Issue 30-01-2015
Featured story
Thought for the Week: Holding in the Light
What can it mean to hold you in the Light? It cannot change God’s Will, or Fate, or Chance, The chain, the world-without-end linear dance Of causes and effects, turn wrong to right.
Top stories
The story of ProNica
Inspired by my involvement, since 2011, with the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund, and a love of Spanish language and Latin American culture, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join the delegation. ProNica grew out of the deep concern of a group of US Quakers from Southeastern Yearly Meeting over...
The letter and the Spirit
For the past few weeks there has been a protest, mostly on a Monday, just after noon outside the front doors of the headquarters of British Quakerism: Friends House in central London. The protesters are urging Friends House to ‘reinstate their staff’. The staff in this case refers to people...
Taking stock
What a challenge – and what an opportunity! The Large Meeting House within Friends House, London, has been renovated for the first time in a generation, and is now in use again for worship and as a meeting space for a wide variety of activities. The decision to renovate was the...
Cold Homes Week
Many in the United Kingdom are affected by fuel-poverty. Six million low-income homes are now believed to be living with insufficient and inefficient heating and lighting. The situation has been described as ‘the cold homes scandal’ and has prompted Cold Homes Week (2-6 February), which aims to highlight the subject...
Pink scarf back to ‘Wrap Up Trident!’
The pink scarf knitted by Quakers and other peace campaigners last year made its final appearance on 24 January, as part of the ‘Wrap Up Trident!’ campaign. Quakers from across the country gathered in central London last Saturday to wrap the scarf around the Ministry of Defence. They were among some 10,000...
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QUNO launches online consultation
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has launched an online consultation on food security. ‘Examining the linkages between trade and food security: What is your experience?’ invites contributors to share their knowledge and expertise. It aims to put small-scale farmers back at the centre of the food security debate. Contributors...
Leaveners appoint artist-in-residence
Quaker arts group the Leaveners has appointed its first artist-in-residence, Alex Goodman. The appointment is part of a pilot programme being run in partnership with Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham. Alex is a Cornwall-based artist, printmaker and producer. She arrived at Woodbrooke on 26 January for a two-week stay.
Friends embrace other faiths
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, recently took part in an interfaith event at the Islamic Cultural Centre at Regents Park Mosque in central London. Some twenty representatives of faith groups, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders, attended the event on 16 January. Organisers described it as ‘an act...
Friends in fracking protest
Quakers were among hundreds of people taking part in an anti-fracking protest in London on 26 January. The ‘No Fracking Any-where’ protest was organised by Friends of the Earth and other organisations.
Leighton Park celebrates anniversary
Leighton Park School recently marked the 125th anniversary of its founding with a series of events.
Transformation
Transformation seems to be the ‘in’ word today. Both recent Swarthmore lecturers used it. It was in the title of the event ‘Transforming ourselves, transforming the system’ at Swanwick last year, arranged by the Minute 36 Group, and it was taken up again at Yearly Meeting Gathering, led by members of...
The other life
I am one of the ‘bereaved people who may see, hear or vividly dream about their loved ones’ that Angela Howard wrote about in an article, ‘An eternity before us’, which was published recently in the Friend (9 January). I endorse the appeal made by Angela that Friends with such experiences...
Eye - 30 January 2015
Jurassic spark in Coventry Fiery Jurassic-dwellers prompted an unusual phone call on 9 January. William Waddilove, of Coventry Meeting, got in touch to tell the tale. ‘One of our Meeting keyholders got a phone call from one of our groups to ask what do they do about locking up as the...
Letters - 30 January 2015
Assisted dying Nick Wilde’s letter (9 January) concerning ‘end of life issues’ advocates individual choice for assisted dying. This is not easy within the UK because of the 1961 Suicide Act, which makes it an offence to aid, abet or procure a suicide. The offence is punishable by up to fourteen...