Being a Friend
Ian Kirk-Smith reports on the first sessions at Yearly Meeting Gathering in Bath
The sun shone on the huge white tent and Quakers, who had descended from near and far, made their way into the largest indoor space British Friends had ever worshipped in. It was huge. It was dramatic. There was a sense of expectation in the air as Friends took their seats. Yearly Meeting Gathering, held on the beautiful campus of the University of Bath, was about to begin.
The major theme for the Yearly Meeting was established. It was the culmination of a three-year exercise in which Friends had addressed the question: What does it mean to be a Quaker today?
Deborah Rowlands, first assistant clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, reflected the mood inside the space – a sense of openness, anticipation and potential – when she talked of the ‘wealth of possibilities’ and the ‘rich banquet’ that the event held. It was a moment of promise.
