Issue 01-09-2023
Featured story
A case in point: Barrie Mahoney’s Thought for the week
Most of us will have been shocked and horrified by the recent Lucy Letby case, involving the murder of babies who were in the care of a young and deeply-troubled nurse. Once again, the wilful destruction of life is on our minds, challenging our understanding of goodness and, indeed, God.
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Parting company: Kate McNally bids a fond farewell to the Woodbrooke Centre
As I write this I am at Woodbrooke for the summer residential, an opportunity for many Friends to experience this place for the last time. It is a bittersweet feeling, and for many of us it is time to let go of the place where we learned what it means...
Going the whole way: Angela Greenwood explores non-duality
For some years now, together with a local Friend, and in the spirit of being ‘open to new light, from whatever source it may come’ (Advices & queries 7), I have been exploring a path of ‘non-duality’. Non-duality is a term some spiritual teachers use to describe the interconnectedness of everything,...
Still life: Shirley McCaw sees a Meeting of departed Friends
I attended a Meeting online recently in which I was thinking about the spirit, both during life and after life. A Friend had died that week and was being remembered in the Meeting. I’m sure most of us like to imagine that a Friend who has died might still...
Committees aren’t unique to Quakers: Nicholas J Tyldesley offers some wider consideration
Organisations are kept functioning effectively by committees. This is true across the public, private and voluntary sectors. They ensure accountability, give opportunities for participation, draw on the skills of members, and support decision-making. People join committees for a variety of reasons. They might want to serve a community, inspired by...
Blue plaque ceremony for Bertha Bracey
Quaker Bertha Bracey, a key player in the Kindertransport scheme, is being commemorated with a blue plaque unveiled at Bournville Meeting House.
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Friends support Bibby Stockholm evacuees
Quakers have been supporting asylum seekers affected by the Bibby Stockholm barge controversy.
Edinburgh Friends host Fringe ‘artist hub’
Edinburgh Quakers provided a sanctuary for Fringe artists at this year’s August festival.
BYM backs ‘faster, cheaper’ migrant schemes
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has urged the government to roll-out UN-backed schemes to support asylum seekers. The call came after the long-awaited United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report into a Home Office-funded pilot was released last week. The report found that the pilot, called the Bedfordshire scheme, was â€...
Friends plan vigils for Quaker Week
Friends are organising vigils to witness against the government’s push for continuing gas and oil extraction. The Quaker Support for Climate Action (QS4CA) group will be holding vigils during Quaker Week, with the support of members’ Local and Area Meetings.
Dutch courage: Simon Webb on Eduard Douwes Dekker
As far as I can tell, the bicentenary of the birth of Eduard Douwes Dekker, in March 2020, was quite unmarked in Britain. This may have been because we were occupied with Covid, but it is more likely that we neglected it because few of us know who Dekker actually was,...
Eye - 1 September 2023
Maltsters, manufacturers and merchants Given that many Quakers were involved in the temperance movement, Eye was surprised to hear about the connection between Friends and brewing (28 July). This has inspired readers to get in touch with even more connections. Richard Pickvance, of Blackheath Meeting, turned the spotlight on Edward H...
Neediness
Some things you may not need any more than an earthworm needs a toothpick. And some needs can be habits in which you’ve snuggled far too comfortably. Of course, some people might assert that you need to mend your ways – to suit their...
Letters - 01 September 2023
Become more balanced Gerard Bane’s letter (11 August) spoke to my condition. While any efforts to reduce human damage to the planet are essential and most welcome, I think it disturbingly likely that having equipped ourselves with ‘environmentally friendly’ cars, heating systems and so on, we may feel that we...