Yearly Meeting 2023: Session 2 - Releasing Energy and Revitalising Quaker Communities

4 May 2023 | by Rebecca Hardy, Elinor Smallman, Joseph Jones

‘Are our hearts and minds open to the possibilities of change?’

‘I implore Friends to remember our breath, our space and our air.’ | Photo: © Mike Pinches, for BYM

In Session Two, on Saturday morning, Friends considered the first part of the theme: ‘How to release energy and revitalise Quaker communities’. First, in worship, a Friend spoke of how he ‘fell in love this morning’, on the way to Friends House, looking at the blossom and the ‘lack of prudence’ of nature. Worship is how we give thanks for the blossom, he said; testimony is how we take the blossom into the world.

After welcoming visitors from other Yearly Meetings, Friends watched a video of the epistle from Junior YM. Then two Friends spoke about how, in different ways, they were led to explore new possibilities within their Quaker life. Huw Meredydd Owen introduced Symud Ymlaen (Forward Together), the process by which Friends in Wales had set about making organisational changes. With more roles to fill than Friends to do them, staying creative was essential, to ensure the Meeting wasn’t ‘burdening itself to a standstill’.

‘Are our hearts and minds open to the possibilities of change?’ a clerk asked the Meeting.

One Friend appreciated the ‘stimulating introduction’, but asked, post-pandemic and the gains of online Meeting, that Friends recognise that something might be lost. He asked that any changes reflect the importance of ‘meeting in the flesh’. This was picked up by another Friend, who ministered that, while committees can be a burden, working together in person is an important way of creating a sense of community. Other Friends emphasised the need for collaboration: Quaker structures are good at creating committees and administration, he mused, but, looking to find technical experts, they found it hard to talk to other Meetings. Another Friend talked about ‘intentional change’: ‘Now is the time to look at what we can retain from the old normal, and take into the new.’ This requires that ‘we all play our part’.

The Meeting hit an emotional note when one Friend said she had come ‘to check that I want to be a Quaker. Yesterday I attended a very competent and impressive Meeting, which made committees and selections.’ But, ultimately, she felt ‘burnt out’: ‘I implore Friends to remember our breath, our space and our air.’ Another Friend reminded YM of the skills of disabled and neurodivergent Quakers, who often want to be more involved. She called for ‘an active seeking’  of inclusivity, and an openness to ‘uncomfortable conversations’.

One Friend described how Zoom enabled their Area Meeting to Meet across a geographically-spread area. Can Friends be more flexible about having smaller, informal groups, connected to Area Meetings, which Meet online or in-person?

Early Friends ‘shook the earth for ten miles around’ when they ministered, said one Friend. ‘They were bold and audacious and energetic and had a fire in their bellies’. Soon, he said ‘There were way more Friends in this island and around the world… What allowed them to do that?’ he asked. ‘They found a power greater than themselves’, and when they turned to it ‘it allowed them to do things beyond their own power’. The Friend noted that, if he performed a task out of his own power, he burned out. ‘I find that I have to look inside for a power that is much greater, that can guide and direct, and lead, and encourage, and warm me itself. When I do that I find remarkable resources of joy.’

‘We do need to discern which jobs and committees are still needed,’ said the minute, when it came. It noted that ‘Simplifying our structures will enable us to share the gift of our worship and witness more expansively.’

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