Eye - 15 July 2016

From celebrating summer to taking a stand with toast

Celebrating summer

Leaves, flowers, berries, buttons and strips of ribbon and wool came together in an all age activity that delighted the senses at a recent Area Meeting.

A group mandala was created by Friends at Mid-Somerset Area Meeting in June.

Marilyn Upton explained: ‘The word “mandala” is Sanskrit. Loosely translated it means “circle.” A mandala represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organisational structure of life itself – a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

‘A group mandala such as this one is a unifying experience in which people can express themselves individually within a unified structure.

‘When we saw the lovely summer flowers that people from Area Meeting had contributed, it was easy to choose the theme of Summer for our mandala.’

She reflected: ‘God’s handiwork soon took shape in this beautiful pattern – less a contemplative exercise more a rush to see what could be done with the fresh flowers, which smelled wonderful!

‘We all felt it was good to remind ourselves of God’s presence in this positive way amid the less positive things happening in the world.’

Friends in harmony

A Quaker album, the musical mission of Bernard Eden Thomas (see Eye, 6 March 2015), has raised over £1,000 for charitable causes.

Bernard told Eye that ‘production costs of the CDs were soon met and every penny after that went to EAPPI [Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel] and QSA [Quaker Social Action]’.

In addition to CD sales Bernard and an intrepid group of Friendly musicians performed twelve concerts around the country in 2015.
Songs such as ‘William’s Dream’ and ‘A Letter from Margaret’ can be heard at http://bit.ly/NewQuakerSongs.

What next? Bernard is open to ideas for how to take Quaker Songs forward. He reflected: ‘Meeting for Sufferings asked Local Meetings to offer projects which have attempted to address “existing Quaker concern”. Is Quaker Songs such a project, we asked ourselves…

‘Turning to Quaker faith & practice, we came across this: “I believe we were brought into this world to live and to enjoy it; to take out of it all that, in our full stature, we are able. I believe it then falls to every person to reach that state of fecundity and richness that makes him long to put back into life something uniquely his own.” (21.36, Robin Tanner, 1963)

‘This comes close to the “why?” of Quaker Songs… We meant the songs to rejoice in the Quaker way of life; past, present and future.’

Fun and funds

Friends in Exeter tackled fiendish questions in a recent Quaker Quiz night.

Local Friend Alison Mitchell told Eye that the Quaker-linked questions and shared meal generated ‘a good sum to support Devon Refugee Support’.

She added: ‘There were five rounds of questions, plus two picture rounds and a music round. Some questions related closely to Exeter Meeting… but many could be enjoyed by any Quaker gathering (those Quaker acronyms – does anyone know what they all stand for?). If anyone would like a set of questions to use in their Meeting do get in touch via alisonmitchellis@yahoo.com.’

Taking a stand with toast

A big breakfast at Selly Oak Meeting at the end of May raised over £260 to support the Christian Aid appeal to help families threatened by flooding in Bangladesh.

Adam Waters, one of the children attending the Meeting and a budding Eye writer, reports that they ‘took a stand with toast, changed the world with Coco Pops and built a brighter day with brioche’.

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