‘I was quite nervous, checking we had the obligatory flowers, and coffee for afterwards.’

What do you do when you need to go to Meeting, but there isn’t one? After four years there, Kirsten Hills went from occasional Quaker to the face of Friends In Florence

I wouldn’t say I am a dedicated Quaker, so the idea that I’d play a part in setting up a new Meeting might seem absurd. My attendance has always been sporadic, but everywhere I have lived in the UK I have always sought out the Local Meeting – and there always was one. I would go when I felt the need for quiet thinking, for a time to recharge, and for a chance to feel a part of something bigger. So Quakerism for me has always been something I’ve engaged with on a ‘drop-in’ basis – until that is, I moved to Florence, Italy.

My Quaker credentials could be said to be pretty strong, whatever my attendance record. I was raised a Quaker in Canterbury, attended Summer Schools and Senior Conferences throughout my teens, was a student at the Quaker United Nations Office summer school and had an internship at Quaker Council for European Affairs once I’d graduated. Quakerism has always been there, shaping me in a quiet but profound way.

In 2011, when I moved to Florence with my Italian husband and four-year-old son, I was surprised and disappointed to discover there was no Meeting.

I did occasionally put messages on Facebook to check if anyone out there might have similar interests. I contacted the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), where I was told that there was a Meeting in Bologna, but nothing in Florence.

After four years here, I found a growing need for silence. With two young kids, and setting up my own business, my days rarely allowed time for anything else, and certainly little peace. I wondered about trying to set up a Meeting but thought it too difficult on my own and I knew of no one else who might be interested. So I tried yoga instead.

Suddenly, within the space of one week in January this year, I met a Quaker from the US, who knew of another. FWCC put me in touch with a third person and it felt right to try something.

We agreed to meet at one of our homes. I was quite nervous beforehand, checking we had a copy of Advices & queries, the obligatory flowers for the table, and coffee for afterwards. Meeting is completely different in someone’s home. In many respects it’s more intense. I found it initially slightly awkward, but I have become used to it. Some Meetings have had very moving moments. I have a renewed sense of calm – reconnecting with Quakerism, connecting with Friends, and finally finding that silence I was seeking. I didn’t know any of the other members well, but they now feel like extended family. I had forgotten the power of silence, and the familiarity of Quakerism.

I have struggled at times with the responsibility of being ‘the face’ of Quakers in Florence. The inevitable question newcomers ask – ‘What is Quakerism?’ – still fills me with dread, knowing that my answer is always a personal one, and doesn’t necessarily reflect Quakers in general.

There have been many positive moments (with five newcomers, and more than a hundred followers on Instagram), which are occasionally balanced with a set-back (such as needing to reschedule if too few of us can make it).

Later this month we will be joining our Friends in Bologna for Yearly Meeting and are expecting eight children to join us. This is the first time we’ve had children in attendance. The weekend will be hosted at Friend Evan Wilkins’ agriturismo venue in Emilia-Romagna.

We are now looking for a room to rent for Meeting in Florence. We meet on the first and third Sunday of the month and typically have between three and five people at Meeting. This may not sound very much, but I’m pleased. I have met some wonderful people and made new friendships and these alone have made it worthwhile. There’s a sense we are involved in creating some important connections and while we continue to meet in people’s homes we aim to spread the word of the Meetings more widely.

Six months on, here are some things that I’ve discovered:

• Social media is crucial for publicising Meeting. It’s helped us contact Friends around the world, who offer their support, and a number pass through Florence looking for Meeting.
• Social media isn’t everything. We need to work on connecting locally, with all communities.
• Quakers are Italian too! Bologna has a healthy Meeting, comprised mainly of Italians who have given us their valuable support.
• Until the early 1990s Florence did have a Meeting, run by an Italian, Maria Comberti. She wrote a number of articles for Friends Journal back in the 1950s, with one of her pieces entitled ‘I’m the only Italian Quaker’. Meeting ceased when she died.
• There are plenty of resources online to help support Meetings. FWCC has sent us material, and online I’ve found articles on social media use and information on the history of Quakers very helpful.
• Perseverance is everything. Having a quiet confidence that there is interest in Quakers and a need for it in the community is crucial.

Quakers in Florence is a fledgling Meeting started in January 2019. For more information check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts @QuakersinFlorence or contact quakersinflorence@gmail.com.

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