Four Meetings and a group of seven: Voirrey Faragher

‘We met the XR procession in all its glory. Hallelujah! A blessing to witness.’

The Group of Seven (G7) meeting is over. The tight security, which made parts of Cornwall a no-go area, has gone. I didn’t have a problem with that; the police were friendly enough. Having been dragged across barbed wire, handcuffed, at Greenham, I was happy to accept the hand of conviviality.

It has been an intense spiritual experience, beginning with Meeting for Worship on Marazion Beach. It was cold and windy. I was so wrapped up that Friends didn’t recognise me. We set up camp, pitched our banner and began holding the G7 leaders in the Light. I found it difficult to concentrate on them, though, being enthralled by the proximity of Friends after such a long time apart. I felt the closeness of the sea, the sound of the waves, the birds overhead, and Mounts Bay spread out before me.

Friends ministered through the wind, hoping for wisdom and compassion from our leaders, and remembering friends in Africa already devastated by the climate catastrophe.

At an interfaith gathering at Truro Cathedral I was deeply moved to hear speakers of several faiths express the same concerns. We are part of a global movement guided by faith and similar spiritual values. I left the gathering feeling that I had been touched by beauty.

As the talks began we met in Falmouth in a designated protest area, forming a circle near the waterfront. A Friend reflected on something he heard at the cathedral: ‘If you knew this was the last hour of your life and you found you had a seed in your hand, you must plant it.’

The next day we shared Falmouth with a number of protest groups, like Extinction Rebellion (XR). A Buddhist banner was displayed, with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh about how only love can save us from climate change: ‘By recognising the interconnectedness of all life, we can move beyond the idea that we are separate selves and extend our compassion and love in such a way that we take action to protect the Earth.’

As Friends worshipped, we were aware of music and dancing all around us. Jazz was playing, and later the sound of chanting. Shouts came as protesters from Tigray arrived. A Friend articulated the thoughts of many of us: ‘In our silence we must accept the noise made by others, as genocide is taking place in their country. We can look inwards to our silence but we must also look outwards.’

When we left the square we met the XR procession in all its glory. Hallelujah! Drummers, whistles, banners, flags, a huge globe of planet Earth, a ship made of pink paper, the Red Brigade, the Green Spirits, children, dogs, people of all ages. A blessing to witness.

On the final day of the talks, Quakers met again. Friends discussed whether we were too inward-looking when worshipping outdoors. This, it was thought, was reflected in the ministry of George Fox – ‘Be patterns, be examples’ – and of Martin Luther King Jr: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’

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