In light of the recent vote to move forward with the Assisted Dying Bill in Parliament, Geoff Levermore, President of the Unitarians and Free Christians in the UK, reminds us that our denomination voted in favour of assisted dying in 2013, after a year’s examination of the issue within our congregations. Ultimately, it was our underlying values of love for our neighbour and compassion for all beings that swayed our stance. From our perspective, we respect our neighbour’s right to interpret or ignore religious texts as they see fit. Our faith tradition gives us the freedom to interpret religious texts and other sources, such as science, philosophy and poetry, and to use reason to shape a faith that fits our consciences. We put loving thy neighbour into action; deeds not creeds. As the Bible says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” 

From Ann Howell, our Social Action Officer: It is important to mention that our vote in 2013 was far from unanimous and that while the motion we agreed on was in favour of giving terminally ill people the right to end their life in a “painless and dignified manner”, this new bill brings up some potential nuances that should be considered. Our vote was erring on the side of compassion and the relief of intolerable suffering and not meant to undermine the sacredness of human life and each individual’s agency over their own existence. 

The exact wording of the 2013 motions is: 

That this General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, recognising the worth and dignity of all people and their freedom to believe as their consciences dictate, believes that: 

1) Any individual who faces an intolerable existence because of a debilitating and/or incurable physical condition should have the right to seek support for the termination of their life in a painless and dignified manner; and  

2) legislation should respect their choice and allow them compassionate assistance in achieving such a death without fear of the prosecution of anyone involved. 

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The Executive Committee of the General Assembly held a hybrid meeting on the 23rd and 24^th November, in Birmingham and on Zoom. It was the first meeting with our recently co-opted EC member, Zac Baker (South East Wales), and we were grateful to have his thoughtful input.

We are grateful for the warm welcome from Birmingham Unitarians at their Sunday service (led by Mark Hutchinson), and the chance to be in conversation with Unitarians from across the Midlands over a delicious lunch! 

We were glad to hear a report on the work of Unitarian Transformers from Mark Hutchinson and Laura Dobson. Unitarian Transformers were launched three years ago with funding from the Wood Green Trust, to This includes collaborations with congregations (recently Doncaster, Norcliffe, and Macclesfield), as well as working with the Midlands Unitarian Association to conduct a ‘sustainability audit’ of congregations. The project has also supported the Malvern Transformers youth group connected with Evesham Unitarians, in creating resources that can be used by other congregations for their youth and family ministry. We heard Unitarian Transformers’ plans to continue development of their ‘Connections’ series of online gatherings, as spaces for Unitarians and others to find inspiration and connection. 

Our context

The first part of our meeting was spent sharing our perspectives on the context we are working in, through the questions that Convenor, Jo James asked “What are the virtues that are regularly and intentionally happening in our movement?” We then moved on to explore the opposite qualities of that list of virtues, and identifying where those negative qualities are at play. We found the exercise of sharing these virtuous and challenging qualities very helpful in grounding ourselves in a shared understanding of our context, and found it helped guide our decision-making through the meeting. 

The EC heard reports from the GA staff, including a report on a gathering that Chief Officer, Liz Slade recently convened bringing together Unitarians, other liberal faith leaders, theologians, artists, and community-builders to explore the questions of how we work in a time of transition – what we hold on to, what we mourn, what we let go of as not useful, and what ‘dropped threads’ of past practices we pick up. The gathering was framed by Dougald Hine, author of At Work in the Ruins, and Iona Lawrence, Director of the Decelerator. 

Governance

• We heard an update on progress of the EC elections process, and that our election partner, Popularis, has sent out information to the membership to welcome nominations. You can find out more about the elections here, if you or someone you know may be suited to act as one of our national trustees for the movement. 
• The EC reviewed the proposed constitution for the GA’s move to CIO status, following its update after feedback from the movement earlier this autumn. A motion proposing that this moves ahead will be put to the membership at April’s annual meetings, and we will share further information on this shortly.
• The EC continued the exploration from the previous meeting of reviewing our quota payment system. We agreed that quota payments should be revised, recognising that the current figure of £35/head has not changed for over a decade, and would be much higher if it had kept pace with inflation. There will be a likely increase to £40/head from next year and we will share further information with congregations on this change shortly. 
  

