‘We will need to work hard to gain or refresh our understanding of Quaker practices.’ Photo: by Fernando Hernandez on Unsplash
Blend in: Alastair Reid reports from General Meeting for Scotland
‘We are developing different ways of looking after each other.’
General Meeting for Scotland (GMS) held its first blended Meeting on 20 November, at Edinburgh Meeting House (and across all of Scotland, online). GMS meets quarterly, and comprises four constituent Area Meetings (made up of thirty-three Local Meetings).Sixty-nine Friends attended. Edinburgh Meeting House has new audiovisual equipment, which has been used for several meetings, including some of the Quaker contribution to COP26. Despite a few initial problems due to the slow bandwidth it was a successful and rewarding Meeting.
We reflected on the success of the Quaker contribution to COP26, particularly in providing a place for creative activities and worship. Glasgow Friends were warmly thanked for their hard work in making their Meeting House such a welcome space for reflection and refreshments, and for providing a space for mediators. Many had found the official COP26 conference badly organised. It largely excluded indigenous people from countries most at risk from the climate crisis, so it was good that we were able to help organise meetings for them to put their views across. Many Friends spoke about their activities in their local areas, and how they had been able to assist and welcome visitors and take part in the multifaith celebrations. A range of large fabric panels produced by Friends and others were displayed on Glasgow Green, expressing hope for the future. We were pleased to receive a letter of gratitude from Lindsay Fielder Cook of the Quaker United Nations Office.
One of the delights in attending GMS is finding out more about the wide range of working groups and organisations with which we are involved. We are able to make direct contact with staff and ministers of the Scottish government, and our parliamentary engagement officer Andrew Tomlinson has been very useful in getting the Quaker point of view across.
Our parliamentary engagement working group (PEWG)reported that its priorities include ensuring that the commitments made by the Scottish government at COP26 are fulfilled. Scotland is the first country to set up a fund specifically to address the loss and damage associated with climate change, and we are already working with sympathetic MSPs to find out what this will mean in practice. We will be focussing on the climate emergency, agro-ecological farming, and the Human Rights Bill, and we have arranged to meet a minister to discuss the establishment of a peace institute. Andrew attended and spoke at a round table discussion in Glasgow between Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and the Scottish Affairs Committee. He reported that it was largely dominated by questions from Conservative members of the committee who were looking for ways to discredit the climate movement, casting it as being both too radical and not representative. There were more helpful questions from other members about what would make a successful COP26 and what the impact on Scotland would be.
PEWG has also met with a Scottish minister to discuss government subsidies and grants given to companies that produce components for weapons. Hopefully this will lead to more strict grants conditions. Quakers were also invited to send a representative to a hearing of a parliamentary committee to discuss a ban on the provision or promotion of LGBT+ conversion therapy in Scotland.
The Scottish Quaker Community Justice Group was set up earlier this year and has continued to meet alongside the thriving informal Scottish Quaker Community Justice Network. The shared focus is on: creating a more compassionate community; more empathy and communication with those who commit crimes (and those who are harmed by them); more recognition of how differently people who have experienced trauma respond, and therefore how inappropriate traditional punishment models are as a way of responding to criminal behaviour; and how alternative models like therapeutic communities and restorative justice can be more appropriate. The group is working to provide a response to the consultation on the creation of a national care service.
We heard a report on Scottish CND (with which Friends have been involved for many years) and its hopes and struggles. There is some hope of progress on nuclear disarmament, involving Scottish parliamentarians. SCND now recognises the racist nature of nuclear weapons doctrines and the ties to colonialism, and how ways of working need to change.
The Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre celebrated its fortieth birthday last year, by re-framing as ‘Peace & Justice: Building a culture of peace in Scotland’. We remembered with thanks how the late Geoffrey and Elizabeth Carnall were involved from its inception. The Centre has developed six major programmes based on its core values: Nonviolence, Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, Challenging Systemic Injustices, Disarmament, Challenging Militarism and Protecting Mother Earth. More info can be found at https://peaceandjustice.org.uk.
In the afternoon we broke into smaller groups and discussed the question ‘What are the spiritual and pastoral needs in our Meeting, and how can they be met?’ The following are some of the comments:
Spiritual needs: Meeting for Worship was seen as central to all we do, particularly the experience of a truly gathered Meeting which is the basis of our discernment. The pandemic has broken the rhythm of our attendance and some have felt disconnected. Our disproportionately-ageing membership has affected our ability to share the hope and joy that the light of God in everyone makes us all worthy. We will need to work hard to gain or refresh our understanding of Quaker practices with both young Friends and smaller meetings. We will revive our learning groups which have struggled during the last couple of years. This particularly has affected more isolated Meetings and so pastoral teams are learning new ways to communicate and support needs of all Friends.
Pastoral needs: while many Friends are controlled by fear from listening to bad news, our pastoral needs are often not met, and we need to strengthen our Quaker communities, including those for whom meeting by Zoom is difficult. We have used a variety of models for online or blended Meetings but sometimes this puts further pressure on pastoral teams. We have had success with more frequent evening and daily meetings that cover a wider geographic area and now include more isolated Friends who would not otherwise be able to attend. Friends in Scotland have been using Zoom and teleconferencing for many years now, starting well before the pandemic so we have been able to be more flexible. Different Meetings have found ways to ‘chat’ in groups. Regular cards, notes or phone calls to isolated Friends has also helped.
Building community is strengthened by working together on projects. Glasgow Friends were enriched by the COP26 experience but the challenge is how to build on that momentum. There are also various spiritual practices and processes, including Quaker Life’s ‘Restore’ process, which will help strengthen us.
We are developing different ways of looking after each other. For some, having role holders for spiritual and pastoral tasks takes away from the need for us all to look after each other, although they can prevent issues or people being forgotten. Throughout Scotland we are trying new models of pastoral care. Some Friends, independent of roles, step forward to organise events. Nevertheless we have found that one format does not suit all Meetings.
You can expect to hear more from Friends in Scotland, particularly as we now have a local development worker. We may be spread over a large area but we are active and exploring new ways to be Quakers.
