It was a lovely warm late afternoon in June. I was visiting the local Quaker Meeting to observe a new tutor teaching her second course for the Workers’ Educational Association…
Diana Francis has opened up the topic of equality and inclusiveness among Quakers (1 September), and her analysis of the Religious Society of Friends as a largely white,…
When I was a boy in the 1950s I became fascinated by high-rise blocks of flats. From the public library I had consumed architecture books with photographs showing exciting…
The Quaker Life Representative Council (QLRC), which met on 13-15 October, is a community. Ninety Quakers are assembled together. Christ dances with us, fizzing and stimulating. A…
We were eight of us in the car. A few weeks earlier we had all moved into one house to start an intentional, open, Quaker community in Pittsburgh. We had heard about Conservative…
What is the core of Quakerism? What does it mean to be a Quaker? It is often said that you will get as many different answers to these questions as the number of Quakers you ask.…
At the end of June 1917 Isaac Sharp, the recording clerk of London Yearly Meeting, retired. He was one of the most remarkable and quietly influential Friends of his time. On 9…
Do you recall a few years back when someone went into the Amish school and killed all those children? What amazed me was how the Amish community, including the parents of the…
No one wants anyone to suffer the pain of suicide in prison and the terrible impact such a bleak death has on family, friends, fellow prisoners and prison staff. Everyone wants to…
Become a subscriber to enjoy unlimited access to our articles, dating back to 2009! Online subscribers get the Friend to their inbox each week, can comment on articles, and dive into our 1914-18 digital archive too!
Whether you are new to Quakerism or have been going to Meeting for years, you’ll find something here to inspire, inform and challenge you.
News | Views | Reviews
Written by and for Friends on the bench
Subscribe