The Christian CND AGM for 2023 took place at C3 Church in Liverpool on Saturday 9 September – our trip was originally delayed by a year by train strikes, which forced us onto Zoom in 2022.
The day started with a video from Dr Becky Alexis-Martin from Bradford University, who is completing a month long trip to the Pacific where she is conducting field research on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. You can watch the video below – and please do keep Dr Becky and her work in your prayers.
We then split into groups for workshops, where Merseyside CND spoke to us about campaigning locally, the challenges and the opportunities. This was combined with some the Christian CND’s trademark application of hope for the future to leave people ready to go when they returned home. Meanwhile our Outreach Manager Liddy Buswell ran a workshop talking about the radical hope of a peaceful future, and the barriers to getting there and how we can overcome them.
After a lunch break which was full of laughter, chat and of course quiche and cake, we reconvened for a session led by Martin Tiller on the future organisational structure of Christian CND. With the consultation on pursuing Charitable Status currently live it was a timely chance to go through the plans, challenges and opportunities which becoming a charity would bring. If you haven’t yet done so, please read the latest issue of Ploughshare and respond to our consultation.
The day finished with the formal business of the AGM – where the new Executive Committee was confirmed. You can find out who they are on the Who’s Who section of the website, but a special welcome to Theresa Alessandro who is joining the team for the first time. We also said goodbye (for now) to Heather Kiernan and Sue Bruno who are leaving Exec, as well as Bridget Tiller, who has been a wonderful Co-Chair for the past two years. We also said thank you to Claire Poyner, who left her role as Office Administrator earlier this year and hello to John McGrath, who now has the role.
We also gave thanks and paid tribute to Michael and Patricia Pulham, who have decided to stand down from Exec this time. Patricia joined Christian CND Exec in 1985 and after becoming Convener traveled from Chester to London weekly to help out in the office. Michael joined Exec shortly after and both have been stalwarts of our movement ever since. While they are standing down from a formal role on Exec, they’ll still be involved and their wisdom will be available for the Exec moving forward.
The AGM finished with prayers, giving thanks to God for the past year, praying for the good works which we believe he has put before us for the coming year, and of course giving thanks for the Pulhams and Claire Poyner.
