Close-up of the cover of Tua’r Tarddiad. Photo: Courtesy of Huw Meredydd Owen,
‘Who are we, and what do we do?’
Meeting of Friends in Wales met in sunshine in Aberystwyth last month. Huw Meredydd Owen reports.
A characteristic of Meeting of Friends in Wales (MFW), like many wider Meetings, is its need to squeeze a lot into its agenda. But over its thirty-year history it has developed a welcome brevity. Initial items, such as a statement by the new trustees and various reports, were succinct and to the point.
The two main items of the day received a slightly more expansive approach. First was a paper from a focus group on how MFW should evolve, to be more responsive to the Spirit and be more effective in society. The other main matter was establishing an approach to the forthcoming revision of Quaker faith & practice. Both items were, to some extent, addressing the same issue from different directions: who are we, and what do we do?
Having a clearly defined role, MFW shines a Quaker light on Welsh life, but also acts as a lens to better inform Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM). It has a relatively high profile in national civic life, especially through membership of Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales) and other organisations. The focus group was set up to explore this, and find how we may better share our witness to peace and social justice. It will look at the different dynamic of political life in Wales – the ‘Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015’ legislation by the (Welsh Assembly) government would be an unlikely Westminster bill, for example – and how MFW can apply lobbying pressure to good effect. The discussion concluded that the focus group should begin its deliberations on communications.
An illustration of the need to have a consistent approach to communication was reflected in a statement on leaving the EU. This was issued by MFW where other organisations (including Cytûn) felt unable to. A similar statement issued by Britain Yearly Meeting, in 2016, had talked about constructive listening, bringing people together in love, with Quaker skills, to begin to heal the Brexit divide. But this statement seemed not to have been very extensively pursued.
There are many issues on which we need to communicate the Quaker voice in Wales. We heard how peace and economics are intimately linked, with Robert Schuman’s statement in 1950 advocating a European Coal and Steel Community: ‘The solidarity in production thus established will make… any war… not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.’ Those who would undermine a successful international peace project like the EU need to be told this; peace is much more than just the absence of war. Friends can be, at times, too nice and too silent.
Things are rarely wholly black or white, of course, and in the other major topic for the day – the starting point for revising Quaker faith & practice – we felt a need for a balance of personal experience with corporate action. Four personal introductions raised a range of questions and set a context for how to approach the revision. It was felt, for example, that the section on Church Government seems very different in tone and language to the rest of the collection. As whom are we speaking, and in what language? How do we address those people who are ‘not religious, but…’ Are they the ‘great people to be gathered’?
Splitting into smaller groups for a more comprehensive discussion, we were asked to look at three points in particular:
- How does the book speak to future generations?
- What are the positive/negative features?
- How does it speak for/to Wales?
The report back from each group revealed many common thoughts. We wanted: more from and for young people; more on silence, its qualities and its power; more formats (including variations of the online edition); an index in Advices & queries (itself revised); a précis for newcomers; a separation of the Church Government section (as it used to be); a better introduction for enquirers; and a link with Local Meetings.
The issue of identity was often raised. Who is a Quaker? Who do we speak for, and how? Who are Welsh Quakers, in particular, and how do we fit into the spiritual landscape in Wales? How will Welsh people see the book, also considering that there are two languages. How will the Revision Committee select passages in Welsh? A few years ago, MFW prepared its own collection of insight and experiences in a book in each language (Tua’r Tarddiad and Towards the Source). These will surely be a useful reference in revising Quaker faith & practice.
It was very rewarding to be part of this constructive and cohesive meeting, listening and searching for a deep foundation upon which to build shared action, and reaching out in love. It was in marked contrast to the intransigence, brinkmanship and shallow deceit found in Westminster the same week – the result of conflict created from the reduction of a complex issue to a divisive binary choice. n
Minutes from this gathering will be available at:http://bit.ly/MFWminutes.
