Communicating the messages
News from Meeting for Sufferings
‘Clear and simple go a long way’, explained Rachel Rees, head of Quaker communications and fundraising of Britain Yearly Meeting, explaining the role of Meeting for Sufferings as communicator and the important part to be played by representatives. Rachel emphasised the need for representatives to listen to the mood in their Meetings and learn about individual concerns. They also need to help engage Meetings with the work done by the Yearly Meeting. Katie Frost, community fundraising officer, asked representatives how many people in their Meetings could answer this question: ‘What Quaker work is done today in our name?’ She explained her concern about Friends being disconnected from work being done on their behalf – Friends want to make a difference in the world where they hear and see a need.
No one wants to see clerks drowned in a sea of paper, but Katie appealed to the representatives for their help and guidance on how to get the right balance in sharing information about what was going on – the challenge remains to connect our faith, our worship and our work in the world.
Susan Seymour, clerk of Meeting for Sufferings, had earlier introduced the session by saying that she had turned to Quaker faith and practice while in preparation but had found that the amount about communication was rather small. She asked representatives what support their Area Meetings gave them and encouraged them and their Meetings to look at the forward agenda.
Susan encouraged representatives to use a special online forum just for representatives. Even if they didn’t post, they were welcome to ‘lurk’ and at least look in!
The representatives were dispersed into their home groups to complete exercises in communication and were challenged to bring back messages for each other that had a maximum limit of thirty words.
