Friends welcome Green Party to Manchester
An event aimed at reaching Quakers and ‘Quaker curious’ people who were visiting Manchester for the Green Party conference was arranged by Friends in the city
A group of Central Manchester Friends organised ‘a welcoming epilogue’ for the Green Party, whose conference was held in the city last week.
The event on the evening of 6 September was aimed at reaching Quakers and ‘Quaker curious’ people who may have been visiting for the autumn conference, and attracted seven local Quakers and twelve visiting Friends. Steve Hornby, one of the organisers, told the Friend: ‘Our Meeting house is right next to what used to be called the G-Mex Centre, and a lot of Quakers are Green Party members or sympathisers so were probably at the conference. When we go to London for protests, we always congregate at Westminster Meeting House, and they often have extra Meetings for Worship. I thought we’d do the same for Quakers coming to Manchester. It’s a chance for people to meet each other. A lot of people from all over the place have contacted me. We’ve hit a nerve somewhere.’
Describing the event as ‘both outreach and inreach’, Steve said it also showed the potential for using the Meeting house ‘when it’s so close to the conference centre, with events going on every week’. Friday’s epilogue included prepared readings, followed by ‘rich ministry that reflected on community, shared space, and the beauty of coming together across distances’.
Friends could also be seen at many of the Green Party fringe events held at the Meeting house the next day. ‘Sunday morning’s Meeting for Worship was especially well-attended,’ added Steve, ‘with many visitors joining us from the conference.’
