Eye - 13 May 2011

From bluebells to a buffet

Into the woods

On the theme of outdoor worship, Brian Wardrop wrote in to tell Eye of a fascinating little walk he had recently. He and his wife went down to the woods to seek out the beautiful blue carpet of silent bells. Reaching a crossroads of paths deep in the wood they paused to sit on a bench and admire the ‘sea of blue’. It was then that they noticed a narrow path wending its way off into the flowers. Their curiosity aroused, they followed the path, which led further into the trees. Eventually it reached a circle of rough log seats, with a central log table on which was a candle.

Brian writes: ‘We sat in silence, surrounded by dappled sunlight, woodland birdsong, and an all-pervading aroma from the surrounding bluebells – a wonderful, spiritual experience. Anyone for a woodland Meeting for Worship?’

Warmed by the Spirit
‘The Society of Friends is not the first religious body to have attracted comment on the underwear worn by some of its adherents,’ our friend Jill Inskip explained in a letter to Eye. She shared a couplet from an unknown author that reads:

‘Under the cassocks of priests and of monks
Lie warm combinations and cellular trunks.’

Jill also confided that she thinks that whoever wrote this ‘was someone who spoke from personal experience, having greatly appreciated the considerable benefits of much layering of undergarments when in cold ecclesiastical buildings.’ Eye agrees, thinking of a number of Meeting houses across the country whose thick walls and stone floors cause them to be quite cool even in summer.

Friends in Exeter, Pennsylvania, have a potbelly stove in the middle of their meeting room that serves to warm the congregation every Sunday. Members who sit on the front benches get quite warm. Unfortunately they lost half of their roof, recently, when the chimney of the stove caught fire!

Eye dreams of a happy medium, where Meeting houses are warm enough for underpants and the only flames are stoked by the spirit.

All aboard!
Friends in the Wensleydale area will be asked to ‘mind the gap’ this summer as they board the train bound for Redmire, next stop Firbank Fell. The event takes place as part of the Wensleydale railway excursions and guided walks, and offers a choice of three destinations. Participants may choose to visit Farfield textile mill, Sedbergh Book Town or join Friends for an annual, open-air Meeting for Worship on Firbank Fell. The meeting happens every year to commemorate the visit of George Fox in 1652, leather breeches and all.

It was on this hillock, 359 years ago, that George Fox spoke to the local people in an attempt to convince them to dissent. The plaque set on a rock on the hilltop records the event, claiming that about one thousand seekers gathered to hear him preach for about three hours on the thirteenth June, 1652. Eye admires their dedication, noting that those early seekers did not have the delights of Wensleydale railway to get them there either!

A moral muddle
An attender At the BAE Systems annual general meeting drew Eye’s attention to ‘a taste of irony’ at the complimentary lunch on offer. Held for all shareholders, from the Campaign Against Arms Trade activists (see news) to the arms dealers and manufacturers themselves, the lunch included a vegetarian option and was followed by fairtrade coffee.

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