Earlier this year, two of our members, Ben MacLeod and Jamie Scott, sent a letter to the Unitarian magazine, ‘The Inquirer’, calling for the national movement to take action to raise the profile of Unitarianism in the UK. It gathered some interest – here’s what they said!

Avoiding Extinction!

This is our Unitariann Extinction Rebellion! Unitarianism faces extinction in certain parts of the nation and we believe that the GA should stand up and support individual congregations in the simple act of telling people that Unitarianism exists. We want to make Unitarianism a national faith, worshipped at a local level, here for all seekers and for our future. Without action now we face extinction, we face slipping into the abyss. Ask yourself this; Is Unitarianism worth fighting for?

If it’s worth fighting for, it’s worth advertising. Congregations need national support to advertise because many of us are on or even past the threshold of financial self-sufficiency, unable to muster the funds or manpower to design adverts and purchase advertising space. The Northern Unitarian Association is a prime example of this. The NUA covers a region of around 3500 square miles and is home to only 2 churches, with a combined membership of around thirty people. The NUA region includes five universities and a population of 2.6 million people, who have never heard of Unitarianism, many of whom don’t have access to a Unitarian congregation in their local area.

We would like a targeted, local advertising campaign to begin to change that, first and foremost by telling people Unitarianism exists. They don’t need to know what we’re offering them, they don’t need to know what we stand for, they simply need to know that we’re here. If they are curious, then a quick internet search will fill in the blanks. This is our idea, our attempt to prevent our extinction. Will the GA support us and other congregations on the verge of extinction in our quest to live again?