.

With this in mind, my “Christmas with a Twist” Service contained a tribute to a chapel-member who had recently died, and Happy 70th Birthday wishes to another member, for whom we sang the time-honoured tune (into our masks, of course); and, instead of the Bible’s version of the Nativity, I compiled a parallel piece from “The Book of God”, by Walter Wangerin. Surprisingly, everything fitted together well, and enough traditional elements were retained to satisfy the congregation. However, now that “next year” is almost upon us, what awaits us, as we head towards 2022? Covid has not disappeared from our lives, and this seems unlikely to happen, despite the great strides made by medical science to deal with the pandemic-conditions which have, unfortunately, dominated our lives for so long. 

Recently, I have been re-reading “A Christmas Carol”, by Charles Dickens; although this moral Victorian tale was written more than 170 years ago, its comments on quality of life remain relevant today. Ebenezer Scrooge, of “Bah, Humbug!” fame, is tight-fisted and materialistic, especially where the festive season, charitableness, and generosity of spirit are concerned; it is made clear that he is despised and scorned for his behaviour, loved by no-one, and avoided by many. Scrooge is visited by three spirits: the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, and, as a result, begins to realise that happiness and wealth do not necessarily sit comfortably together, and that those who achieve the greatest richness of spirit do so through their ability to appreciate what they have, rather than dwelling on what they have not, and by concentrating their hearts on what brings joy, cheer, and contentment to themselves and others. Scrooge’s transformation is swift and powerful; he remembers happier times in his life, and shrinks from the hard heart he has cultivated; his desire to make amends is almost instantaneous, to the benefit of his nephew’s family, and of Tiny Tim’s, too.

And what can we learn from Scrooge, as we approach Christmas, 2021? It is tempting to judge our own happiness by how much we spend on presents, and on food and drink, especially at this season of the year; maybe we should ask ourselves how satisfied and fulfilled we feel, having dashed round the shops, returning bad-tempered, exhausted and penniless from such expeditions; maybe we should wonder how much others appreciate our actions? A year ago, we bemoaned the fact that we were unable to devote quality-time to our families; now, we have the opportunity to do so, to take pleasure in simply being with them, enjoying their company, rather than spending money on them. There is a great deal for us all to appreciate, including a roof over our heads, our health, our nearest and dearest, our freedom, and the chance to exist in a country at peace. 

If we feel that the periods of lockdown and isolation we have recently experienced have altered us, we should consider whether we ought to introduce changes into our personal lives. Could we, like Scrooge, become more compassionate? Could our New Year’s Resolutions centre around changes to the benefit our own well-being, or that of others? We might decide that a house-move – possibly a relocation – would suit us, or that supporting a preferred charity would help those less fortunate than ourselves; we might determine how best to encourage desperately-needed climate-changes, as we try to save this poor planet of ours. Whatever decisions we make, if we abide by the true values of the Christmas tradition, we will surely find our hearts lighter and our lives enriched.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Christmas-period filled with love, blessings, joy and peace, and a New Year in which good health will abound, and hope will bring whatever our hearts most desire.

With warmest wishes,

Anne

The post A Christmas Message from our President appeared first on The Unitarians.

Librarians in the Irish city of Cork have uncovered an unusual baptism record of an African woman in the city’s Unitarian Church from 1816. Catherine McDonald was forcibly taken at the age of nine from her homeland of Aboo in Western Africa to Berbice (present-day Guyana) is South America. Aged thirty and by then a free woman, Catherine chose to be baptised at Cork Unitarian Church in 1816.

Sharing the story of ‘An Unusual Cork Baptism’ on the Cork Library Facebook page, they wrote:

“Here we have a unique historical document belonging to Cork’s Unitarian Congregation. Their church dates from 1717 and is the oldest place of continuous worship in the city. It is located on Princes Street in the city centre, recessed a little from the street, and was already long established when this baptism took place there on an October Sunday in 1816. All of 205 years ago. What’s so special about that you may wonder? Another baby, another baptism. Well, this was no baby, baby, this was the baptism of an adult and the full record reads:

“October 27th. Catherine McDonald. A free Negro woman from Berbice in South America, who at the age of nine years had been carried away from her own country, Aboo in Western Africa. Now aged thirty was baptized immediately after Morning Service in the desk of our meeting house by her own particular desire after due instruction”.

Berbice is now encompassed by the modern country of Guyana in the north-west of the South American continent, and Aboo relates to a region incorporated by current day Ghana. What became of Catherine? One wonders.”

The post Cork Library uncovers story of African-Irish Unitarian woman 200 years ago appeared first on The Unitarians.