Ministry and ministry support

• The EC approved the Interview Panel’s recommendation that Melda Grantham receives Full Member status, after successfully completing her Newly Qualified Minister status.
• The Ministry Students’ Fund, which provides grants to support students’ living expenses while they are in ministry training, needs additional funds in order to support future students, and the EC committed to putting £200,000 in to the fund. Investing in the ministers of the future is essential to the health of our movement, and we will be inviting other Unitarian bodies to support this fund. 
• The EC agreed a recommendation to revise the way in which ministers’ housing is supported, in recognition that housing costs have increased significantly in recent years, resulting in some of our ministers living in housing poverty. This paper will be shared with the membership shortly.

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Nominations for the General Assembly Executive Committee (GA EC) are open – the Election Panel tells us more. 

The General Assembly is seeking new candidates to stand for election to join the Executive Committee. Who do you know who might be an asset to our movement in this role? Candidate applications close on 31 January 2025, so now is a great time to share a quiet word of encouragement with potential candidates.  

The role of the Executive Committee (EC) is to work with the Chief Officer and staff team to lead and serve the Unitarian and Free Christian movement. The words that Liz Slade, Chief Officer, wrote in The Inquirer at the time of the last EC election are still relevant now:  

“This is an exciting time to be part of this leadership group, because of the nature of the challenges we are facing. COVID-19 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.” 

What does the EC do? 
EC members represent the movement and are democratically elected by members across the country to be the trustees of the GA charity. Their work is to enable the smooth running of the charity according to the GA’s charitable object. 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. 

The EC meets around six times a year, either in person with an overnight stay (with one longer two-night meeting per year), or by video conference. We have recently moved to holding meetings at weekends to make EC membership more accessible to those in work. This arrangement could be altered further for the new configuration of members.  

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 need to be received by 31 January 2025, with support from the candidate’s congregation or other Unitarian member organisation. You can find all the information you need, including nomination forms, here: https://www.unitarian.org.uk/how-we-work/ec-elections/.  

When is the election? 

Biographical information on the candidates will be sent, and the election will open, in February 2025. There will be a five-week period for voting and the election will close on 28 March 2025. The results will be announced shortly afterwards. Successful candidates will take up office at the end of the Annual Meetings in April 2025.  

Questions 
If you would like to know more about the work of the EC, or whether you should consider applying, please do get in touch with Liz Slade, Chief Officer.  

This article was written by the Executive Committee Electoral Panel.  

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After the sale of their building, Newcastle Unitarians decided to donate their silver collection to Newcastle City Council. Read all about this generous gift here:

Handing Over the Silverware

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There is promising news from the Leadership and Design team in the appointment of its new Network Facilitator, Esther Wanjiru Mukera. The Leadership and Design team is an international body working to reimagine a global framework framework for Unitarian, Unitarian Universalist, and Free Churches.

“After a careful selection process we offered the position of U/U Global Network Facilitator to Esther Wanjiru Mukera.  Esther is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kenya and in her professional career she served in high level management roles. She also has a deep awareness of the diversity in resources, context and culture  among Unitarian-Universalists globally. We look forward to welcoming Esther and we will be supporting her as she puts her energy and faith into action!”

From the UK General Assembly Chief Officer Liz Slade, “It’s been an honour to be part of the LDT’s discernment process over the last couple of years, to envision a new way of collaborating between U/U communities and leaders that’s right for our times. The appointment of Esther as the first staff member is an important milestone – she will begin the work to bring this new vision into reality. The many candidates who applied for this role were exceptionally strong, and it’s exciting to feel the enthusiasm for real relationship-building between the very different expressions of our faith around the world.”

Learn more about Esther here.

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

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 2024 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: 16 September 2024.

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The signed accounts for the financial year ending September 2023 of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches are now available to download.

For more information about these accounts, we invite you to a Zoom call with our Honorary Treasurer, John Bates (see below).

