Friends at the Quaker Centre Gathering. Photo: Liz Rolls, Trustee of The Penn Club.
Meetings, opportunities and outreach
Andrew Backhouse writes about a recent gathering of Friends
Can you recognise anyone from your Meeting or circle of Quaker associates in the picture? Is your Meeting house a large, busy one with more than two staff? Well, in that case, perhaps you should know what these people have all been up to.
Every year the residential Quaker Centres and the larger Meeting houses staff, trustees, or management gets together for a Quaker Centre Gathering. There is much to share.
How do non-Quaker members of staff cope with Quakers and our peculiarities? How do you deal with refreshments for groups to best effect for them and for our bottom line? How do we make our place a ‘Quaker’ place, rather than just another one in which to stay and meet?
Then there are the subjects of special interest. Data protection fills many of us with dread. But the contacts our members have can sometimes produce brilliant speakers who can transform our thinking. It is not ‘what you know, but who you know’ that often helps us most.
A member of Westminster Meeting who is a barrister gave us a very informative talk on data protection and its implications for Quaker Meetings and organisations. With his self-deprecating sense of humour, he made us realise that the new legislation – whilst there is much we, as businesses, will need to do – is not the burden we thought for Local Meetings.
As a church that wishes to know one another, a crucial part of our operation requires us to have names and addresses. Don’t ask about dates of birth! Yes, we can’t pass names on to others, but we do need to record them in our minutes and keep records accessible to other Quakers. The new legislation was written for Google and Microsoft and Amazon, not churches. Yes, we do need a policy, and clear consent from people – but, by saying you are a Quaker, there are some things you cannot deny!
Another major subject raised was about Quakers in business through history and their influence on good governance. What impact are you aware of – and is it still having an effect? There is always a chance to discuss letting policy. Are we open to all and welcoming to all? Does having a group we do not totally support in a Quaker building help to challenge them? Quaker Centres can be one of the best forms of outreach.
Next year we will be visiting Sheffield. This will give us an opportunity to see one of the modern Meeting houses. It has about five rooms that can be let. Who knows what subjects will be on the agenda? Friends House has further information if you feel your Meeting staff and trustees could benefit from such a gathering.
The Quaker Centre Gathering is open to residential centres, retreats, conference venues and large Meeting houses that employ a manager and at least one full time member of staff based on Quaker values and practices.
Further information: teresar@quaker.org.uk
