Sometimes God seems so close. It is almost as though I could reach out and touch Him. I have had this experience a couple of times in Meeting. Yet, at other times God, or the…
Dreams can be a lot of things. Joyful ‘nonsense’ unrelated to daily reality – like the one about practising new dance steps with an elephant…when I’m really not the…
The annual Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) Spring Conference was an inspiring event. The enthusiasm, interest, energy and inspiration I experienced among Friends over the…
Many people want a loan and cannot, for many reasons, access the loan facilities at their local banks or building societies. It may be that they are not permanently employed, do…
Friends from far and wide will hold a half-hour Meeting for Worship on the top of Pendle Hill on 6 May to show solidarity with the anti-fracking movement. This position is not…
During the Saturday afternoon break, while drinking a cup of tea sitting on the lawn in the sunshine, the clerk to the conference asked me what expectations I had come with. The…
Overseers should be sensitive to the needs of attenders, including children and young people, and, when the time is right, encourage a consideration of membership… Whatever the…
The story of the shipwreck of Rendel Harris in the autumn of 1916 was recorded in the Friend at the time and quoted in this series before Christmas (25 November 2016). On his way…
In general I find Quakers reluctant to talk about evil. Can we use the words ‘evil’ and ‘sin’ in a way that is helpful and life affirming? The writers of Twelve Quakers and…
Friends have increasingly been addressing, at local and national level, a topical issue of our time – staying on. How do we deal with the end of life and how do we die with…
I have been reading the journal of the American Quaker Elias Hicks (1748-1830). For the most part, this journal is about the visits he made to Quarterly and Yearly Meetings at a…
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