Woodbrooke announces 2017 Eva Koch scholars
Three new Eva Koch scholars have been announced
Three Eva Koch Scholars will spend six weeks at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre between July and August exploring subjects and issues of relevance and importance to Friends in Britain and beyond.
Sarah Dodgson will examine Quaker experiences of, and reaction to, the EU referendum. Since 2015 she has been involved with the subject including organising at a community level for the Remain side. The fact that a close family member campaigned on the Leave side led her to take a deep interest in how Quakers handle political difference.
Sarah Dodgson is a member at Winchmore Hill Local Meeting, North London Area Meeting, and was an editor of the Quaker Lesbian and Gay Fellowship (QLGF) newsletter for ten years.
John Peirce will be exploring priesthood. What can Friends learn from the practice of priesthood in other churches? But wider still, what can our understanding of the Priesthood of all Believers offer to other churches? Friends have insights and experience to offer, but we also have much to learn about the depths of that ministry which our membership implies.
John Peirce was an attender for two decades and more. He became a member a couple of years ago. He has been an Anglican priest since 1961 (working in a variety of ecumenical contexts).
Clíodhna Mulhern will look at the ethical and spiritual implications of our food choices.
She will bring a Quaker perspective to the range of ethical issues associated with our food choices including: animal cruelty; exploitation of farmers, children and adults (abroad and at home) in the growing and processing of foods; food miles in the transportation of food; destruction of eco-systems and sustainable farming practices to produce ‘luxury’ or ‘exotic’ foods; the toxification of foods with herbicides and pesticides and the destruction of soil and biodiversity that comes with it; and the contribution of our modern industrial foods to obesity, stroke and allergies.
Her aspiration is to develop workshop materials on these issues. She already facilitates workshops and retreats on sustainability and spiritual ecology themes both at Woodbrooke and further afield.
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.