"Long-term peace comes from building trust, friendship and mutual dependence between nations, not the constant threat of military retaliation." Oliver Robertson, our head of witness and worship, in today's Guardian responding to the defence chiefs' recent article www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Climate breakdown isn’t coming - it’s already here. Join Rupert Read, Karen Jaques & Ed Jarvis from the CMP for a live discussion on how communities can become SAFER, before crisis. Wed 18 Feb, 7–8pm GMT Register free: shorturl.at/cRxEq 🔑 ID 898 4968 2415 CODE 808472

These are tremendous

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, will deliver the 2026 Ware Lecture at UUA General Assembly on June 20. Known for calling for mercy for trans children and immigrant families, Budde continues her public witness for justice. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cdj2yT #UUAGA

Wow, I knew about JP Jacks as the anti-denominationalist principal of @hmcoxford.bsky.social but I didn’t know he was also a wild rural philosopher or that Mackenzie Crook was a fan

"What is less often recognised is that the Church lacks a grasp of the breadth and possibilities found in organisation theory, and would do well to think more widely and deeply about it. The Church has to be managed; the question is not whether, but how, and by what principles." #managerialism

Tonight Rowena Loverance explores with Friends the often complex & conflicted attitude of our #Quaker #faith towards #creeds. What are such statements good for? Do Friends need one? Do we perhaps already have one? There's still time to sign up.

For Quakers, faith and action are inseparable. Peaceful protest, prayer, and non-violent action are expressions of our worship. When this is criminalised, our religious freedom is under attack. @quaker.org.uk

Join our free Digital Labs webinar, for a introduction to Canva’s key features and tips for creating engaging content, with tips on customising our 2025 Advent and Christmas resources. Register now at cofe.io/IntroToCanva. and join us today at 12pm. A recording will be sent to all who sign up.

Nuanced messages about nationhood are on display from the people of Tamworth, with Aethelflaed, Queen of Murcia in the 900s, flying a Union Jack

New books arrived and a) I am happy with the accurate picture they give of my nerdy interests, and b) thanks to whoever here I picked up the recommendations from

How do we Outgrow the death cult of #Modernity – opening the doors to a future we’d be proud to leave to the generations yet unborn? accidentalgods.life/co-evolving- #Accidentalgods #Podcast with Tim Logan #OutgrowingModernity - Vanessa Andreotti's new #book OUT NOW! #BooksofBlueSky #Thrutopia

An amazing weekend in Doncaster with ArtBomb festival at the Unitarian churching hosting the debut of Hey! Festival for poetry in the market square and all sorts of unexpected delights

Trae Stephens “was an early employee at [Peter] Thiel’s software company Palantir & is currently a partner at his venture capital fund.” His wife, Michelle Stephens, is the “cofounder & executive director of ACTS 17,” which stands for “Acknowledging Christ in Technology & Society.” 8/11/25… 1/

Together For Palestine, OVO Arena, Wembley, September 17, 2025 Executive Producer of this evening is Brian Eno with Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla and Tracey Seaward Pre-sale: togetherforpalestine.org

Final sign-ups: looking forward to being in conversation about ‘the God shaped hole’ tomorrow and being asked some good questions to reflect on my decade or so of leadership in spiritual community

And the nice folk at The Raft are using this essay as a jumping off point to host me in an online session on 31 July exploring my decade or so of church-ish explorations - come along :) www.tickettailor.com/events/risin...

Escaping the Trap of ‘Impact’ Measurement guerrillafoundation.org/escaping-the... in complex systems it is impossible to rigorously identify “your” impact Using data for performance corrupts it Campbells law

Important message from former diplomat @carneross.bsky.social on the ways in which the UK and other governments’ contravention of the Genocide Convention

Our partners at Faith for the Climate are looking for a new trustee to support their work empowering diverse faith communities to take action and protect our planet. Find out more and apply here: faithfortheclimate.org.uk/about-us/joi...

Glad to have my 2017 essay on ‘The God-shaped hole’ featured as Dark Mountain’s long read this week - and in a timely way it describes taking part in a workshop based on the work of Joanna Macy, who left us yesterday substack.com/@darkmountai...

Such slow progress - it really shows how far there is to go… the offensive ‘Issues’ publication has been replaced by one that says clergy should only have sex inside a marriage, when the Church of England won’t marry same sex couples. (For reference, Unitarians affirmed LGBTQ ministers in 1977)

I recently took my EV on holiday to the rural south west of Ireland and was never more than about a half hour drive from a charging station

Punched in the gut by the news of Andrea Gibson’s death. I saw them perform in London twice and both were extraordinary and transcendent experiences. Huge gratitude for their words and their being

Beloved elder & teacher, & dear friend of Roshi Joan, Joanna Macy is currently in hospice care at home. She is surrounded by her family, resting, & held in great love. We invite you to visit this page to view four powerful teachings she has shared with our community. www.upaya.org/person/joann...

