Letters - 22 July 2022
From God is not dead to Another party perspective
God is not dead
On what basis does Michael Saunders say that God has died (become unbelievable) for Quaker Meetings (8 July)? At Britain Yearly Meeting 2018 it was recorded that the revision of Quaker faith & practice should draw on the richness of theological thought in our Yearly Meeting, now and historically, seeing diversity as fundamental to our community, not as a flaw.
I don’t see how Michael can make a connection between that minute, or any other, and the death of God movement in the 1960s.
James Priestman
A real simplification
Friends in London are hoping that their current reorganisation proposals will, in the longer term, help to increase membership. But even our wildest dreams do not extend to making London ‘twice as big as its current size’, as reported in the Friend, 8 July! What I was trying to convey to Meeting for Sufferings was that a single ‘London Area Meeting’ (AM) would be bigger than any other current AM, in fact twice as big as Central England, which is the largest (by membership) at the moment.
I also want to clarify that, in contrast to the plans in Wales and the Marches, the seven AMs in London are being consulted about not only forming a single charity, but also a single AM, which would keep in close touch with the trustee body. The groupings of local meetings that are now AMs would become more informal clusters, bringing Friends together for spiritual nurture, community activities, study and even fun.
I can also assure you that although the plans for Wales and the Marches might sound ‘complicated’ to someone not familiar with the current structures, the plans will bring a real simplification.
Helen Drewery
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