Issue 13-09-2013
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Thought for the Week: What is a Quaker concern?
George Fox said, in a sermon in Ulverston Church in 1652, ‘Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of the Light, and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?’ He was arguing against...
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Equipping for Ministry
What is Equipping for Ministry (EfM)? I’ve been quite surprised at how little is generally known among Friends about Woodbrooke’s ‘little gem’ – the ‘Equipping for Ministry’ course. Perhaps it’s the nearest British Quakers have to ordination, or even to spiritual direction training. At Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM)...
Protests at arms fair
Many Quakers were among the two hundred people who took part in a silent vigil at a major arms fair in London on Monday evening.
Petition highlights legacy of Iraq war
An Iraqi paediatrician is petitioning the World Health Organisation (WHO) to release research findings on the increase in birth defects in the country’s hospitals.
EU and UN collaboration urged
Better collaboration between the EU and UN could lead to a stronger international society, says Judith Kirton-Darling, confederal secretary to the European Trade Union Confederation.
Voices from the inside
‘“It’s the Society of Friends; we’re mates so you can meet me there!” Not the usual response to: How did you become a Quaker? But we were not in a usual situation, as prisoners living on different Wings, one of the few places we could meet was in...
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The Inspiration of Seeds
Thinking about Seeds of Inspiration Led to a veritable bean-feast of thoughts about seeds. I think you’ll agree, seeds are pretty amazing, So let’s concede the Inspiration of Seeds.
The end of life
The current materialism in the West has, I believe, contributed to a tacit assumption, which is held by many, that the worst fate that can befall us is to die. This assumption has led to strenuous efforts by the medical profession to keep their patients alive regardless of their...
Sing with conviction
It all began when, among the newcomers to Meeting, was someone who had made a round trip of fifty miles to come. This was not that unusual in North Scotland Area Meeting. I mistakenly thought he’d newly moved to join the music department of Aberdeen University.
Reflection: Endings
Our Quaker deliberations about climate change and scarce resources have led to anxious discussions about population. At one group I took part in, one Friend said, ‘People in [a distant continent] have too many children.’ I responded by suggesting that our culture also bears responsibility for population overload, because we...
Passivhaus
The Passivhaus energy standard has been in use for the last twenty years. It was originally conceived by Wolfgang Feist, a German physicist, who could not understand why housing did not perform as designed and how wasteful we were being of our valuable energy resources.
Eye - 13 September 2013
Every (Quaker) home should have one… Our Friend Jan Lethbridge believes that ‘every Quaker home at least’ should follow the initiative taken by Pales Meeting. She explains: ‘Earlier this summer a Peace Pole was installed at Pales Meeting house in Wales. The report in the Friend on 21 June struck a...
Letters - 13 September 2013
The financial system and slavery I am very supportive of, and feel deeply, Sue Holden’s concern about how the financial system compromises every one of our Quaker testimonies (6 September). But I have to point out that the financial system is not a ‘modern form of slavery’ – it is pernicious,...