We are delighted to announced that Rev. Melda Grantham has taken up the new role of Weddings Lead at the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. This new post has been made possible by a generous bequest left to the General Assembly by Rev Jay Deacon, Unitarian Universalist minister.

Rev. Melda Grantham will be supporting Unitarian and Free Christian congregations who wish to conduct more and better weddings, to build sustainable capacity to do so, while also raising the profile of our unique wedding offer at the local and national level. You can find out more about Unitarian weddings here.

With many weddings having been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with the Unitarians representing a large proportion of the places of worship where same sex couples can marry in England and Wales, there is a gap that we are well placed to fill. Our ability to offer couples the opportunity to shape their ceremony to reflect their beliefs and commitments means that we can serve the many couples who would not find what they need in other places of worship. Weddings can also bring in revenue for congregations, and there are plenty of opportunities for members of the congregation to get involved in supporting the wedding, thereby building capacity.

Melda, who has conducted thousands of weddings during a 25 year career as a Superintendent Registrar, is very excited about her new role, and can’t wait to start working with other Unitarians who are as passionate about weddings as she is. “Weddings are joyous occasions, and it is always a privilege to be given the opportunity to help couples to make their day a special and memorable one. It’s also a valuable outreach opportunity as people who would not normally visit our chapels are welcomed in.

“I hope that many congregations will consider being part of our very first nationwide ‘Celebration of Love’ which will take place between 25 January and 14 February 2022, and in the meantime I’d like to ask everybody to complete the survey that I sent out so that we can make sure that the support we offer is what people really need. If you have any ideas that you would like to discuss, then please do get in touch with me.”

Find out more about our staff team here.

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The Unitarians took part in a Religions For Peace – Interfaith Youth Network event last Saturday in London, visiting various places of worship including London Buddhist Centre and St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. We were represented at the event by Gavin Howell, our Youth Officer. Those taking part included Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Muslims, and others, as well as representatives from various faith-based charities and social action groups. You can find out more about Religions For Peace – Interfaith Youth Network here.

The post Unitarians take part in ‘Religions For Peace’ interfaith event appeared first on The Unitarians.

“I had been reminded most forcibly, as I always am, at this time of year, of the sacrifices made so that we, today, can live in relative peace, freedom and security.”

On Remembrance Sunday we were represented by our President, Anne Mills, at the Cenotaph in London. Here, Anne reflects on the experience:

“November 14th saw me in London, at The Cenotaph, in Whitehall, to represent the Unitarian denomination – a great honour and a memorable and moving occasion for me.

A new, amalgamated, department organised the event and decided not to offer plus-1 invitations to VIP guests and not to provide refreshments afterwards. I was disappointed by the change, as I had hoped that my husband Roger might have been able to share the experience, in return for all the support he has given me during the past two and a half years.

Travel arrangements to Whitehall caused problems in many quarters; my driver put me down near Admiralty Arch and left me to fend for myself. I was eventually rescued by Bob, to whom I shall remain eternally grateful – I’m sure his senior responsibilities do not include looking after lost old ladies!

Once inside the Foreign and Commonwealth Department building, the faith leaders congregated in a corridor, ready to take their places, when the time came. I found the other leaders very pleasant, and we all chatted easily. Some of the politicians gave us a smile and a greeting, as they passed us. I was interested to see what tall, broad, powerful men John Major, Tony Blair and Lindsay Hoyle are; Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan, by contrast, are both short and slight, but no less impressive.

The faith leaders who had attended the Service on other occasions were kind enough to pass on the benefit of their experience (where to look to see the Royals queuing up, and remembering to look up at the cameras, once we stepped outside). We were stewarded into place, according to the numbers chalked on the ground, and, before we knew it, the Service had begun, with a gun-salute before and after the impressive two minutes of absolute silence. The television-broadcast almost certainly gives better coverage in terms of an overview of the event, and, since returning home, I have enjoyed watching what I was unable to see live!

Once we regained the F and CD premises, the faith-leaders prepared to leave – but not before some of us managed a group photograph, outside 10 Downing Street, taken by an on-duty policeman. Later, in the early afternoon, Roger and I went back to the Cenotaph, to view all the wreaths there and to take our official photographs of them, and me. I was approached by, and gave an interview to, a French journalist, who is based in London, but works for the French media; she seemed concerned, mostly, about the Queen’s state of health, which is currently giving cause for concern and speculation.

We rounded off our afternoon by visiting the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey; in the grounds, more than 100,000 poppies and crosses, representing those who had lost their lives, have been planted by volunteers – a moving sight and a fitting close to a day on which I had been reminded most forcibly, as I always am, at this time of year, of the sacrifices made so that we, today, can live in relative peace, freedom and security.

