Issue 27-04-2012
Featured story
Thought for the Week: Letter from Kenya
Our reception in Kenya was very warm. Kenyan Quakers waited all day at the airport to welcome us and then got us organized. A beautifully lush, but sometimes sparse, red dirt landscape greeted me as we left Nairobi for Nakuru. The roads teemed with market stalls of all descriptions – mainly...
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Quakers urged to be the change in Kenya
Quakers from around the globe have been encouraged to revive the enthusiasm of early Friends for living out their values and changing the world around them. The World Conference of Friends has heard passionate reflections on the theme of ‘Being Salt and Light: Living the kingdom of God in a...
Quakers in the World (Africa): Unity in diversity
‘Our peace work is our evangelism’ is one of the explanations that Friends in the Congo give when people ask why they work on peace and conflict resolution. Violence has been a ‘defining narrative’ in a number of African countries and Quakers have made, and continue to make, a significant...
Quilted greetings
From flags to tapestries – fabric has often been used to communicate messages by using words and symbols. This quilt, stitched by British Friends, has been made to send loving greetings to all Quakers attending the World Conference of Friends 2012.
‘Being Salt and Light’
‘I… greeted all of us gathered here today as one tribe, what I called Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri. This is the Māori name for Quakers in Aotearoa. It translates as “the faith community that stands shaking in the wind of the Spirit.” On behalf of Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri o Aotearoa,...
Keeping an open mind
Inevitably what we come to believe is heavily influenced by our own experiences. It would be surprising and disappointing if it were not so. Because no two people are alike, a very diverse range of world views are on offer to the enquirer. Don’t stop looking because you feel...
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What makes a Quaker community?
Our registering officer arrived at the Meeting House for the wedding followed closely by her husband, who was loaded down with ledgers, blotting paper and pens. ‘I’m her bag-carrier,’ he said, amiably. ‘Every registering officer should have one. We Quakers spend our time doing, as amateurs, jobs that others...
The Bible: Cracking stories
I don’t know, but perhaps I am an agnostic. Not that I take my uncertainty all that seriously, for I hold that what we do in this world is more important than what we believe. In this I find myself in agreement with Jesus ‘By their fruits shall ye...
Quaker ethics inspire Christian Aid
Christian Aid have drawn on Quaker ethics in their latest report. Its author, theologian Paula Clifford, quotes Quaker faith & practice on economic and commercial ethics.
Recording clerk addresses Unitarians
Quakers need to offer a ‘radical welcome’ and be confident about their own identity. That was the message from the most senior staff member of Quakers in Britain as he addressed the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.
Mayoral candidates against arms fair
Two candidates for mayor of London have promised to prevent the London arms fair taking place again if they are elected. Labour’s Ken Livingstone and the Green Party’s Jenny Jones said last week that they would use their mayoral powers to block the biennial event, known formally...
Christians gather for Israel-Palestine conference
A British Quaker working in Bethlehem has joined a gathering of evangelical Christians to build links in working for peace and human rights.
A bird meditation
Why did you come? Why did you come here? I came because nothing is asked of me here, but to just sit. Just sit quietly in silence.
Eye - 27 April 2012
Homeless Quaker books A cull is taking place in the well-known ‘Book Town’ of Wigtown in south west Scotland. Wigtown Meeting, having settled into their new Meeting house, found that their library had become too large and so began the process of cataloguing the 350 titles, ranging from history, biography and...
Letters - 27 April 2012
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) finances Tom Jackson’s letter (13 April) resonates with me. Other charities and causes have street collections, with volunteers holding a can for contributions, and the larger charities such as Oxfam and The Red Cross are known nationally, whilst Quakers are not.