Unitarians of the LDPA & Citizens UK Meeting

I hope all is well with you.

I am Rev. Julio Torres, Minister at Lewisham Unity. I also participate in New Unity’s social justice activities as a former Member and Trustee.

I am sending a mass notification to inform you of a meeting being held at New Unity on 21 September 2023 from 1900 to 2030. This will be in person and on Zoom (see below for the relevant joining details).

The meeting will be to discuss the social justice work New Unity has been involved with as a part of Citizens UK; learn more about some of the successful Citizens UK campaigns; how we can benefit from being joint members of Citizens UK; and New Unity’s impact within the borough of Hackney and in Greater London. 

Think of Citizens UK like you would think of the General Assembly – it is an organisation of membership organisations who work to make social justice happen as a coalition through community organising. There is more information about Citizens UK in the below attachment.

By joining Citizens UK, we Unitarians will help make a vision of paradise, beloved community, and kin-dom of God a reality as we will be in coalition with other institutions ( i.e. other faith groups, universities, non-profit charities of all kinds- which Citizens UK comprises).

We at New Unity want to invite all London based congregations to join in a coalition as a joint member of Citizens UK as part of a two year pilot programme. The first year would have support from the LDPA to cover costs (pending final approval). The second year would require joint financial support from congregations involved as well as the LDPA. However, this meeting will discuss an introduction to Citizens UK and invite you all to engage in collaborative social justice work.

Agenda :

1. 1. Welcome and chalice lighting (2 mins)

• Introduction to Citizens UK (10 mins)

1. Citizens UK stories (10 mins)
2. New Unity success stories (15 mins)
3. Citizens UK and congregational development (10 mins)
4. Short introduction to relational power (10 min)
5. Breakout room (vision setting, legacy of Unitarians, issues experienced by members in congregations- 30 min total, 10 min each)

For those who wish to attend in person:

39A Newington Grn, Newington Green, London N16 9PR

For those who wish to attend via zoom:

Lewisham Unity is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.