Yearly Meeting Gathering: Special interest groups

Reports on workshops and special interest groups held at Yearly Meeting Gathering 2017

Peace and security

An impressive panel of Friends was assembled on Monday afternoon for a highly stimulating session on peace and security.

Andrew Tomlinson, of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York; Jonathan Woolley, of QUNO in Geneva; Lucy Roberts, regional director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC); Andrew Lane, of the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA); and writer and peace worker Diana Francis talked about the key areas of work that they were involved with.

They shared thoughts on what peace and security looked like from their point of view in the USA, Britain, Geneva and Brussels.

Andrew Tomlinson stressed that peace was increasingly, in QUNO work, linked with other subjects such as human rights and climate change.

Lucy Roberts explained that peace must be implemented at local, regional, national and international levels if it was to be effective. AFSC works in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. She talked about the presence of the Committee in North Korea.

Jonathan Woolley agreed that ‘everything is connected’ and referred to the Quaker tradition of looking at the causes of conflict. He talked of the fear of ‘water wars’ but stressed that often fear is not based on reality.

Diana Francis spoke from her experience and stressed the importance of listening.

Living our beliefs

Members of Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) led a lively workshop open to all those aged thirteen and above on Monday that explored Friends’ personal and shared journeys as Quakers.

The workshop was based on the 2015 book Living our beliefs, which features contributions from over 300 Young Friends, as well as links to video and music content.

The ice was broken with spiritual ‘speed dating’, which saw pairs of Friends discuss a thought-provoking question – such as ‘What does Meeting for Worship mean to you?’ – for a minute before moving to a new table to delve into the next.

Groups of four were then set the task of considering a variety of scenarios and discerning which testimony, or testimonies, could be most applicable to each: peace, truth, equality, simplicity or sustainability.

Friends then considered three challenging questions that sought to explore how their ‘beliefs are grounded in the Quaker faith and how that belief can translate into action’: what about the world makes you uncomfortable and/or angry; how do you/might you challenge these things in the way you live; and is there a next step you might take towards living your beliefs in the world?

Poverty can be solved

It is possible to solve poverty in the UK by 2030, Will Haire, chair of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), told Friends at a special interest group on Sunday.

He explained to those present that a strategy was being built to challenge the notion that poverty is inevitable in a capitalist society and said: ‘Poverty leads to decay the longer you’re in it.’

Emma Stone, the JRF’s director of policy and research, said that fourteen million people in Britain are currently living in poverty – ‘a shocking statistic’.

She added that this left people with impossible decisions to make – whether to opt for ‘eating or heating’, for instance. This group, suffering from stress and insecurity, are the victims of stigmatisation and on the margins of society.

£78 billion a year is spent on poverty and its consequences and this, she explained, is ‘poor stewardship of our country’s resources’.

JRF has produced a synthesis of considerable evidence for ‘our view of a poverty-free UK by 2030’. Emma Stone said it was important to present this in such a way that critics could not dismiss it as ‘motherhood and apple pie’.

She outlined aims that she argued are achievable. First, by 2030 no one is ever destitute. In 2015 more than one million people in the UK, including children, experienced destitution – unable to afford life’s essentials: food, warmth and shelter.

Second, by 2030 fewer than one in ten are in poverty at any one time. This involves recognition that people will fall in and out of poverty.

Third, that no one is in poverty for more than two years.

The JRF has a five-point plan identifying the need to boost income, build an effective benefits system, improve education and skills areas over the course of a life, strengthen family and community relationships, and develop an economy for the benefit of everyone.

We need to ‘talk the language of inclusive growth,’ Emma Stone said.

Tackling poverty is not just the job of government, she insisted. We should be ‘pushing at the boundaries of who we engage with’.

Movement building means engagement with employers, faith groups, charities and ‘working across the political spectrum’.

The spirituality of Quaker testimony

The contemplative and the active cannot be separated, Stuart Masters, of Woodbrooke, told a packed room of Friends in his session on the spirituality of Quaker testimony on Monday.

‘We are tempted’, he said, ‘to say that spirituality is the quiet part and testimony the noisy part of Quakerism. This is false. They are both part of the same thing.’

An inward style of worship might suggest that the Quaker way was to withdraw from the world. No, he said, it was quite the opposite.

He began by introducing several key words. He explored the role of ‘seeking’ and ‘listening’ to that ‘source of guidance’ beyond ourselves that would lead to ‘transformation’ and prompt ‘action’ in the world.

He made many references to the witness of early Friends and explained that while it appeared negative and they were against the outward forms of the established church, acts of deference, fighting with outward weapons and swearing oaths, their faith was based on a hopeful, optimistic view of human nature.

Spirituality, he said, ‘has to be lived’ as part of a ‘transformed life.’

