Meeting for Sufferings: Yearly Meetings past and future
Meeting for Sufferings reflected on Yearly Meeting
Representatives on Meeting for Sufferings were given the opportunity to reflect on Yearly Meeting (YM) 2016, held in May, and to begin the process of looking ahead to future YMs.
Those considering YM 2017’s movement-building focus contributed ideas such as inviting non-Quakers from movements Friends have been involved in and organisations Friends have founded to talk about the Quaker contribution. Another Friend spoke of the diverse range of issues to be addressed and of the need to ‘join the dots’ so that Friends ‘feel connected, even in our very different concerns’.
A Friend gave passionate ministry about how they ‘feel more and more the pain of difference’, especially in light of how many Quakers live comfortably, ‘far away from the people who need our message… we mostly preach to the converted’. Another Friend reflected on how Quakers can be seen as too cerebral. They expressed concern that Quakers are not reaching out to those with less education or who are more needy.
A different Friend spoke of the need to listen – ‘not just to each other or like-minded people’– and hoped that YM might help Friends to listen to ‘people who don’t speak like we speak’.
A controversial suggestion was also put forth: ‘What about not having a theme at all?’ The Friend suggested a YM in which Friends waited for leadings of the Spirit. Another commented that, given the turmoil in the country, space for ‘as led’ ministry would enable issues to arise naturally rather than things being scheduled too far in advance.
Comments
One of the problems with having themes, is that this puts power in the hands of the organisers, not of those gathered together by the Spirit.
A much more inspiring approach would be to spend the first,evening, session waiting to hear what people are moved to say about what challenges them day-by-day as Quakers ... and to shape all this into a plan for the rest of the YM.
I don’t see why not having a theme should be seen as a ‘controversial suggestion’. It seems to me to be a call for us to trust that God will lead us along the right path/s.
By JohnN on 9th July 2016 - 10:42
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