American Unitarian Conference Forum

Out of curiosity, how much contact has anyone had with the British Unitarian Church? Are these two links for the same church/body?

http://www.unitarianchristian.org.uk/
http://www.unitarian.org.uk/

I get the impression that the former is a subgroup in the latter, similar to the UUCF in the UUA here in the USA (sorry I couldn't resist!) I have to be honest however that the larger Unitarian body impressed me (through the website) much more than the UUA has-it seemed more spiritual than the UUA, if not explicitly Christian any longer (I do see similar parallels but the Unitarian Church of the UK does seem more balanced). Does anyone have any more knowledge, thoughts or comments?

Cliff Reed, a current minister in the U.K., was an exchange minister for about 6 months at my former UUA church in Bloomington, IL. His U.K. Unitarianism was very much more God oriented than the typical UUA church...it was refreshing to hear him speak during that period. Their theology is much closer to AUC / UUCF type of belief...however...they face the same loss of religious activity that all denominations in Europe encounter today....a predominately secular society. The British Unitarian church is probably even closer to extinction than the American variety.

http://www.theopenmind.org.uk/about/Whatsthat.html
Unitarian?
Whats that?
Questions and answers about a liberal religious alternative
by
Cliff Reed

I thought their were more Unitarian churches in England than the US (by Unitarian I mean in the more historical Unitarian sense, not the UU sense). In fact I'm more tempted to go to graduate school in England than the US in order to become a Unitarian minister. I'm afraid that if I enroll here in the US I'll discover after I've graduated that I'm suddenly back in the UU church.

I've attended a few conferences with a man originally from the U.S. who has been a Unitarian minister in England for the last 30 years or so. Also, I think some of us on this list have had a few e-quaintances who have attempted to form a new group of Unitarian believers in England. I remember a delightful late night long distance phone chat with one of them several years ago.

John