On Monday 21st September 2026 between 7-8.30pm, Louise Reeve will speak on ‘This Spiritual Life: Unitarians’ at Stocksfield Quaker Meeting House, in person and online. If you’d like to join us, please email Michael Long at Northumberland Quakers for the joining information: Michael Long. All are welcome!
Introduction – ‘This Spiritual Life: Unitarians’
Unitarianism is hard to define, but then many Unitarians would have it no other way. Like Quakers, we began with a rejection of established doctrine and a belief that all human beings must be free to seek their own truths and spiritual experiences, supported by a loving community. Our name originally comes from our rejection of the Holy Trinity in favour of a belief in the unity of God and the humanity of Jesus, but like many in the modern world, we’re now exploring what it means to be part of a spiritual community in the era of ‘spiritual, not religious’. Many would say that our name now emphasises a broader search for unity and common ground among different religious and spiritual traditions, and the need for people of faith to seek that which brings us together. Louise Reeve will speak about her own Unitarian journey, what it means to be a Unitarian in 2026, and what Newcastle Unitarians are doing to rejuvenate their community.
Louise Reeve’s Biography
Like many Unitarians, I’ve been a Unitarian all my life, but only realised it after I found a Unitarian congregation. I joined Newcastle Unitarians in 2010, and realised that they were my people. I’ve been the congregation’s Chairperson since 2018 and a lay worship leader since 2020, which has certainly been a journey! A visit to Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in February 2020 inspired me to learn more about Quakerism, and it’s my hope that the Quaker and Unitarian congregations in the North East might come to work more closely together in the near future, to promote liberal religion and spirituality in challenging times. When not doing Unitarianism, I am Newcastle City Council’s Consultation Lead Officer, also a rugby league fan and a keen scuba diver.