From our constitution:
“The Northern Unitarian Association (NUA) exists to:
- join together Unitarian churches and fellowships and individual Unitarians in the north of England
- to encourage the spreading of Unitarian belief
- and to grant aid to churches in need of assistance.
The Association collects income from investments, trust funds, individual subscribers and donations and distributes it to churches and fellowships within the region and to other Unitarian causes”.
What is a Unitarian district association?
Unitarian districts are regional groupings of Unitarian congregations in the United Kingdom. Each district has a president and an executive committee. Districts exist to support the member congregations and Unitarian individuals living in their region.
Above the districts, at the national level, the national structure of British Unitarians is headed by an elected president, who holds office for one year and represents the Unitarian movement in the UK. Day-to-day administration is done by the national Executive Committee, which is led by a Convenor, assisted by an Honorary Treasurer, a General Secretary (usually now called the Chief Officer), and other Executive Committee members. Training for Ministers and lay worship leaders is provided by the Unitarian College. Below the district level there are local congregations and fellowships, which are independent organisations with their own management committees and council, and a minister if the congregation has one, and also Unitarian societies. You can find out more about this below:
The national Unitarian movement – how we work
Unitarian Districts and Societies
What area do we cover?
Geographically the Northern Unitarian region is one of the largest Unitarian districts, covering an area from Teesside to the Scottish border in the North and across to Carlisle in the West. By way of contrast, in terms of the number of member churches, we are the smallest district with just two – Newcastle upon Tyne and Stockton-on-Tees. It was not always so small – at one time there were no fewer than 14 churches, chapels and meeting houses in the region; Barnard Castle, Carlisle, Choppington, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne (Ellison Place), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Byker Mission), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Pandon Bank), North Shields, South Shields, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland.
The last of these closures took place in 1980, and the district association is focussed on supporting the two remaining congregations in the North East, and Unitarians in the region in general.
Since we have only two churches, the district has limited resources both finance and people power. The priority for these must, of necessity, be the work at the two churches.
For this reason there is normally only one district event each year, held normally in October. This comprises a meeting, usually addressed by the GA President, a service of worship, the district Annual Meeting and a meal together. In addition the district committee meets three times a year and members of the two churches support each other’s special events. We also maintain good links with our neighbours in Yorkshire and Scotland, attending their events when we can (such as the YUU Spring Gathering at Saltaire in May) although the distances involved are very large. A welcome development is collaboration with our Scottish friends over proposals for a Northern Cluster Group for trials under the fm (future ministry) initiative.
We do not underestimate the challenges we face as we work to strengthen and grow the Unitarian presence in the North East but there is a great spirit of determination to succeed.
About the NUA – The work of the NUA
Our goal
From our constitution:
“The Northern Unitarian Association (NUA) exists to:
- join together Unitarian churches and fellowships and individual Unitarians in the north of England
- to encourage the spreading of Unitarian belief
- and to grant aid to churches in need of assistance.
The Association collects income from investments, trust funds, individual subscribers and donations and distributes it to churches and fellowships within the region and to other Unitarian causes”.
What is a Unitarian district association?
Unitarian districts are regional groupings of Unitarian congregations in the United Kingdom. Each district has a president and an executive committee. Districts exist to support the member congregations and Unitarian individuals living in their region.
Above the districts, at the national level, the national structure of British Unitarians is headed by an elected president, who holds office for one year and represents the Unitarian movement in the UK. Day-to-day administration is done by the national Executive Committee, which is led by a Convenor, assisted by an Honorary Treasurer, a General Secretary (usually now called the Chief Officer), and other Executive Committee members. Training for Ministers and lay worship leaders is provided by the Unitarian College. Below the district level there are local congregations and fellowships, which are independent organisations with their own management committees and council, and a minister if the congregation has one, and also Unitarian societies. You can find out more about this below:
The national Unitarian movement – how we work
Unitarian Districts and Societies
What area do we cover?