Both before and after the Service, I received many messages of goodwill and support from fellow-Unitarians across the country, all of which I greatly appreciated.” 

The post President Anne Mills reflects on Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph appeared first on The Unitarians.

On 14 November, to mark the beginning of the annual Interfaith Week, an afternoon workshop was held at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, in Hampstead.

It featured three speakers from different religions backgrounds:

Hindu Unitarian Indra Sikdar spoke about the diverse origins of the Hindu faith and its pluralistic approach which teaches that there are ‘many ways to God’.

The Muslim musician and academic Julia Ayesha posed questions about what people of faith need to do in order to prepare themselves for the ultimate ideal and aspiration of living in unity.

Daniel Pashaie, of the local Baha’i community, spoke about the independent investigation of truth, which is one of the fundamental teachings of the Baha’i faith. He asked the group: ‘What are some truths that are common to all religions and how can we use them to foster unity among the peoples of the world?’

Rev Kate Dean, minister of Rosslyn Hill Chapel, led the workshop with her colleague Rev Michael Allured of Golders Green Unitarians. Speaking after the event, she said: ‘It was an honour to bring together such a diverse group who were so attentive and took part in very deep and rich discussions on the subject. Interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding are so important and, I believe, can set us on the path to peace. We invite anyone who would like to join us as we continue this work to come along on Sunday 16^th January, when our morning service at 11am will be led by myself and Professor Faraneh Vargha-Khadem to mark the Baha’I festival of World Religion Day. Afterwards, there will be one-hour discussion on the themes of the service.

Daniel shared a quotation from the Ruhi Institute, based on Baha’i Writings, which seemed to sum up what we were trying to do with this event: “We must be lovers of light, no matter from what lamp it appears. We must be lovers of the rose no matter in what garden it blooms. We must be seekers of truth, no matter from what source it comes. Attachment to one lamp can prevent us from appreciating the light when it shines in another. In seeking the truth, we must rid ourselves of preconceived notions and give up our prejudices. If our cup is full of self, there is no room in it for the water of life.”’

Photo: (L-R) Julia Ayesha, Indra Sikdar, Daniel Pashaie, taken by Rev. Kate Dean

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For congregations to thrive in today's digitally oriented world, it is important to understand how DIGITAL MINISTRY differs from SOCIAL MEDIA and MARKETING.

The digital ministry shift is a move from using social media solely to promote ministry opportunities to actually doing ministry on social media. 

Yes, we need to promote and market events. That's true.  But to harness the power of social media we need to go further!   

In this episode, I share a concrete example related to educating and orienting newcomers.  That's right...  How to move your welcoming and membership ministry online using social! 

Watch or listen below. 

🎧 Listen to this episode via my podcast:
You may play it below or click the icons (left to right) to subscribe, download, embed, or share this episode.

Episode Notes

Social Media

Think about all the different social media platforms we have. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.  Video posting platforms, audio hosting platforms. Generally, they allow us to share some kind of content -- photo, video, audio, and text.

We are able to put out some kind of content, some kind of message, and we have the ability to comment, reply, and interact around that message.  So there's sharing content and there's interaction. 

Social media gives us this amazing power!   What we do with it is up to us.   Think of it as raw capacity.

Marketing

With marketing, which can be done via social media, we are generally communicating in an effort to raise interest, awareness, curiosity, or some emotion related to something we want people to do, attend, or engage with.

Very often, when it comes to congregations, it's sharing announcements.  Here's a picture, here's a meme, here's a graphic related to some event or opportunity.  We're trying to get people to go to an event, such as attend a worship service or do something.

That's the majority of content congregations in the United States are generating on social media -- marketing-focused announcements. 

Digital Ministry

Now, what about digital ministry?  This is when we move from trying to promote events or opportunities via social media and start using social media platforms, or other digital tools, to actually DO ministry online.

Here's an example that I use in my Digital Ministry Academy and Video Ministry Academy trainings for religious professionals, staff, and volunteer leaders. 

Interested in training for your professional group, conference, or denomination? Contact me for live online trainings, seminars, and keynotes.

Congregations often hold events for newcomers designed to educate and orient them.   Think about how you are presently accomplishing this task.  

We can design an event to welcome and orient newcomers that is held offline in a building or online via a Zoom meeting. In either case, it is a discrete event that we want to get people to go to.

We could use the power of social media -- that raw capacity to share and interact -- to post announcements and other content promoting this event.  Our goal? To get newcomers to attend!  That's marketing.

To use social media to actually DO ministry in this example, we can shift where the orienting is happening.  Instead of some other event, we can answer questions directly on social media.

