2021

‘Why Are We Here? Discerning our Unitarian Mission in an Upturned World’

In 2021 we will be considering the question ‘What is our Unitarian church for, anyway?’, examining how the landscape of ‘doing church’ has changed (especially during the last eighteen months), pondering how we can flex and adapt in turbulent times while remaining true to our religious roots, and offering some constructive visions for Unitarianism in the challenging landscape of the twenty-first century.

Engagement Groups

Opening Service: Jane Blackall

Tonight’s opening worship will gather us together in preparation for this week of online summer school events and begin to introduce our theme of mission.

Talk #1: Jo James

“What is the spirit saying in the churches?” Are we ‘spiritual not religious’? If so, what does spiritual mean? Are we ourselves religious or does religious diversity meant that we are a space to talk about being religious? Drawing on insights from the academic study of religion and several years’ experience of practical ministry this talk aims to provoke and stimulate discussion but also to deep dive into sacred experience.

Talk #2: Shana Parvin Begum

Through stories, experience and wisdom Shana hopes to explore what we could collectively choose to do differently to create places of worship that are truly welcoming to all.

Talk #3: Rory Castle Jones

"Fearless and Fervent Folk, Poems and Poetry, Songs and Suffering": how the radical story of Welsh Unitarianism can help us discern our mission in the twenty-first century. For over two hundred years, radical Welsh Unitarians have helped shape their nation and - sometimes - the world, from Iolo Morganwg to Frank Lloyd Wright. Today, as churches and people of faith grapple with their purpose and mission, what can we learn from the radical stories of our spiritual ancestors?

Talk #4: Stephen Lingwood

On the prophetic mission in the climate crisis as the cultivation of resistance, repentance, and resilience.

Talk #5: Kate Brady McKenna

What should we, as Unitarians, do if it turns out the world is ending? What should we do if it turns out it isn’t? How can we safely lament the collective and individual trauma of the last couple of years, and how do we find and share comfort?