'We were urged to give ‘equality of esteem’ to different forms of worship, new and old.' Photo: by Petia Koleva on Unsplash.
General Meeting for Scotland met again by Zoom this month. Robin Waterston reports
‘With our large geographical area, supporting Friends will be demanding.’
The opening worship of this month’s General Meeting for Scotland (GMS) brought ministry on what we have lost from the pandemic, and what we have gained. The theme of how we adapt to the new situation recurred throughout the morning.
We heard from Joyce Taylor on the work of the Parliamentary Engagement Working Group. The major news is that the new staff member, Andrew Tomlinson, has begun work. One of his early tasks will be to map the various bodies working on climate change, and where Quaker input can best be focussed. Planning for the UN Climate Change Conference next November is already well underway.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is being incorporated into Scottish law, and Quakers have submitted comments about military visits to schools. We call for more scrutiny of such visits, which are seen as thinly veiled recruitment drives. The submission states: ‘As Quakers we challenge the promotion of war and violence in schools and instead seek to promote education rooted in positive peace and justice.’
Our treasurer, Nigel Dower, presented financial estimates for 2021. He said that making predictions was hard this year. So many uncertainties exist, but he expects that most business meetings will continue to be held by Zoom and this produces savings. But those meetings that depend on revenue from property lettings have seen a drop in income, and will continue to do so.
We discussed the way we communicate, in local meetings and within and across our four area meetings. The use of Zoom is widespread, and some Meetings are experimenting with blended worship, where some meet physically and others join remotely. In some ways, Zoom can be more inclusive, but in other ways it can be limiting. And not everywhere has a good broadband connection. It was agreed that we need more time to reflect on this and learn from each other, and so a special session of GMS will be held to consider it (by Zoom). We will hope to have input from young Friends and perhaps Woodbrooke.
From April, Scottish Friends are to have the services of one of the new local development workers, to be appointed by Britain Yearly Meeting. This will aim to provide meeting-centred support across the whole of Scotland. The overall purpose will be to support Friends to live faithfully, working collaboratively, building skills and reaching out. With our large geographical area, this will be demanding. It is envisaged that there will be an initial process of assessment to help the worker to form priorities and realistic goals. We divided into smaller groups to discuss how this support might help us thrive.
It was a varied and thoughtful meeting. Our clerk, Elizabeth Allen, guided us through efficiently. Underlying it all was the recognition of the hard times that many of us are facing. And also a willingness to adapt in the light of the new realities. We were urged to give ‘equality of esteem’ to different forms of worship, new and old.
