By Winnie Green, who supported the motion at the 2022 General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches to consult on the branding.

I had for many years passed the chapel in Belper before I actually went through the door. The meaningful simplicity of the Flaming Chalice logo was intriguing to me. I was more used to the many religious representations found in a Catholic Church. More than the chalice, the openness of the congregation drew me in and eventually I became a member of the Belper Unitarian chapel.

The symbolism of the Flaming Chalice is one which can be interpreted individually as well as being recognised as representing Unitarianism world wide. The ritual lighting of the candle is an important reminder of our connection to others and the stylised representation of that on the altar cloth and banner gives me the feeling of belonging to a congregation.

I can remember the consternation within the Belper Chapel when someone pointed out the new chalice logo on the front of the Inquirer. Although we had heard there was a group looking into updating the Unitarian image, we had not expected it to make changes without consultation.

David Burton our Chair of Trustees and chief support of our Chapel chaired our next congregation meeting, where the matter was discussed. As a result, it was agreed the best way to show our disquiet was through the GA. David took our decision to East Midlands Region and it was agreed to present a motion calling for consultation of membership on the replacing of the Chalice logo.

Somewhere along the line the pandemic occurred and there is no doubt this did interfere with timelines and decision-making processes. It was with relief, joy and anticipation we heard the AGM would be going ahead in person in 2022.

The motion was:
“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.”

As the motion was passed I, as a member, would expect it to be enacted fully. In the listening circle I was part of, this seemed to be the majority view. However the circles made contact with about 40 people at most, so not really a consultation. I understand from Louise there is going to be a consultation exercise. I hope this will give everyone the chance to express their view on the Chalice rebranding.