Friends at a Regional Gathering. Photo: Andrew Backhouse.
Eye - 11 January 2019
From a touch of magic to making Friends
A touch of magic
Friends from Preston Patrick to Llangollen met in Bolton on 17 November 2018 for a Regional Gathering.
During a lively day one Friend created a Harry Potter-style wand (see below) and Teenage General Meeting, who were gathered in Lancaster, joined Friends via Skype.
Andrew Backhouse, of Wilmslow Meeting, told Eye: ‘As always, Regional Gathering gives a great way to meet new people, refresh connections with old friends, and in this case, explore spirituality along life’s journey.’
A moving message
A performance of And the Beat Goes On… by Quakers Lynn and David Morris, of Journeymen Theatre, left an audience at HMP Usk in South Wales ‘deeply moved’ in November 2018.
Quaker prison chaplain Hilary Beynon shared the reflections of one man who attended. John, an inmate and regular attender at weekly Meeting for Worship in the prison, writes: ‘The play concerns the issues surrounding Nonviolent Direct Action [NVDA] and consisted of a number of sketches that guided the audience through a potted history of the NVDA cause.
‘We began in the seventeenth century with a monologue by Elizabeth Hooton and throughout the performance the audience were reminded of the way Quakers through the ages have used speech and peaceful protest as a means of drawing attention to the issues of the day…
‘The play was thought-provoking, humorous and extremely moving at times. It demonstrated the power of NVDA and the bravery of the people who put their own lives at risk for the sake of those persecuted in society.
‘The audience were, to a man, deeply moved by the sacrifices made by the characters presented in the play in order to do what was right to stimulate change in actions and attitudes.’
Contemplative Quakers
A mutual interest in mysticism has motivated two Friends to reach out.
Judith Hedges, of Porthmadog Meeting, and Lina Jordan, of Maidenhead Meeting, told Eye that they ‘realised to our surprise that we have a shared interest in contemplative prayer and have connections with the spiritual tradition of Catholicism’.
They have set up an email address, contemplativequakers@gmail.com, and explained: ‘We wondered if there are other Friends, maybe with Catholic roots, who draw nourishment from the mystical Catholic tradition, and who would like to start a conversation, possibly a small group, about the ways in which it sustains us in our Quaker lives.’
They explained: ‘Our interests encompass the well-known mystics of the past, such as Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart and the English mystics, as well as more recent writers, such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Kelly.’
Making Friends
The creative and industrious Young People’s Meeting in Horsham has crafted a colourful Meeting for Worship from clay. Over a number of sessions the circle of Friends took shape in the hands of Quakers young and old. It now has pride of place on display in the Meeting house.