“Freedom isn’t the absence of restraint, it is the presence of love…. We must be both a rallying cry and a refuge” Rev Dr Nicole Kirk in the closing service at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Baltimore

Yesterday was a day of beautiful encounters with Quaker friends in the wild - first with the @quaker.org.uk team at Christian Aid’s 80th anniversary at Westminster Abbey, and then @alastairmci.bsky.social “preaching” at Kairos - perhaps the only bar in town last night to hear the Lord’s Prayer

“Hope is not something you leave in the altar - it’s something you do every day” Diana Kichengo at the Christian Aid 80th anniversary event

Today I’ll be at the 80th Anniversary celebration of Christian Aid at Westminster Abbey - and I wonder if I’m the only person listening Rage Against the Machine on their way there

I learnt about this judicial review in the parish newsletter of my rather conservative Chilterns village - it seems people of all stripes are appalled at the overriding of the Planning Inspectorate to expand an airport in the name of “growth”

My new course starts tonight. Last minute sign ups welcome. www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/the-...

I needed to read this this morning. 📕 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/o...

A brilliant new episode of People So Bold, the podcast of @unitariansjn.bsky.social - focusing on self compassion for social action, by way of shame and Darwin open.spotify.com/episode/1fDx...

This is a small south London community with deep roots and much to give - but it needs a helping hand to get over a recent setback so it can keep on serving all those seeking spiritual community in Lewisham!

I got the new album from @jenniferballads.bsky.social in the post and a line in the sleeve notes shows how she and I are singing from the same hymn sheet, her for folk, me for church “I believe you should try to get everywhere like water, make the tradition undeniable, support people to participate”

If @blindboyboatclub.bsky.social’s interview has wet your whistle, you can come and hear @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social give the Richard Price lecture at the Newington Green Meeting House next week www.new-unity.org/whatson/2025...

As ever, the Quakers’ slow careful work enables them to speak with clarity and humanity

The ideas here overlap a lot with what I see as the responsibility of faith organisations - agency is essential for spiritually healthy communities. And there is a role much deeper than just letting secular community groups use our spaces

This covers a lot of ground but also feels somewhat hopeless - like trying to come up with answers from the same standpoint that’s only able to see problems

My second talk at the University of Glasgow will connect the history of land politics to affairs in Scotland: “The Long Land War: Scotland and Ireland in the longue durée” eventbrite.co.uk/e/jo-guldi-t... (alt text: The Long Land War, 1881-1990)

"Spaces like community centres are not a ‘luxury’, but a must have if we want to see communities across the country thrive". Samuel Kirkby runs the Sutton Centre - a vibrant community centre in Bradford. He reflects on the importance of physical assets for communities.

Thinking about applying to the #Unitarian Innovation Fund? 💡 Join our free webinar tomorrow to learn how it works, what we fund, and how to make your idea shine. All welcome! 📅 Sign up here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9cc766...

"Although religion may be the most enduring form of popular culture, no tradition has a free pass to the future. Every tradition must allow for its own succession." @martinwroe.bsky.social martinwroe.medium.com/passing-on-t...

This story of the redevelopment of the amazing Art Deco Unitarian church in Newcastle has another tale interwoven - the deep and thoughtful work of the currently tiny congregation to reimagine the next chapter of their free religious community www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/art-deco-c...

11 things growing meetings are doing www.quaker.org.uk/blog/11-thin...

This is a brilliant nerdy deep-dive into archetypes of leadership in a complex system - drawing on the I-Ching and 80s pop songs epimethean.com/systemic-lea...

This is a brilliant nerdy deep-dive into archetypes of leadership in a complex system - drawing on the I-Ching and 80s pop songs epimethean.com/systemic-lea...

Important Thought for the Day from this week…

Today's the launch party for my new novel Daddio!, a climate comedy for the ages wrapped up in an old fashioned family drama: how we keep loving during the sh*tshow. If you're in London & fancy coming along, DM me, otherwise... hardart.metalabel.com/release-dadd... (with sounds by Brian Eno!)

Investing in social and cultural infrastructure such as leisure centres, libraries, concert halls and galleries can ‘offer significant and immediate returns’ and help government deliver on its objectives, study says. www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/cultura...