Eye - 12 August 2016
Outreach? - Alick Munro suggests: Let’s make Quakerism inaccessible
Let’s not advertise our enquirers’ phone line, nor the email address for enquiries, nor our activities.
Let’s suggest that enquirers come to a silent Meeting for Worship first, rather than a discussion. We’d better not wear name badges.
Let’s talk to enquirers after Meeting, but not before. We don’t need any introduction.
Let’s not provide lightweight chairs or stools that people can carry around with them, so they can sit down with each other at will.
Let’s not provide notepaper and pencils.
Let’s avoid any suggestion that faith may be therapeutic.
Let’s tell them about Quakerism, not listen to what they have to say about themselves.
Let’s interrupt enquirers’ and attenders’ conversations with Friends over coffee. We have important news, and we have business to do.
Let’s not offer them any written information on the people around them. They can find out by asking.
Let’s make ourselves sound different from others. Let’s give ourselves a funny name. Then enquirers will have to accept that they are unusual people, perhaps compensating for some personal weakness, if they come to identify with us.
Let’s tell them we have elders and overseers to keep them right. That way they’ll feel like juniors and underseers.
Let’s not explain that our meetings for worship and business may be uncomfortable, but the discomfort may bring benefit.
Let’s not take the initiative as a group in any local humanitarian work, nor eco-projects, nor socio-political activity. That might result in local publicity.
Let’s not do any public relations work in local newspapers and websites.
Let’s not invite our family members, our work colleagues, nor those we meet in other areas of life to take an interest.
Let’s not tell each other when we ourselves are suffering.
Let’s make it a daunting task for those on the social periphery of the Meeting to get their ideas heard and their initiatives accepted.
But is it fair to Quakerism and to those around us, to make the Light inaccessible? Is there a responsibility…?
Comments
Thank you, Friend, for reminding us of these matters.
We still have to learn the lessons of Stevie Kreyer’s ‘Hospitality Project’.
By JohnN on 11th August 2016 - 10:05
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