Brian Kiely (UU Without Borders)Â blogs about the current annual meeting of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (UK), gathered in Nottingham.
For years, I’ve loved seeing pictures of these meetings. Their scale is far more manageable than Unitarian Universalist Association General Assemblies, which are days longer, have several times more attendees (though the British have proportionally more people attending) and (seem) to have more packed schedules. You need a vacation after attending one.
Perhaps I like the look of the British meetings because you so often see the delegates in assembly halls with desks, which suggests a more active deliberative process. (Suggests, but does not prove.) Â Or perhaps the scale and format is more like the meetings of the Universalist General Convention, a predecessor body of the UUA, and I can imagine what they might have been like. Or perhaps it’s the worship services sometimes pictured from inside an actual church. In any case, I think you could talk me into one of their meetings faster than one of ours. I’d even staff a table in the (more modest) exhibits hall.
A word about terms: in the UK, the General Assembly is the governing body; in the US, it’s the annual meeting. In case that wasn’t clear.
Interesting website. I especially liked the “Personal Views” section featuring people, both clergy and lay, talking in their own words about their faith journey. Most of them mentioned Jesus or God in some fashion. Undoubtedly this would not be very common in our religious movement in the USA. It’s the willingness to speak about one’s faith journey openly and honestly that still appeals most to me as a Unitarian Universalist.
One could argue that the General Assembly is also the governing body in the UUA, although common practice (and some amendments to our governance structure over the years) have compromised its governance role or rendered it largely symbolic.
Although “General Assembly” is the equivalent term to “Association” in comparing the UK to US, and our meetings are offically the “Annual Meetings” it is more confusing as we sometimes call the Annual Meetings “the GA” dropping into the American usage.
I will be blogging about it soon, honest.
As someone standing outside UUism-and contemplating joining within a “freedom in Christ” context,and also with a decidedly jaundiced view of ANZUUA’s local church here in Melbourne,I always go to the Pommie (that ‘s Australian slang for the English ) UUs’ websites first then I go to the UUA and see what ANZUUA could learn. Sadly the British UU’s are seeing the retirement of Rev David Ussher and he is heading back home to Oz. perhaps Aussie UUs’ will benefit from him