19/06/2026
A message from Liz Slade, the Chief Officer of the General Assembly, in solidarity with the Universalist Association
"As the Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in the UK, I send a message of solidarity to our friends and colleagues in the Unitarian Universalist community in the USA in response to the news that the Department of Defense has taken the decision to remove Unitarian Universalism, along with dozens of other faith and belief identities, from their religious affiliation codes.
"This is not the first time we have had cause to speak. In our 2025 General Assembly resolution, our membership expressed concern about the increasingly authoritarian direction of the Trump administration; this decision is a troubling extension of that pattern.
"Our global family of faith has stood for centuries for principles of religious freedom, and any act by a government body to reduce recognition of religious bodies is concerning. I know from conversations with congregations across the UK that this concern is widely shared, and that many UK Unitarians want to extend their support to our friends and colleagues in the UUA.
"We stand by all faith and belief groups that have had their rights limited by this reduction in religious expression. Our shared roots with the Unitarian Universalist community mean this change is particularly concerning. The UK General Assembly is headquartered in Essex Hall, the site of the first explicitly Unitarian congregation to meet in this country, in 1774 - where Benjamin Franklin worshiped, alongside other Unitarian and dissenting Christian thinkers like Joseph Priestley and Richard Price, who played a key role in influencing the formation of the United States of America. Unitarian ideas of religious and civil liberty are bound up in the history of the USA and it is concerning to see this tradition made less visible.
"We support the Unitarian Universalist Association as they support UU service members, their families and all others who are affected by this change from the Department of Defense."
Photo credit: Shutterstock See less
A message from Liz Slade, the Chief Officer of the General Assembly, in solidarity with the Universalist Association
"As the Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in the UK, I send a message of solidarity to our friends and colleagues in the Unitarian Universalist community in the USA in response to the news that the Department of Defense has taken the decision to remove Unitarian Universalism, along with dozens of other faith and belief identities, from their religious affiliation codes.
"This is not the first time we have had cause to speak. In our 2025 General Assembly resolution, our membership expressed concern about the increasingly authoritarian direction of the Trump administration; this decision is a troubling extension of that pattern.
"Our global family of faith has stood for centuries for principles of religious freedom, and any act by a government body to reduce recognition of religious bodies is concerning. I know from conversations with congregations across the UK that this concern is widely shared, and that many UK Unitarians want to extend their support to our friends and colleagues in the UUA.
"We stand by all faith and belief groups that have had their rights limited by this reduction in religious expression. Our shared roots with the Unitarian Universalist community mean this change is particularly concerning. The UK General Assembly is headquartered in Essex Hall, the site of the first explicitly Unitarian congregation to meet in this country, in 1774 - where Benjamin Franklin worshiped, alongside other Unitarian and dissenting Christian thinkers like Joseph Priestley and Richard Price, who played a key role in influencing the formation of the United States of America. Unitarian ideas of religious and civil liberty are bound up in the history of the USA and it is concerning to see this tradition made less visible.
"We support the Unitarian Universalist Association as they support UU service members, their families and all others who are affected by this change from the Department of Defense."
Photo credit: Shutterstock
