Watch this space: Jenny Webb takes a flyer

‘On the face of it, there is a lot of space in Quakerism.’

I have come to a day centre for adults with learning disabilities, to deliver some flyers. The wording reads: ‘A Friendly space in the Earth Café at the Quaker Meeting House. Free tea, coffee, snacks and chat. All welcome – just drop in’. This wording was subject to some discussion. We first thought of ‘warm space’, but realised it might be seen as stigmatising. A ‘friendly space’, on the other hand, sounds, well, friendly. It has the added attraction of being ambiguous, referring as it does to the part the Quakers play in the project.

All this set me thinking about the word ‘space’, which is itself ambiguous. It can mean ‘a blank portion or area’ but also ‘a seat or place, as on a train, aircraft, etc.’ In other words, we may see a space as being empty, with nothing to offer us, or we may see it as offering us welcome and comfort. So what sort of space do we offer new people at our Meetings? Is it an austere sense of emptiness, or is it a sense of vitality, support, guidance and belonging?

On the face of it, there is a lot of space in Quakerism. No creed, very little ritual, no formal hierarchy, and surprisingly little guidance as to how we might find our spiritual path. Over the years I have found this difficult. Meeting has often felt like an empty space waiting to be filled with the inconsequential chattering of my mind. Meditation techniques have helped me to calm myself, but the result has generally been a far cry from the ecstatic moments described by early Friends.

We Quakers are in a state of transition. The debate about ‘God language’ is ongoing. I find that a rather disparaging term, as it obscures differences in belief and experience. I was disturbed to hear that some Friends feel that to quote the Bible, pray, or talk about Jesus, is no longer welcome.

This change is happening partly because we are moving to a more heterogeneous membership, with a wide range of spiritual experiences and beliefs. But if we do allow ourselves to be open to the wisdom of different faiths, this need not mean either that our precious silence will be filled with a cacophony of voices, or that Quakerism will turn into an amorphous melting pot. Rather, it means that, while retaining our Quaker identity, we can be helped in our spiritual journey and our Meetings can be enriched. Each faith has something to offer us. We know that Christianity speaks to us of a God of Love. From Buddhism we can learn about the impermanence of life; from Hinduism about the immortal within us and without us; from Islam the importance of surrendering the self. There is much else.

Sometimes these belief systems are described as paths up the mountainside, all heading towards the same summit. The summit itself is unknowable but we may be able to feel the joy of glimpsing it – of knowing it in our hearts.

We no longer live in a Christian country, and attendance reflects that. What we have in common with the adherents of all faiths is our shared search for understanding and meaning. Let’s Meet together in love and acceptance, recognising our shared search. The strength of the Quaker space is that it makes this possible – maybe the only such space. It is our unique gift.

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