Doing something

Andrew Backhouse believes our buildings are ‘outreach at their best’

Dear Friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere… if you learn all the right words but never do anything?

These words, from James 2:14, are taken from a book entitled The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language by the American clergyman, scholar and author Eugene H Peterson.

Those of us who look after the larger Quaker Meeting houses and residential centres around Britain met up this January at The Penn Club and at Friends House in London to learn, share, reflect and network.

Being a Quaker staff member can be a real joy – as people leave saying what a pleasure it has been coming to an oasis of calm, who remember coming to their music exams many years ago, and saying thank you for the ‘looking after’ we have done. It’s then scary to be told by other Quaker staff that they never get thanked, or, as they expand their bookings immensely, that they are not allowed to take on the necessary staff to stop them being overstretched. We do need to be brave and to step out boldly if we are going to achieve our vision for Quakers – and, for this, the Meeting houses we run can be great assets.

Personally, I find it really rewarding when the financial results are looking as promising as I thought they would after lots of hard work and the numbers at Meeting for Worship are expanding. Our buildings are outreach at their best and I get very excited when I see something really moving that epitomizes what we want our faith to do.

Let me cite two examples. The first is a story about Swarthmoor Hall: ‘I’ve done really well taking a party of teenagers to Swarthmoor Hall. They were overwhelmed by the privilege of trying on loads of historic costumes, sitting on historic beds, the stories of teenagers from Margaret Fell’s household, and the early days of Quakerism – such that I have encouraged our Meeting to book a residential there.’

The second is a story that I heard at the recent Quaker Centre gathering. We were exploring how we can buy more ethically and sustainably – something that is all good for us. But did you know that, as a result of people talking to Quaker Peace & Social Witness about Circles of Support and Accountability, two of our Friends House staff have helped set up a social enterprise to get the right food for Friends House and, in the process, helped ex-offenders get back into work and regain their self esteem? It is inspiring to hear a murderer talk about how diagnosis, proper treatment and work on making fudge has got him to help set up the social enterprise, run therapy sessions for others – in what, effectively, are circles of support to help them address their behaviour – and this all thanks to our hospitality staff at Friends House putting Quaker values into practice.

It should make us all feel proud. So, make sure you think of this when you buy fudge or flapjacks at Friends House – and say thanks!

Andrew is buildings manager at Liverpool Meeting House,

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