Capital adventure: Fred Ashmore attends a meeting on the future of London Friends

‘We wish this work to proceed in an eminently practical way.’

Two weeks ago Friends met online to talk about Pan London Governance (PLG). In January, PLG Steering Group proposals had been sent to all the Area Meetings (AMs) of London, which were asked to examine them carefully and discern a response. This 10 April meeting was an opportunity to talk it all through.

London Quakers Property Trust (LQPT), the charitable company which owns and manages the Meeting houses of London, has been closely involved throughout this work, and appointed members of the Steering Group and Working Group.

Helen Drewery, clerk of the PLG Steering Group, and Alan Smillie, clerk of the Working Group, told the meeting about the background of the work. Bernadette O’Shea, clerk of LQPT, talked about the minuted responses provided so far by the AMs (not all AMs have finished their consideration, but they all expect to respond by May). Bernadette presented an outline of the issues raised by the AM responses received so far. These fall into four broad areas: spiritual, governance, money, and communications. Participants went into Zoom breakout rooms to give each other a good listening-to and report back with a summary of the main points.

The meeting has given the PLG Steering Group and Working Group plenty to think about, with still more to come when the remaining responses arrive.

A minute was agreed: ‘We have gathered with an active, seeking spirit – not with minds made up, but with open minds and hearts. We recognise the ongoing need to prepare, listen, receive and discern. Many issues have been helpfully identified. We wish this work to proceed in an eminently practical way – embracing the bottom-up views and experiences. We are mindful of the profound learning experience of the pandemic and recognise the opportunities this might now offer us in how we work together. George Fox had a vision for London Meetings, to sustain one another. Might we follow faithfully in this spirit? We encourage area meetings to discern the types of structures that might meet the needs of a changing Society. We desire future-proof/fit-for-purpose bodies that support our being Quakers in the world. We uphold the Working Group and the Steering Group as they serve us all in discerning opportunities for a renewed vision for London.’

So what next? PLG Steering Group will discern an answer to that. It seems likely that there will be further work, and development of a more defined set of proposals. Undoubtedly there will be another meeting of the same kind.

The organisers have been thanked by several of the participants; but, writing on behalf of the organising group, I want to recognise and appreciate the serious Quakerly way in which the meeting proceeded, and to thank in particular our clerk for the day, Gill Sewell.

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