Talk to the Treasurer: Wednesday, 4th September at 6:00 pm 

We invite you to join an open Zoom call with John Bates, the GA’s Honorary Treasurer on Wednesday 4th September at 6:00 pm, if you would like to learn more about the GA’s accounts or ask any questions. We welcome questions by email in advance.

Join the Zoom call here.

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A funding scheme to encourage growth and new ways of working.

Congregations will be able to apply to the fund for grants to invest in people – that is, to employ or contract with people who can help them innovate in the way they develop, communicate and deliver an engaging and rewarding spiritual and social experience for current and new members. ​

Ideally, two or more congregations will collaborate in a joint project, maybe with robust and thriving congregations supporting and encouraging emerging congregations. ​

District support will be critical to success and a condition to attract the match funding from the scheme.​

For more detailed information, you can download this document that answers some of the Frequently Asked Questions about this new fund.

Some examples of possible projects:

• A group of Congregations could apply for funds to recruit a new full time Minister who has innovative plans for developing local Ministry to reach beyond the current membership.​
• The scheme could pay for a full-time administrator for several Congregations, with the aim of improving revenue by innovative use of buildings, assisting the Trustees with accounting and day to day financial management, and freeing up time for Ministers or other leaders to increase community engagement. ​
• Or maybe a group of Congregations wants to commission advice on developing a clear and innovative “Welcome” message, provide training for volunteers and enhance communication with the broader community, including paying for various events to focus engagement with existing and potential new members. ​
• These are just suggestions, not prescriptions. The scheme would be open to all innovative ideas for building capabilities for rejuvenating and growing our movement​.

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Rev Derek Mc Auley, Chair of the Hibbert Trust talked to The Gleaner, Jamaica’s leading newspaper, about the debt the organisation owes to the island nation and the fund it has developed to take responsibility and start to make amends. Read the full article here.

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Monday, 8^th April 2024 

The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches are proud to announce the appointment of Prof Geoff Levermore as GA President 2024-25. Prof Levermore is a dedicated and prolific climate scientist, and notably one of the Lead Authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) contributing to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC with Al Gore in 2007. (https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/a-nobel-contribution-to-peace-prize/) 

He attends services at both Dean Row and Norcliffe chapels in Cheshire Greater Manchester and gives services at nearby chapels in the North West and Shrewsbury. His own spiritual perspective is influenced by the theologian Gordon Kaufman’s ideas about the Mystery of Creation, and philosopher Karl Popper’s views on the Open Society. “I commit the social sin of discussing politics and religion with people. I believe in open religion, open societies, open to doubt… I’m not so spiritual, although I believe in the transcendency of things. An idea can be so wonderful – a lightbulb moment. This happens with my theology.” His personal theology drives him to make the world a better place and he is confident that technology will play a significant role in combatting global warming. 

This faith in technology comes from a career in climate science that has lasted more than 50 years, beginning when Professor Levermore earned a PhD from Imperial College in 1975. In 1979, he formed the Energy Management Team at Wandsworth Council, London and inaugurated the London Boroughs’ Energy Management Group (still running), which hosted several Government Ministerial visits. In 1983, he started lecturing at South Bank Polytechnic on building services and energy use in buildings. He moved to UMIST, later Manchester University, in 1992. From 1995 to 2009 he chaired a professional committee on current and climate change weather data for building design in the UK and is still on a similar US Weather Data Committee. 

He has authored over 150 journal papers, lectures, and books and his work has earned him numerous awards and grants, including a CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) Silver Medal in 2010. Professor Levermore is currently Emeritus Professor at The University of Manchester and an Adjunct Professor at the China Agricultural University, Beijing. He continues to publish and speak at events on climate change and the potential for good building design to mitigate global temperature rises. 

The Unitarians are a progressive faith group with a long tradition of combining liberal religion with rational inquiry and respect for honest scientific endeavour. Professor Levermore continues this tradition of scientific exploration in the Unitarian community, which has included such icons as Joseph Priestly and Charles Darwin.  His role as President of the Unitarian GA will bring him around the country, speaking to congregations about his views on mitigating the climate crisis and about our moral imperative to act, as well as promoting the work of the GA. 

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