Friends, he explained, took a positive view on life and believed it is always ‘possible for things to change’.

‘Our testimony’, he also argued, ‘is always political’ in that living out a commitment to peace, justice and sustainability sometimes, inevitably, sets Friends against the way the world is.

Friends who wished to be true and consistent, he asserted, had to face the difficult challenge of living out their testimony in every part of their lives.

Receptive ecumenism

The concept of ‘receptive ecumenism’ was a central theme of Bernard Longley, the Roman Catholic bishop of Birmingham, when he addressed a special interest event on Sunday afternoon.

He spoke from his personal experience and from a Roman Catholic perspective of his ecumenical work over many decades in the city and further afield.

Bernard Longley, who has been involved in ecumenism for thirty years, is co-chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission and has a long association with Friends.

A challenge in any ecumenical work, he said, was to break down preconceptions. ‘I once tended to have an already formed image of the “other” without any personal experience of the “other”’. This was often the case for many people: ‘We choose to focus on these images – but they are only caricatures.’

Dialogue, he explained, helps us get beyond these perceptions and then trust can deepen and faith can grow. ‘We must search for and see truth and goodness in others’, he said.

Bernard Longley, who is member of the Birmingham Faith Leaders Group, also told several inspiring stories of interfaith engagement in the city. These examples of ‘receptive ecumenism’ endorsed his clear personal commitment to a Christianity that embraces openness, a willingness to listen, generosity and charity to others. He stressed, also, that all faiths promote love and not hate: ‘The common aim of all people of faith is the peace of the world.’

The event was one of several held during the week, organised by the Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations (QCCIR), in which representatives of different faith communities talked to Friends.

Yearly Meeting funding

Roy Love, clerk of the Finance and Property Committee of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) trustees, and Peter Ullathorne, treasurer of BYM, led a workshop looking at ‘Yearly Meeting funding: Sources, uses and the future’ on Monday afternoon.

In a wide-ranging session Friends were given the opportunity to ask more detailed questions about BYM’s funding than might have been possible in Yearly Meeting session and discovered more about the trends likely to affect the future.

The Finance and Property Committee is responsible for overseeing six income streams for the Yearly Meeting: donations, investments, property, the Hospitality Company, legacies and grants. Friends heard that, although BYM holds ‘reasonable levels of reserves’, a number of factors mean that there is ‘not a case for complacency’.

The average income profile of BYM over the past five years shows that 23 per cent comes from contributions from Friends and 34 per cent from legacies. For several years contributions from Friends have held steady at £2 million. However, the value of that money has been, and will continue to be, affected by: inflation, Brexit, the need to cover the cost of a 2.49 per cent staff salary increase in 2017 and the potential impact of HS2 on income generation by the Hospitality Company.

Peter Ullathorne read out a minute from 1865 which referred to the Yearly Meeting having been ‘bailed out once again by legacies’ – a situation he sees today. However, he and other trustees commented on demographic trends that may influence the amount of legacy income that can be expected in future, such as the increase in the number of Friends who are the only Quaker in the family, the cost of social care falling more on individuals, and Friends helping younger generations onto the property ladder. Such trends could mean that legacy income, upon which BYM is reliant to bridge the gap between contributions and expenditure, could drop off and put programmes of work at risk of being laid down.

Some Friends expressed concern that Quakers and grant-makers may not see BYM as an ‘urgent concern’ to donate to when reserves are high. Friends also expressed frustration at not seeing a clearer link between the increase in contributions being called for and the work the funds would go towards.

One Friend suggested that some reserves could be spent to ‘finance our own revival’ and so, in the long term, ensure more financial stability.

Peter Ullathorne reflected that: ‘Our giving is part of our faith… we’re deciding at this Yearly Meeting Gathering what we want done. It’s our duty to pay for it.’

Language is key

The use of language is key in encouraging Meetings to be as welcoming and nurturing as possible, including to transgender and non-binary people, and it is important not to make assumptions when meeting someone.

These were among the themes raised at the ‘Exploring transgender and welcoming gender diversity at out Meetings’ interest group held on Sunday organised by North Thames Area Meeting.

Visitors can be welcomed using gender-neutral language. Unless the correct pronouns are known, gendered ones such as she/he can be avoided.

Quakers already have an advantage here: just call everyone ‘Friend’! A person’s statement of identity should be respected and they should be called what they want to be called. If uncertain about this, just ask them. Friends can practice by offering their own pronouns – for instance, ‘he/him’ or ‘she/her’ – when introducing themselves.

The event heard moving testimonies from transgender and non-binary Friends about their experiences inside and outside Meetings.

Some older Friends apologised for any offence inadvertently caused in the past and acknowledged that they have some catching up to do in terms of learning and understanding.