This could take the form of posting a photo of your connections team and a prompt for people to share questions they have.

We could go a step further and have a member of the team share a video where they share a welcome, some basic information, and ask people if they have questions.

Want to go next level?   Schedule a live Q&A session online with your team.  Invite people to share questions and join you live at the scheduled time!  Answer the questions shared in advance, questions shared live, and help people get welcomed, oriented, and connected right there on social media. 

What about the value of the event NOT on social media?  Well, if you can get people there, it is great!   But more and more people want that intro level content to be available when they are doing their research BEFORE they are ready to engage with your congregation.    

Live Stream Q&A

I use Stream Yard (referral link) to live stream to multiple social media platforms at once.  For example, I'll do live ministry strategy sessions with the live broadcast going to my YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter account, and one or more Facebook groups.  I love having the power to be on multiple platforms live all at once!

You could schedule a live Q&A session with your team using Zoom and broadcast the video to a scheduled YouTube live video (read how to via Zoom blog).  That video player could be shared in advance across your social media channels, email, and embedded on the newcomer page of your website!

Zoom is Digital, I know...

Okay, you may be thinking "Peter, Zoom is online and it is digital so a newcomer event held on Zoom is digital ministry." You are right!   For simplicity, I didn't bring that up in the video. Moving offline newcomer events online via Zoom is a great step.  For events that are geared for people who are curious and looking for more info but not ready to attend an event, the live stream option is great.   

These times call for collaboration and rapid innovation!  I think a monthly crowdsourcing session would be good.  Not just on multi-platform worship, but a wide range of issues.  

Is your congregation considering new tech staffing?  This is for you!  Please share this with any congregation you know who is in discernment on this issue. 

Here's the question I keep getting, often when the process is far along and jobs are being threatened....

Question:

Peter, should we downsize our existing program staff and invest in a full-time tech person?

Quick Answer:  No! In my professional opinion that's a horrible idea for most congregations.  Better to invest in your existing staff & volunteers, cultivate new volunteers, see how far you can go and grow together, adding tech & media skills and associated tasks to portfolios of your staff and volunteers.  If there are tech tasks that you must have covered, start with temporary contracts to supplement your existing team.

Watch this for my long answer:

All congregations need to be working to develop their media and tech capacity. But this shouldn't be implemented as knee-jerk actions throwing money at staffing. I know it is easy to want to fix the problem by hiring a new staff person. 

Some day you may need to, but if you are in an emergency "Ah!!!! We need to go hybrid / multi-platform, and I can't do one more thing lets hire a new staff position" state, that isn't fair to your team, your congregation, and isn't a responsible use of funds.     

I hear staff saying that there are no volunteers so they have to hire staff ASAP!  

Well, congregations that haven't been talking about vision, mission, their calling, the future, and the role of social media, technology, and other aspects of digital life won't have tech and media volunteers hanging around. They haven't been needed or appreciated.

Hiring tech and communications staff, especially if budgets are tight, should follow a process that highlights the importance of media and technology and the building of an associated volunteer & ministry capacity.

What, there are no volunteers in this area? If you have never done a THING before, of course, you have no associated THING volunteers around. But if you start talking about why that THING is so important, all of a sudden the people who are good at that THING and LOVE your congregation are like to show up.

It is also important to recognize that we are being called to integrate our ministry and technology. For most congregations, this means not thinking of technology as a separate role from other staffing, volunteer, and ministry roles but an integral part of them — a part we need to carefully and intentionally cultivate.

At the heart of any viable hybrid future are staff and volunteers (with appropriate skill & strategy training) who are actively BUILDING relationships, FACILITATING conversations, and ENGAGING with members, friends, and newcomers in digital and physical spaces.

Instead of rushing to hire a new staff person to handle all the tech, keep in mind that you can't outsource ministry. Yes, you can hire AV people to run cameras, and hire Zoom worship associates to do the logistics, but at the heart of our ministry is relationship.

We can teach existing staff and volunteers new skills and strategies! 

• How to engage with newcomers in digital spaces! 

• How to run amazing Zoom-based connecting events that out-perform anything you've done offline for newcomers to date!!!

• How to use social media video to tell the story of your congregation.

• How to use multi-platform streaming tools like StreamYard allowing you to reach more people, more spaces, and do it all LIVE like a digital rock star! 

• How to use small groups to make your ministry more relational, meaningful and transformative while being able to move between online and physical gatherings with ease!

• And more.... 

But it is much HARDER to get a turn a tech staffer into a minister, a membership coordinator, a pastoral care associate, a passionate member, and a new-found friend.

