Meeting for Sufferings: Canterbury Commitment Group report
The Canterbury Commitment Group spoke about the structure of their upcoming report
The Canterbury Commitment Group spoke about the structure of their report, which will be presented to Yearly Meeting (YM) 2014 in Bath. The report is to look at progress towards Britain Yearly Meeting’s (BYM) commitment to become a low-carbon, sustainable community. According to the report, the group has been ‘working on a process to celebrate where the YM has already been led to act, and to discern where and how it would be beneficial for further action to happen’. The group hopes that the outcome will be a strategy for action to be shared at YM 2014. They asked Meeting for Sufferings if it felt that they were on the right track with these five themes: strengthening community; lifestyle; Quaker property; Quaker activities; and political action and systemic change.
The group felt ‘there is much to celebrate… yet, we cannot be complacent; the time is right for BYM to take the next steps in this adventure of faith.’ The report will be a snapshot of where we are.
One Friend said she had been asked: ‘What is the unique Quaker contribution in this issue? Why don’t all Friends just join Friends of the Earth?’ She felt that there was a possibility that Quaker methods, such as a Meeting for Clearness for individuals, could be of value. Another Friend said ‘I wish we could find a way to support and carry those Friends who are less enthusiastic.’
‘We are faced with enormous change and a challenge but we have to do it – we made a commitment. The only way it will be possible is if we do it together,’ said a Friend from Wales. Another Friend said, ‘when you are the only Quaker in the family, it saps the energy.’
A further Friend commented: ‘It came too quickly for some Friends. We need to provide material to help.’ A question was raised by another person on why Area Meetings needed to move around from one Meeting house where there was good public transport to others where a car was necessary. He continued, we have ‘very hard choices to make. I’m not sure we are ready to make them’.
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