We all have a part to play
Hazel Shellens writes about visiting isolated Friends
The Society of Friends might be thought of as a prism through which the Divine Light passes, to become visible in a spectrum of many colours
Quaker faith & practice 18.20
Now is the time of year when many Friends are planning summer holidays and for some the availability of a Quaker Meeting, where they can worship on a Sunday morning, is a consideration that will be factored in.
Although in many parts of the world there are vibrant Meetings that meet every Sunday (and often on other days of the week too), in other areas, including some very close to home, the Quaker presence is tiny – a worship group of two or three, or maybe just one isolated Friend. In Europe there are small worship groups in Bologna, Barcelona, Budapest, Tallin and Prague, as well as in Portugal, Georgia, Malta, Iceland and Latvia; but only single Friends, without even the support of a worship group, in Turkey, Greece and Ukraine. The same is true in other parts of the world, especially in Asia.
Whether as individuals or in small groups, these Friends are part of the Friends World Committee for Consultation’s (FWCC’s) International Membership Programme, which does its best to act as a support for them and to nurture individuals. Visiting Friends can play an important role in this work. FWCC encourages those who are travelling to seek out opportunities to meet with isolated Friends and small groups, who have little opportunity to worship with others and who really welcome visitors. This form of travelling in the ministry can be very rewarding, both for the visitors and the visited. It can lead to a lasting connection, not only with the Friend who visited, but on occasion with the whole of their Meeting back home.
Once a connection is established the visitor and their Meeting may wish to explore supporting an isolated Friend or group in the longer term, for example by providing reading material on Quakerism, exchanging news and sending newsletters, or occasionally providing for a virtual presence using Skype or social media. Maybe members of the Meeting in Britain and the small worship group or isolated Friend with whom there is a connection, could together join the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre online Meeting for Worship, provided any time difference permits. It must be remembered that although some international members are experienced Quakers who have moved to an area where there is no Meeting, many are very new to Quakerism and appreciate the ongoing nurture that Friends who have visited them can provide.
Even in those European countries where there are sufficient Friends to form a Yearly Meeting (such as, Belgium and Luxembourg, France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries) there are some very small Quaker communities that welcome visits.
Isolated Friends and small worship groups welcome visits from Quakers but it is important to make contact before travelling. A group that does not meet often may be able to arrange a meeting during a visit.
So, Friends… it’s down to you! Travel well and enjoy exploring the prism and making new connections.
Hazel is serving on FWCC’s International Membership Applications Committee.
Further information: http://bit.ly/FWCCInternationalMembership
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