Geographically the Northern Unitarian region is one of the largest Unitarian districts, covering an area from Teesside to the Scottish border in the North and across to Carlisle in the West. By way of contrast, in terms of the number of member churches, we are the smallest district with just two – Newcastle upon Tyne and Stockton-on-Tees. It was not always so small – at one time there were no fewer than 14 churches, chapels and meeting houses in the region; Barnard Castle, Carlisle, Choppington, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne (Ellison Place), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Byker Mission), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Pandon Bank), North Shields, South Shields, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland.
The last of these closures took place in 1980, and the district association is focussed on supporting the two remaining congregations in the North East, and Unitarians in the region in general.
Since we have only two churches, the district has limited resources both finance and people power. The priority for these must, of necessity, be the work at the two churches.
For this reason there is normally only one district event each year, held normally in October. This comprises a meeting, usually addressed by the GA President, a service of worship, the district Annual Meeting and a meal together. In addition the district committee meets three times a year and members of the two churches support each other’s special events. We also maintain good links with our neighbours in Yorkshire and Scotland, attending their events when we can (such as the YUU Spring Gathering at Saltaire in May) although the distances involved are very large. A welcome development is collaboration with our Scottish friends over proposals for a Northern Cluster Group for trials under the fm (future ministry) initiative.
We do not underestimate the challenges we face as we work to strengthen and grow the Unitarian presence in the North East but there is a great spirit of determination to succeed.
About the NUA – The work of the NUA
Our goal
From our constitution:
“The Northern Unitarian Association (NUA) exists to:
- join together Unitarian churches and fellowships and individual Unitarians in the north of England
- to encourage the spreading of Unitarian belief
- and to grant aid to churches in need of assistance.
The Association collects income from investments, trust funds, individual subscribers and donations and distributes it to churches and fellowships within the region and to other Unitarian causes”.
What is a Unitarian district association?
Unitarian districts are regional groupings of Unitarian congregations in the United Kingdom. Each district has a president and an executive committee. Districts exist to support the member congregations and Unitarian individuals living in their region.
Above the districts, at the national level, the national structure of British Unitarians is headed by an elected president, who holds office for one year and represents the Unitarian movement in the UK. Day-to-day administration is done by the national Executive Committee, which is led by a Convenor, assisted by an Honorary Treasurer, a General Secretary (usually now called the Chief Officer), and other Executive Committee members. Training for Ministers and lay worship leaders is provided by the Unitarian College. Below the district level there are local congregations and fellowships, which are independent organisations with their own management committees and council, and a minister if the congregation has one, and also Unitarian societies. You can find out more about this below:
The national Unitarian movement – how we work
Unitarian Districts and Societies
What area do we cover?
Geographically the Northern Unitarian region is one of the largest Unitarian districts, covering an area from Teesside to the Scottish border in the North and across to Carlisle in the West. By way of contrast, in terms of the number of member churches, we are the smallest district with just two – Newcastle upon Tyne and Stockton-on-Tees. It was not always so small – at one time there were no fewer than 14 churches, chapels and meeting houses in the region; Barnard Castle, Carlisle, Choppington, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne (Ellison Place), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Byker Mission), Newcastle upon Tyne, (Pandon Bank), North Shields, South Shields, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland.
The last of these closures took place in 1980, and the district association is focussed on supporting the two remaining congregations in the North East, and Unitarians in the region in general.
Since we have only two churches, the district has limited resources both finance and people power. The priority for these must, of necessity, be the work at the two churches.
For this reason there is normally only one district event each year, held normally in October. This comprises a meeting, usually addressed by the GA President, a service of worship, the district Annual Meeting and a meal together. In addition the district committee meets three times a year and members of the two churches support each other’s special events. We also maintain good links with our neighbours in Yorkshire and Scotland, attending their events when we can (such as the YUU Spring Gathering at Saltaire in May) although the distances involved are very large. A welcome development is collaboration with our Scottish friends over proposals for a Northern Cluster Group for trials under the fm (future ministry) initiative.
We do not underestimate the challenges we face as we work to strengthen and grow the Unitarian presence in the North East but there is a great spirit of determination to succeed.