Meeting for Sufferings: Sunday
'The Meeting then turned to the subject of ‘overseers’, a term that Quaker Life has asked Friends to avoid because of its racist applications.'
Before worship on Sunday morning, Friends dealt with greetings to other Yearly Meetings and some simplification to the section in Quaker faith & practice on marriage.
The Meeting then turned to the subject of ‘overseers’, a term that Quaker Life has asked Friends to avoid because of its racist applications. Local Meetings had been asked to experiment with alternatives and report back, but not much had been received.
One Friend wasn’t aware of the request, which recording clerk Paul Parker put down to a failure in communication – representatives had been asked to refer the subject to their Area Meetings. Another Friend wondered whether all this reporting was necessary. But YM had minuted Friends’ wish to become an anti-racist Society, said Paul. People were watching to see if Quakers were really willing to do the work necessary to get there.
Worship opened with prepared ministry on Ukraine from Oliver Robertson (see last week). Friends’ concerns bubbled out until an elder called for a period of silence. After a farewell to Juliet Prager, deputy recording clerk, it was in this spirit that the Meeting ended.
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