Climate dangers will strike closer than you think

‘Climate Disadvantage’ is a fairly recent phrase to many of us. It is used by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) to mean a high exposure to climate risk – and high social vulnerability. It can be found not only in the usual places abroad, but also in significant patches here in the UK.

Monday’s special interest group shared by the Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) Sustainability programme, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and the JRF explored this concept in the context of moves to try to bring about what they called ‘Climate Justice’.

The message of all three presentations was that climate change has been brought about by the actions of the richest ten per cent of the population in the richest ten per cent of nations; and that these people are least likely to suffer the effects of their actions, and most likely to be able to mitigate them if they are.

On the other hand, the bottom ten per cent – at home and abroad – are least likely to have caused the problems associated with global warming, most likely to suffer the effects thereof, and least able to cope with the impacts of climate change.

The JRF research identified two particular pockets of climate disadvantage within England (it was strange to see a map of the country without Scotland or Wales shown), one in the North East and the other in the South West around Bristol and north Somerset (you can find out how your own area fares by logging on to www.climatejust.org.uk).

Friends also heard how the quiet work of QUNO had been particularly helpful in helping create the positive atmosphere that led to the Paris Accord.

The final message was that climate justice could even be achieved through legal processes, including the actions of a group of young people in America suing their government for exposing them to climate risk.

So much to explore, so little time…!

Movement building through a common table

The title of Mark Russ’ Monday afternoon interest group was ‘Meeting for eating’ and Quakers turned up in generous numbers to be served some challenging intellectual fare by the Woodbrooke tutor.

Friends were first asked to think of a time when they shared food with someone who was different from them in some way.

A substantial main course followed this light first offering. Two readings from the New Testament, in which Jesus ate with people, were given to those attending.

One was when Jesus eats with Pharisees (Luke 11:37-44) and the other when Jesus eats with the tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).

‘Jesus’, Mark Russ explained, ‘did a lot of eating with people and many parables contain examples of this’.

Friends were asked to get into small groups, read the passages and reflect on three questions: who do you identify with in these stories; what about these stories makes you uncomfortable; and what do these stories have to say about movement building?

The subsequent discussion was nourishing to mind and spirit. It included comments on the Last Supper and the Feeding of the Five Thousand to the importance of storytelling in the Bible.

Experiences of bereavement

Friends exchanged personal experiences of bereavement in group discussions at a ‘Death chat’ organised by Quaker Life and Nick Wilde on Sunday afternoon.

Informal conversations raised issues such as support for those who have suffered a loss; the development of ‘death cafes’, where people gather together to increase awareness of issues surrounding death; ‘do not resusitate’ orders; Quaker and other environmentally friendly funerals; possibilities of an afterlife; and how Friends young and old are facing up to their own mortality.

Quakers and mental health

‘The time may have come to bind together issues for a Quaker approach to mental health,’ Friends heard at Yearly Meeting Gathering.

On the agenda at the Monday interest group were the work of the Quaker Mental Health Group and developments at The Retreat in York, which has been providing mental services since 1796.

Suggestions emanating from discussions about the increasingly high profile issue of mental health included ‘a forum to move this forward together’. The first one, on dementia, will be held on 9 December in York.

A Friend said perhaps this might become an annual event held in different locations around the UK. He said: ‘We need to raise awareness so we can discern our way ahead.’ Another Friend advocated teaching restorative practice to children to help them acquire skills to resolve problems from any early age. ‘This is all about hopefulness,’ the audience heard. ‘Every Quaker Meeting needs to welcome, help and support someone in mental distress.’

Friends were told that ‘there are things going very badly adrift’ in the UK with regard to the mental wellbeing of our society. ‘There is a great need for an advocacy support group,’ one Friend argued. For someone suffering from mental ill health ‘assistance hugely depends to the advocacy of relatives and friends’.

Challenging preconceptions

Friends were urged to ‘stir thought’, build ‘worship-sharing’ and ‘break apart the sense of division’ during lively exchanges at an event organised by the Nontheist Friends Network entitled ‘There is a place for us’ held on Monday afternoon.

A Friend said that if the question for the nineteenth century was ‘Is there a God?’ the question for the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is: ‘What do we mean when we use terms like God?’ Another Friend said: ‘You don’t have to believe in God to enrich our Society.’

A nontheist Friend emphasised that inclusivity and diverseness were not incompatible and said: ‘We want to be one voice within the Religious Society of Friends.’

‘Closer and closer involvement with Friends of various viewpoints’ was to be encouraged, attenders at the event heard.

A Friend welcomed lively discussion: ‘Let us challenge each other’s preconceptions.

‘Let’s argue it out… as Friends living together in the Religious Society.’

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