⁠⁠I know many of you feel the urge to GO BIG with tech staff because you need the help making whatever is going to come next happen. 

I understand. I get it. 

But rushing in this direction while cutting other positions and failing to do the visioning, leadership, and volunteer development work is not the way forward.

Instead of new tech staffing, invest in your existing staff & volunteers, cultivate new volunteers, see how far you can go and grow together, adding tech & media skills and associated tasks to their portfolios.  If there are tech tasks that you must have covered, start with temporary contracts to supplement your existing team.

Hope this helps!

I'm talking with leaders about regathering their congregations this Fall.  One of my recommendations? Think about it like we are RELAUNCHING our congregations.   That's the kind of spirit and energy I think we need to bring to our regathering efforts. 

Not just gathering again, but a full relaunch.  New energy, new models, new opportunities -- new and exciting!!!  

I know that's a lot.   But I think that's what we need to bring people back and to welcome new members in.

This is serious business, especially with the pandemic accelerating declining attendance trends. Enough to make me put on my serious face... 

But it is also incredibly exciting!

Our challenge?

To reconnect our communities -- including outreach to newcomers -- we need more effective communication, leaders using social media and video in ways that build relationships and deploy intentional strategies to help people take their next steps in congregational life.

That's a lot to figure out.

So my recommendation is to NOT try and figure it out all on your own. Let me help you. I've been working on this for years.   

Unitarian Universalist congregations (my home denomination) are invited to join my new UU Digital Ministry Academy program!

Our first live training is coming up Saturday.  For those who can't make it, there will be other repeat sessions plus on-demand video content available.

Members of the program get access to all program live trainings, strategy sessions, implementation events, and replays and other content on-demand.

To learn more and join us visit: http://www.digitalministryacademy.com

PS -- Short on time?  Below is a 90-second explanation of UU Digital Ministry Academy. 

Friends,  here's a quick update on what's coming this Summer 🌞

This is just a preview.  Training topics include digital ministry, social media, small groups, and membership development.  That and lots of time to talk strategy and issues related to re-gathering and re-launching this Fall. 

I'll share the full details, dates, and open registration after  July 4th.

I know some of you are taking a break, others are leading Summer services and programming, and others working hard on preparing for the Fall.  My goal is to be there to support you whenever you are ready! 

 

PS -- Watch to the end for my sea monster impression. 🐉

🚀 SUBSCRIBE HERE for free content, online training event invitations, and more for Unitarian Universalist religious professionals, staff & volunteers!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Based on your survey feedback and resulting conversations, I'm launching a 100% redesigned Unitarian Universalist Digital Ministry program.

Here are some features of the new program:

• Open to all UU congregations
• Offers ongoing digital ministry strategy, skill training, and support
• For teams: volunteers, staff, and religious professionals
• On-demand content
• Live strategy sessions via Zoom
• Additional live stream Q&A sessions in response to your questions
• Monthly subscription affordable for congregations of all sizes and budgets

Do you like the idea of our doing Unitarian Universalist DIGITAL MINISTRY together? I can't wait! I'll be sharing much more shortly.

This is just a quick "I listened! Change of direction..." update.

What about the other program?  I'm following up with those who expressed interest in that program.

Thanks to all who completed the survey. I greatly appreciate your sharing your ideas, insight, and support needs with me.

Questions, comments, ideas?
I'm working hard at adapting to the needs of our congregations as conditions shift season by season. If you have ideas or special requests, I'd love to hear from you.  Contact me.

Update: Based on your feedback I'm 100% redesigning my training programs!  Make sure you sign up to get training updates. Details are coming out the week of June 23, 2021.

Friends, here's an overview of my new Digital Ministry Accelerator program, DMAX for short.  It is a 12-week program for Unitarian Universalist parish ministers (this round) and their congregations.  Interested ministers, I'd love your feedback! 

Please complete this brief program survey: SURVEY COMPLETED

Your responses will help me finalize the program design and the day and time we'll hold our weekly strategy sessions.    Thank you!

Friends, recently I had the opportunity to be a guest on the new Unitarian Universalist podcast "The Flame" by Roddy Biggs!

Grateful for the chance to reflect on a range of issues related to UU life, ministry, media, and the pandemic through this conversation.  Thanks, Roddy!  

If you'd like to have future episodes delivered to your device, subscribe to The Flame podcast.

About the podcast

The Flame is a Unitarian Universalist faith-centered podcast offering voices and stories of hope, love, resilience, and community. Witness real conversations, ones that sometimes tackle challenging topics but safely and bravely. Whether you are a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, new to the faith, or this is the first time you are hearing of the Unitarian Universalist faith, I welcome you just as you are.