The King of Nothing

It's official: I've resigned as President of ANZUUA, which makes me a little sad, since it's the only time anyone's trusted me to be the president of anything in real life. I was rather enjoying that. I sent this letter to all churches and fellowships last night:

19 November, 2018

To all ANZUUA member churches and fellowships,

The ANZUUA Committee meeting held today will be my last as President, after a little over a year in the role. There are two compelling reasons for my resignation, which will take place with immediate effect after this meeting.

First, I have taken on additional work next year as the Chaplain of Pembroke School, close to the Norwood Church. This will be in addition to continuing as Minister of our large, growing, and active congregation until the end of my contracted term in March 2023. This new association between these two Adelaide institutions represents the largest outreach potential in the church’s history and requires appropriate time and energy. To meet the demands of both roles, I am streamlining my work, jettisoning non-contractual activities, which sadly would include any continuing work with ANZUUA.

Second, at the AGM yesterday, the UCSA congregation voted overwhelmingly to withdraw from ANZUUA. This would, of course, put me in a false position, were I to continue as President. The ANZUUA Secretary will be receiving a letter from the UCSA Committee of Management in due course, confirming this decision and its rationale, and outlining how the UCSA plans to continue to support the growth of the U/U movement in Australia, as well as the small and emerging fellowships here that have been seeking our practical assistance.

I realize that...we have another UCSA member on the ANZUUA committee. Whether or not she continues to be involved with ANZUUA is for her to decide, but it should be noted that she would no longer do so on behalf the UCSA.

I hope I have been clear about the reasons for my resignation as President, a challenging role I never sought, but have been honoured to have held, however briefly. I sincerely wish you every success in your future endeavours.

Yours in faith and service,

(Rev.) Robert F. MacPherson

Minister

Unitarian Church of South Australia

What the church plans to do from here to not become isolated is for the church itself to decide. I see three possible directions of varying scope:

• align more closely with the ICUU as an international hub, engaging with similarly large but isolated churches geographically outside the scope of the UUA and GA.
• form a new Australia-based association which can be relatively easily incorporated and audited, and would enable us to concentrate on small and emerging groups within our scope
• go it alone; be an independent church in and for the Adelaide metro region, and developed strategic partnerships with like-minded groups here.

What's clear is that the movement in the region is dying, apart from a few groups, and ANZUUA as it's currently formed seems either unable or unwilling to do much about that. Therefore, a new and effective way forward must be found, and the UCSA has boldly committed to finding that new way, whatever it will be. To do nothing and to go on as we are seems worse than futile, it seems irresponsible.

As someone said in The Godfather in relation to an impending execution--"it's not personal, it's just business." 

Same goes here: neither the church nor I bear any malice toward any ANZUUA member or group. But if we are to be in the business of getting the UU message out to the region, we have been failing for some time now. Time to cut losses and make new plans to promote the movement that called us all, from various faith backgrounds and none, together in the first place.

Watch this space to see how we go.