Letters - 09 December 2016
From Quaker Methodists to loving thy neighbour
Quaker Methodists
Recently, we heard about Quaker Anglicans – Quanglians – but a friend of mine, researching into early Methodism in the Warrington area, came across a reference to Quaker Methodists in the early nineteenth century. Knowing I was a Quaker, she asked me what I knew about them, but I had never heard of them!
Prompted to do my own research, I discovered that a number of Methodist congregations in the 1800s broke away from Wesleyan Methodism and formed independent congregations. The first of these was in Warrington in 1796. In the early days the congregations gave themselves a number of different names, such as Independent Methodists, Free Gospel Church and Christian Lay Church. Some called themselves Quaker Methodists, acknowledging their debt both to Wesleyan Methodism and the Quakers.
Quaker Methodists, in particular, adopted a number of Quaker practices, such as plain speech and dress and argued that there was no distinction between lay members of their church and their ministers. Independent Methodism acknowledges the importance of the influence of Quaker views about church and ministry on their early development. This Quaker influence was particularly strong in the Warrington area.
The first gathering of the independent Methodist churches took place in Manchester in 1806, and in 1896 this association of independent churches adopted the name The Independent Methodist Connexion. They were – and are – to be found mainly in industrial areas in the north of England, working amongst the poorest of the population. They became active in education, the temperance movement and poverty relief.
Michael Hennessey
Christmas cards
We Friends are not great ones for making a big thing of Christmas. We live out the goodness every day. But Christmas cards may have their uses, particularly with the neighbours.
How about appending to our Christmas cards to the neighbours a message, such as: ‘Don’t ever suffer in silence. You have good neighbours. Us.
And we’re at home at .......... if you want to drop by. Address ........... Tel ......... Email ...........’
Alick Munro
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