National Executive Committee Meeting – 14–15 February 2026 (via Zoom)
President’s Report
Much of our discussion centred around the ongoing renovations at Arthur Findlay College. I am pleased to report that accessible rooms are now available, and further repair works continue.
Lesley Gilby also highlighted recent changes to charity regulations. As a charity we must clearly demonstrate:
- how we make a difference to wider society
- the impact of our activities
- the long-term benefit to individuals and communities
Encouragingly, we are already ahead in this area. The Presidential Commissions and our newly formed Outreach Committees are actively supporting churches to become more involved within their communities.
Our religion must never be seen as revolving solely around mediumship, our service to people is equally vital.
We will also be sharing testimonials to evidence this impact, including many from our very successful visit to Australia.
Vice President 1 – Les Henderson
I am delighted to confirm that our Training Hubs will launch on 13th December, piloted in the Northern District and then cascaded out to all Districts. This will ensure members are supported in their important work as Church committee members.
General Purpose Committee
Work is focused on the new Church Rules Booklet, which will soon be published and designed to be clearer and easier for volunteers to use.
Ministers’ Development Committee
The committee has been extremely active:
- Two new officiants appointed
- Development of an APL pathway recognising grassroots Spiritualists
- Ongoing ordination training
With many ministers retiring, maintaining a strong and active ministry is essential for the future voice and presence of our religion.
Vice President 2 – Colin Lomax
Colin has established a safeguarding working group made up of experienced professionals. They are producing updated training and guidance for churches and safeguarding leads.
Mental health awareness forms a key part of this work, ensuring volunteers can recognise and respond appropriately.
Colin also attends Lyceum Central Committee meetings. We send our love and healing thoughts to Mary and Brian Gledhill during their recovery. The Lyceum AGM has been postponed until November to allow them time to recover.
Financial Director – James Underwood
A new accounts system is being installed alongside Lesley Gilby, improving traceability and reducing administration time.
Financially, 2025 has been reassuring:
- Union surplus: approximately £60,000
- Arthur Findlay College surplus: £306,000
This reflects our ongoing priorities that we can be generous without being reckless. Supporting our Churches remains my priority.
Education & Exponents Director – Sarah Deverall
Sarah has begun energetically in her new role overseeing Education, Training and SNUi. We have identified shortages of assessors and trainers. A proposal is under review whereby award holders will be asked to support our assessment procedure.
To streamline processes and support volunteers, the Accreditation & Awards Committee will now be administered by the Head Office staff. We thank the committee members for their dedicated service.
Long Service Awards will also now be managed by Head Office.
Ordinary Director 2 – Pat Redman
Pat was part of the NEC team visiting Australia to support legal and constitutional matters and to strengthen relationships with international members. We were asked at AGM what we are doing for overseas members, this visit allowed us to listen, learn and plan meaningful support. The Union has also been invited to help Spiritualism gain recognised religious status in Australia and we are working to consider how we do this.
Pat is also recruiting volunteers to assist with complaints investigations and mediations. If you are able to support us to improve this system, we would be really happy to hear from you.
If interested please email: om2@snu.org.uk
Ordinary Director 3 – Sean Taylor
Sean continues to lead Diversity & Inclusion initiatives across the Union.
Progress includes:
- Drafted new EDI policy
- Online legal training session with Pannone Solicitors (fully booked, excellent feedback)
- Discussions with the Open University regarding free training resources
- Spiritualism will be represented at Manchester Pride.
- Membership forms will be updated to record protected characteristics (optional) to better inform our EDI work.
Council Director – Jean Smart
Despite health challenges, Jean continues supporting District Representatives.
Last meeting: 13 December 2025 (14 districts attended)
We are working with our DCs to promote engagement and we want to be clear that DCs fulfil a vital function of connecting members with our wider Union.
Next meeting: 28 February 2026 (Zoom)
It was encouraging to hear about the extensive community work taking place across districts.
Church Relations Coordinator – Matthew Mold
Current church support status:
- 25 supported churches
- 1 managed church
- Category 1: 6
- Category 2: 16
- Category 3: 3
Matthew continues visiting churches and advising on governance and roles.
A working group is developing guidance for awareness classes, open circles and development classes.
He is also assisting with proofreading the new Church Rules.
Healing Committee Liaison – James Underwood
The Healing Committee remains very active:
- Festive Healing Service: 31 attendees
- Quarterly healing service volunteer programme launched
- Healing Week: 25 April 2026 – Arthur Findlay College
- Healing Awareness Week: 4–10 May (national event)
Training outcomes (2025):
- 11 CSNU(h) FABS
- 4 mock FABS
- 9 new passes
- 2 resits
A new Healing Leaders & Supervisors Manual is awaiting print.
Friday lunchtime online wellbeing meditation and distant healing sessions continue to grow in attendance.
We are also concerned that some applicants have been refused training. We are keen to explore reasons for this and as such where applicants are refused healing training, churches must now provide written reasons to ensure fairness and openness.
SNUi Update
As of 27 January 2026:
- Active members: 631 (increase of 73)
- Views: 31,857
February remains a free open month for non-members.
SNUi is seeking volunteers to help translate courses into French, Spanish and Italian:
Overseas Ambassador Report
Recent “Meet the President” sessions across time zones attracted 64 attendees.
Upcoming meetings:
- 6 Feb – VP1 Les Henderson
- 6 Mar – VP2 Colin Lomax
- 10 Apr – OD2 Pat Redman
- 1 May – Financial Director James Underwood
- 5 Jun – OD3 Sean Taylor
Kindred Bodies Overseas
Spiritualist Italia – Minister Daniela Gervosoni continues development circles and ceremonies.
Netherlands Spiritual Community Without Borders – Helen Van Hooft OSNU has secured a venue for services.
Individual Members Report
Maire Davies OSNU has revitalised the Individual Members Forum.
Recent meetings:
- 14 January – Minister Simon James (41 attendees)
- 20 January – Brian Gledhill (15 attendees)
Maire has been delighted with the feedback from IMs so far and will continue to seek your views. We are aware of the issue with direct debits and are working to resolve this. Thank you for raising it.
District Councils have requested clarification of the DC Individual Member Representative role, Maire is working on guidance and this will be issued shortly.
Thank you to all volunteers, committees and members whose dedication continues to strengthen our Union and its service to the wider community.