Eye - 13 December 2019

From possibilities to refreshing experiences

Think it possible

Quakers from two Area Meetings came together for a Regional Gathering at Liverpool Meeting House on 2 November.

With a theme of ‘Peace is not a fairy tale: Rediscovering our Peace Testimony in our personal and corporate lives, in an age of uncertainty, conflict and chaos’, Friends from Hardshaw and Mann Area Meeting and Wirral and Chester Area Meeting gathered for a day that one described as ‘valuable, interesting and thought provoking’.

Kath Ward, from Southport Meeting, told Eye: ‘It was good to see representatives and literature from the Northern Friends Peace Board and Peace Pathways, an East Cheshire initiative working in schools on conflict resolution.

‘There were two plenary sessions led by Paul Ingram [a nuclear disarmament expert and Quaker], and also discussion groups, and art and singing workshops throughout the day, as well as the children’s programme and Teenage General Meeting…

‘Paul looked at the Peace Testimony not just in terms of the valuable work that he has done and continues to do on the international stage, but he related that to the hundreds of tiny decisions that we all have to make every day, how we manage our relationships with other people who don’t agree with us, or may want to do different things than we want them to, or even want us to do different things than we want to.

‘What he suggested about active listening, and how he has developed, over time, a way to bring himself to meetings and difficult situations as a Quaker, brought to mind to me Advices & queries 17, which ends, “think it possible that you may be mistaken”.’

Andrew Backhouse, from Wilmslow Meeting, said: ‘It reminded me of the value of feeling part of a bigger Quaker community, using our biggest Meeting houses as a useful recharging point for our work. Teenage General Meeting happened at the same time, and it was great to see so many teenage young Quakers in one spot – from Machynlleth to Lancaster.’

Peaceful and refreshing

‘Is that real?’ A nine-year-old asked as he entered Stourbridge Meeting during Quaker Week this year. Friends hosted forty children for a surprising encounter with seventeenth century Quaker Elizabeth Hooton (1600-1672). Given voice by Journeymen Theatre’s Lynn Morris, Elizabeth and the children discussed religious beliefs, human rights, persecution, prisons, and the differences between George Fox’s times and the present day.

Local Friend John Lampen told Eye: ‘[Elizabeth] was disbelieving when they told her that some of them had travelled to America in a matter of hours; she told them it had taken her six weeks. They tried to explain about aeroplanes and cars and were puzzled when she asked: “But what do they eat?” Quaker worship was unfamiliar to them too, but they settled comfortably into five minutes’ silence with her and told us afterwards that they found it very peaceful and refreshing. They liked the chance to hold someone dear to them (or a beloved pet) “in the Light”.’

Spied in another Eye

Those who subscribe to both the Friend and Private Eye got a surprise on 29 November, when David ‘Ziggy’ Greene’s regular cartoon strip featured, somewhat unexpectedly, Quaker Homeless Action’s (QHA’s) mobile library.

Nigel Engert, of Wincanton Meeting, told Eye that the cartoon featured a visit to the library one cold Tuesday evening and that it ‘paints a very sympathetic picture of the work being done, as well as who by and who for… Outreach in an unexpected but very welcome place’.

In the cartoon two people are looking at books with speech bubbles containing the words: ‘From January to October this year we lent out 451 books. We factor in that fifty per cent won’t come back, which is fine to be honest.’

On Twitter QHA praised the cartoon for its ‘beautiful, accurate and sensitive reporting’. The organisation is also working to raise £22,405 to fund this year’s Open Christmas.

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