Tuesday 17 April 2012

A testimonial from Paul Cannon

Presented at the Unitarian General Assembly meetings, April, 2012:

Before I encountered New Unity I used to describe myself as an Agnostic Faitheist (ask me later). December last year I saw a sign, not from god, but from Andy Pakula, It said “A church for atheists, and everyone else’. I bit. I walked up and rang the door bell, Andy answered, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In January I applied to join New Unity, In February I attended Fuse, the Festival of Unitarians in the South East, and on March 4th I was officially welcomed as a member of New Unity at the new members’ service. Now its April, and here we are at the GA.

Part of the reason I wanted to come to the GA was to continue my quest as to what it means to be a Unitarian but in preparing these words I have come to the realization that I have to define for myself what it means to me to be a Unitarian. As the meaning of life is the meaning with which we endow our lives, so it is with Unitarianism… instead of seeking a sound bite that defines Unitarianism as a destination, I need to find the patience to see it as a path. That path may not be so different from the one I was on before; it may well be the same one. The difference is that now I am not journeying alone.

But many people still are. And I think that part of what it means to me to be a Unitarian is letting them know that there is somewhere that will welcome them. Somewhere where they can be a part of a community, free to discover and explore their own paths, but supported by, and supporting, their fellow travellers.

The question is how do we reach them?

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