People are searching for this name as they come to the site. Who is he? What was his role within the SNU? He was the Vice President so was within the inner circle of the SNU until the AGM but Upton was honourable and stepped down.
Have you got some information about this gentleman?
The SNU is good at losing people which is why the organisation is in decline.
Statement from the SNU President
Minister Steven Upton resigns as Vice President
Following the failure of Motion One at the Annual General Meeting last weekend I have to report the resignation of Minister Steven Upton as Vice President Administrative. I would like to pay tribute to Steven for his work on the National Executive Committee, over many years. Steven’s contribution on many key projects has been fundamental in shaping the modern Union. As a professional medium Steven was employed at The Arthur Findlay College and Centre as a tutor and Course organiser and as such when members failed to sufficiently support the motion Steven had to choose between his livelihood and his voluntary work for the Union. The motion was lost by seven votes, as a Special Resolution it needed to achieve 75% support but it only managed 73.4% despite been endorsed by the Charity Commission.
I will personally greatly miss Steven’s contribution on the NEC but I fully appreciate by rejecting Motion One the members put Steven in an impossible position and I support him fully in the difficult decision he had to take. Sadly I fear the Union will be poorer as a result and potentially this could put the Unions progress back by five years.
This announcement below is what it was all about and the motion failed by a whisker.
SNU President’s Announcement
Following the resignation of Minister Steven Upton at the AGM, when members failed to pass Motion 1 allowing Trustees to be paid for goods and services ……………………….
and later on David Bruton says
Following the failure of Motion 1 at the AGM and the impact this will have on the Union the NEC has agreed to take advice on our current Articles and Memorandum. Our solicitors advised some time ago that our current format is now well out of date and no longer complies with the needs of a modern charity or company limited by guarantee. The General Purposes Committee and the NEC will consider the feasibility of refreshing the Memorandum and this will of course be placed before members for their consideration and approval. As a direct result of Motion 1 all members of the NEC have now cancelled all of their teaching engagements at the Arthur Findlay College, the Arthur Findlay Centre and the Pioneer Centres and no further service fees will be paid to the Officers for conducting official services on behalf of the Union. The wider implications have also been communicated to members of the Council and each member will have to decide to either continue teaching within the Union or to withdraw from their respective position on the Council. We estimate that this could directly affect six members of the Council, hence the need to defer the next scheduled meeting to allow districts time to appoint any necessary replacements
Can anybody explain how the members interests are served here when our own national President, David Bruton admits ‘Our solicitors advised some time ago that our current format is now well out of date and no longer complies with the needs of a modern charity’? Why are we paying for solicitors’ advice when it is ignored by those elected to serve us? Or does the NEC think that the membership serves them. Probably, and that is why numbers and churches continue to desert the SNU for free churches and centres.
Fair play for SNU churches 