Letters - 30 July 2021

From Truth and integrity to No time for heroes

Truth and integrity

This year’s Swarthmore Lecture will ‘address Truth in the era of fake news’. Anyone who has read Peter Oborne’s book The Assault on Truth will be concerned with the state of probity in our public life. He describes the ‘moral emergency in British public life’. This letter extends an invitation to Friends across Britain who wish to engage with the issue of truth and integrity in public life. 

Do Friends have a particular role to play in responding to this emergency – either with others or coming from their particular, unique tradition? This is the question Meeting of Friends in Wales (MFW) are hoping to answer through their Truth and Integrity Special Interest Group (TISIG).

We know that we at Meeting of Friends in Wales are not the only ones to feel strongly on this issue, as recent letters in the Friend indicate.

A recent meeting with senior staff at Friends House has shown us that there are many ways to action a concern, without the need for elaborate structures. MFW offers a helpful holding vessel for Friends to move forward – see the report of their meeting in the Friend on 9 July.

We would like to solicit Friends across Britain Yearly Meeting who feel similarly moved with a view to hosting a Zoom meeting of all concerned. If you would be interested in joining such a meeting, please register in the first instance by sending your name and email address to Peter Hussey at tyolaf@protonmail.com.

Gerald Hewitson
On behalf of MFW Truth and Integrity Special Interest Group

Prison chaplains

I’d like to reassure Joolz Saunders (23 July) that support for prison chaplains from Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has not changed.  Quaker Life (not Quaker Peace & Social Witness as mentioned in the letter) continuesto employ a prison chaplain support officer (PCSO). The role and the hours have not changed, but we have recently appointed a new PCSO, Augene Nanning. As with all BYM posts, we use a robust recruitment process with a person specification, and worked closely with the Quaker Prison Chaplains Committee in doing so.

Quaker Life is integrating prison worship and prison chaplaincy more closely with our wider support for Quaker communities. We also intend to hold the Prison Chaplains Conference at Woodbrooke in November.
If Friends are worried about things they hear about changes at BYM, do get in touch directly and we can answer your questions.  And if Friends would like more support for prison chaplains – or any of our other work – please do increase your contributions and service, and we can do more. 

Rachel Matthews
Head of Supporting Quaker Communities, Quaker Life

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