Quakers without borders

Daniel Flynn writes about a special gathering of European Friends

The sixtieth anniversary of Border Meeting in continental Europe was celebrated by sixty-three Friends and Young Friends from Great Britain, Ireland, the Republic of Georgia, Russia, and from elsewhere in Europe at Maison Notre–Dame du Chant d’Oiseau in Brussels earlier this month.

Friends moved from the theme of ‘Border Meeting: Living with the Other – an exploration of differences and similarities’, through ‘Neighbours Meeting’ and ‘Welcome Home! Is this the first time you have been home?’ From Border Meeting to Quakers without Borders!

On Friday evening Janet Kreysa, of German Yearly Meeting, and Pieter Ketner, of Netherlands Yearly Meeting, led us through some highlights from the sixty years of Border Meeting and talked about the positive, life-long, impact it had on Friends’ spiritual journeys.

A selection of photos and documents were displayed over the weekend, while a slide show evoked early, more formal-looking gatherings. They offered heart-warming glimpses of the youthful incarnation of Friends currently in attendance as well as beloved Friends who had passed on.
George Thurley, of Europe and Middle East Young Friends (EMEYF), then led an evening-ending Worship Sharing that reflected on where we have been and on what the future may hold.

On Saturday morning Gretchen Castle, general secretary of the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), spoke on ‘Can we be Friends?’ She discussed the four main varieties of Quakers worldwide today: unprogrammed, programmed, evangelical and conservative. She asked: can we find common ground to live and work together through the four FWCC sections – the Americas, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific by ‘answering God’s call to universal love’?

Gretchen Castle cited the danger of fundamentalism closing borders today and said FWCC exists to help ensure that does not happen within Friends. ‘I live on an island where there are still border issues,’ one participant said, ‘and I am happy to be a member of the big Quaker family worldwide.’ ‘Having had to cross sometimes dangerous borders in my lifetime,’ another Friend said, ‘Border Meeting is where I feel at home.’ Another summarised the importance of our world family of Friends with the expression, ‘There is no “Other”.’

On Saturday afternoon – under the title ‘What do we understand of Islam?’ – Phil Gaskell, from Belgium and Luxembourg Yearly Meeting, talked about early Quaker contacts with Islam. He cited George Fox’s quotations on the Quran and Mary Fisher’s 1658 visit to the Ottoman Empire to expound her Quaker faith to sultan Mehmed IV. Phil talked about how Quakers suffered in the Christian world then and how Muslims face similar challenges in the Christian world today.

Hajib El Hajjaji of the Center against Islamophobia in Belgium spoke about the experience of being a Muslim in twenty-first century Belgium. Born in Belgium of Moroccan Muslim ancestry and educated in Catholic schools, he works in Brussels as an energy project engineer and has been active in local politics. Hajib spoke in English – the first time he had made his presentation to an English-speaking audience – and closed by expressing the hope that this was a first step to continuing dialogue.

A sense of ‘oneness’ came from these presentations: both Islam and Quakers believe all have direct access to God and both have suffered in the Christian world, as Jesus suffered in his time.

On Saturday evening Susanne Odeh and Annie Janssen, from German Yearly Meeting, led us in practicing the Quaker ‘fun testimony’ as all were invited to offer their musical, theatrical, or poetical ‘party piece’. We started off with a sing-along of the following words set to the music of ‘English Country Garden’:

People of peace
Wearing sandals and socks
Sixty years of Border Meetings.
Let’s take the chance to think outside the box
And exchange some Friendly Greetings.
Friends from France and Germany,
British Friends from ‘cross the sea,
Luxembourg and Belgian Quakers, too, say ‘oui!’
We’ll meet you there.
We have so much to share.
Sixty years of Border Meetings.
Convents and cloisters,
hostels for the young.
Sixty years of Border Meetings
Offering meals delightful to the tongue.
But beware the quite strict seatings.
Topics of complexity
Sometimes cause perplexity.
But as Quakers, we’re allowed to disagree.
No doubt of this.
We wouldn’t want to miss
Sixty years of Border Meetings.
Learning the skill of microphone techniques,
Sixty years of Border Meetings.
Walks and excursions or you can grow sleek
Through Odehtics’ daily beatings.
Loyal friends and new recruits
Now in shorts, not ties and suits.
Looking ahead but still tied to roots.
Thank you we call to
those who planned it all.
Till the next of our great
Borders Meetings!

Sunday morning opened with a Worship Sharing Meeting on ‘What have I learned this weekend and what action(s) would I like to take as a result of what I have learned?’ followed by a closing Meeting for Worship. Ministry encouraged a continued feeding of spiritual growth in the diaspora of Quakers in Europe in the languages of Europe. A Friend said: ‘We are a European family of Quakers, not just British Quakers.’ Native speakers of English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Arabic, and Russian participated in the Meeting, which was conducted in English, with occasional ministry in the other languages.

Seeds are being sown in Border Meeting today, particularly through action with young people such as ‘Holiday from War’, which brings together young people from different groups who might never meet. They get to know one another through this engagement, reducing the possibility of radicalisation and fear of ‘the Other’. Hopefully this will bear fruit in years to come.

Border Meeting was first held sixty years ago to help reconcile former enemy countries after the second world war. Today, with that ‘mission accomplished’, it was legitimate to ask ‘Is Border Meeting still relevant?’ The answer was a resounding yes! New cultural, religious, ethnic and racial borders continue to arise and Quakers have a faith-based part to play in working towards a humane world for all without borders.

A group of Friends put their faith into action on Saturday afternoon to purchase 115 grocery bags of food and toiletries. This was distributed on Sunday morning during Meeting for Worship to hundreds of Eritrean refugees being neglected and harassed by authorities in Brussels’ Parc Maximilien.

Some say there are as many varieties of Quakers as there are Quakers. The following was heard in the Meeting room before the closing Meeting for Worship: ‘Please, no popcorn ministry!’ ‘What’s wrong with popcorn?’ ‘I rather like popcorn, which is quite healthy, actually.’ ‘God created corn and man’s ability to pop it!’ ‘Are we questioning God’s creation?’ The matter was referred to Meeting for Sufferings to hold either a Meeting for Clearness or, more appropriately when reflecting on God’s gift of grains that give life, a Threshing Meeting!

Before closing the sixtieth anniversary Border Meeting 2017, Friends considered future Border Meetings. The Jugendakademie Walberberg, Wingert has already been reserved by German Friends in early September 2018. Not to be outdone, Martin Touwen, of Netherlands Yearly Meeting, said Dutch Friends were seeing heavenly guidance towards hosting the 2019 Border Meeting once again at the Bezinningshuis Regina Carmeli, Sittard, in early September.

Friends in Alsace talked about meeting once again in Centre Culturel Saint-Thomas in Strasbourg in 2010 and, as for Belgium hosting in 2021, divine guidance will come, we are sure. The future is bright. The question of whether Border Meeting was still relevant and should continue was answered with a resounding ‘Ja. Oui. Ja. Si. Da. Yes!’

---

Comments

Please login to add a comment