Eye - 23 and 30 December 2022

From Power and purpose to George Fox’s big idea

Power and purpose

It’s been wonderful to see contributions coming in from you Friends! It has been a particular treat to see how you are sharing and building community with each other.

Antonia Swinson, of Richmond Meeting, got in touch to tell Eye about a wide-ranging Meeting for Learning they recently held. It was focussed on ‘the power and purpose of spoken ministry’ and proved to be ‘surprisingly revealing’.

‘Firstly, we agreed the most powerful spoken ministry came from deep within, giving rise to sweaty palms and a feeling of lost control.
‘We discussed the term “weighty Friends” and whether such Friends could unintentionally shift a Meeting’s direction and culture, just because they were good at public speaking.

‘Next came the killer question: had we ever been told “Our Friend has been heard!”? Despite one or two close shaves, luckily none of us had.

‘Finally, we chose our Richmond Meeting number one greatest hit in spoken ministry. This was, unanimously, an elderly Friend’s brilliant ministry on equality – the Sunday after the queen’s funeral. Who says Surrey folk don’t know how to live adventurously?’

George Fox’s big idea

Friends in Farnham have come up with a creative way of making Quaker messages child-friendly.

Local Friend Carolyn Baynes told Eye that Farnham Children’s Meeting ‘have been learning about George Fox’s “big idea”… that if we can become still then we can hear God within’.

They have created a cardboard ‘Swarthmoor Hall’ and George Fox is the name of the dog in its doorway. ‘[He] carries a backpack with all the children’s names that we pull out at the end of our sessions and hold each person in the light one at a time, saying things like “I love the way George plays with me and smiles at me.”

‘Margaret Fell’s great gift of hospitality was her response to “What can’st thou say” and she opened Swarthmoor Hall to anyone who needed a place of refuge and peace. We “talk” to Margaret Fell (she’s a rag doll!).’

This endeavour was brought about by the happy conjunction of vision and materials: ‘I have been inspired by the book Quaker Faith and Play and my training in “Godly Play” to bring the stories alive through acting them out. Luckily, I had just moved house and had a nice large box for the children to paint and make as welcoming as possible.’

Carolyn told Eye: ‘There was ministry in the main Meeting about George Fox and Margaret Fell being like the father and mother of Quakers, George Fox… teaching us to be still and open to the truth within, and Margaret Fell showing us how to be loving and compassionate.’

Eye wondered if such a creative approach could ripple out beyond Children’s Meeting.

Carolyn reflected: ‘[This] comes to the heart of children’s ministry… what is nourishing and inspiring for children is surely nourishing and inspiring for other Friends.

‘I know that the parents who accompany their very young children appreciate learning a bit more about the roots of Friends and that has nourished their faith… My hope is that other Friends in Meeting will be inspired too… but these seeds take time to germinate!’

Inspired rhymes

Eye had a warm glow after receiving some quirky rhymes about the return of the sunshine pages! Juliet Batten, from Bewdley Meeting, put pen to paper…

A lady who worked at the Friend,
Asked us for writings to send,
So heads down we went,
And items got sent,
For us all to enjoy in the end!

Q-Eye has returned once again,
It’s a joy and delight in the main,
We must all now get writing, 
Oh, this is exciting!
Elinor’s efforts will not be in vain.

Time to play!

Eye wants to offer you the opportunity to make something with your hands while you’re waiting for your New Year edition of the Friend to arrive.

Everyone, of any age, needs a chance to play, so why not make some time to see how the artistic spirit takes you?

You will need a pair of scissors, some glue and any art materials you fancy to customise your paper house ornament.

Simply cut out the template below, fold along the dotted lines, use a dab of glue on the tabs, then gently fold and stick the walls and roof together to create your decoration.

It’s easier if you assemble the walls first and press the roof into place last. Or you could leave the roof unglued to create a little gift box!
There’s plenty of wriggle room for you to flex your creative muscles Friends.

You could decorate and personalise the blank side and assemble the house with that facing out.

Could it be a gingerbread house?

Can you express what Christmas means to you?

Could you reflect, in words or pictures, on precious memories from the past year?

Could it be a place to capture your hopes for the year to come?

If this is something you’d like to do with friends, family, or you just prefer not to take scissors to the magazine, you can also download the blank template from our website to print at home (www.thefriend.org/papercraft/Dec22).

We would love to see what you come up with, so please send photos to eye@thefriend.org. We’d like to share the festive village of our readers’ craft in an upcoming issue!

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