Quakers call for interfaith commitment to climate justice
'There was new energy for grassroots Quaker organising, facing into the multiple crises for humanity and the Earth.'
More than sixty Friends issued a rousing call to action to ‘open ourselves to this pregnant sense of the present’ after attending a three-day gathering aimed at tackling the climate crisis.
‘Quakers and Living Witness can be midwives of the spirit’, the sixty Friends concluded in a closing minute that called for ‘an interfaith commitment to climate justice’ leading up to the next general election, ‘so that incoming government is clearly focused on this issue’.
Laurie Michaelis, convenor of the Living Witness group, which organised the event, told the Friend that the attenders ‘brought a huge wealth of passion, experience and wisdom. There was new energy for grassroots Quaker organising, facing into the multiple crises for humanity and the Earth… Much more listening, dialogue and collaboration is needed to connect up our responses within and beyond BYM. We especially want to support young adults finding their pathways on the edge of the precipice, and Friends seeking to be good elders in these times.’
Quakers came together ‘with a sense of urgency and under concern’, said the minute. ‘We have heard clearly, with hope and excitement as well as fear and grief, an acute sense that this is an extraordinary time – a time of enormous challenge which can change us profoundly in ways we need to change. It is the great, holy work of our time, it is our privilege to be part of it and we must prepare our spirit for what is coming. The climate and ecological crisis changes everything.’
Committing to work with children and young people, and support those taking direct action, the gathering noted a concern ‘to address the current cost-of-living crisis, including offering our meeting houses as warm refuges… we will respond to promptings to work more on food and biodiversity; and we are led to support local communities in becoming carbon neutral, alongside many other ideas and actions. We believe Faith groups can take a lead which will help the nation listen, and Quakers must play our part in this.’
The residential event called ‘All Change! Making paths on shifting ground’ from 26 to 29 August at Woodbrooke wove together talks, workshops, and spiritual practices.
Friends likened the seismic shift to when Quakerism had to ‘renew’ itself at the 1895 conference, which, they said, ‘became the basis of 20th century liberal Quakerism’.
