Issue 09-10-2015
Featured story
Thought for the Week: Either/or
I first became acquainted with Quakers over forty years ago. At that time, I realised that there was a feeling – usually expressed by the oldest generation – that spiritual experience was much more closely linked to art than to science. While I can appreciate both, as my mind is more inclined...
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Restorative justice
It’s not maybe what you expect to hear in a respectable small town museum, the Quaker Tapestry on display. A woman stands and tells the gathered audience that, after her daughter was killed in a car crash, she wanted to grab the driver responsible round the throat and choke...
The Lamb’s War
James Nayler (1618-1660) was one of the most significant leaders of the early Quaker movement, acting as its principal spokesman. The Lamb’s War against the Man of Sin is one of his most important tracts. It was written and published in 1657 shortly after his brutal punishment and imprisonment for...
Faith in the future
From 8-9 September Bristol hosted delegates representing twenty-four faith traditions from all over the world, as well as UN officials and representatives of select secular organisations, who met to discuss goals for sustainable development. The ‘Faith in the Future’ conference was facilitated by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC)...
Outreach at Greenbelt
I met an angel at Greenbelt. She is an Anglican priest, serving as a prison chaplain. We talked of spiritual reality, and how the words we use for it swirl around the edge of it. She is a channel for the peace and love of God to the men in...
Down to Earth project wins major award
Quaker Social Action’s Down to Earth project has been named ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ at the 2015 Third Sector Awards. Down to Earth is the first and only project in the UK to give immediate practical support to people on low incomes who are planning funerals. The Quaker Social Action ...
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Quakers worship across time zones
Friends marked World Quaker Day by celebrating their deep connections ‘across cultures and Quaker traditions’. The second annual World Quaker Day, organised by Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), took place on Sunday 4 October. FWCC called on Friends ‘to remember that Quakers are worshipping through every time zone’ and to...
Drone protest at Friends House
Friends are marking Quaker Week by protesting against the use of military drones. On Monday 5 October, approximately twenty Friends held a Meeting for Worship by a ‘drone shadow’, a simple art installation, in the garden of Friends House.
Northern Friends review peace work
The Northern Friends Peace Board (NFPB) has published a report on a project that has striven to build peace in Britain since the turn of the century. Building Peace in Diverse Britain looks at steps taken to address concerns about a lack of peace in towns and cities across the...
FWCC makes green commitment
Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) has announced its divestment from fossil fuel companies. The announcement follows a decision made in June 2015 by the organisation’s Central Executive Committee. This was prompted by FWCC’s 2012 ‘Kabarak Call for Peace and Eco-justice’, which recognised the dangers of climate change and its...
Quakers and permaculture: a common thread
Friends were among the speakers at the Twelfth International Permaculture Conference, which took place at Friends House on 8-9 September. More than a thousand permaculture practitioners and activists attended the event. A hundred listened to Friends Laurie Michaelis and Ed Tyler speak on ‘Quakers as a Self-Designing Community’.
‘Arms to renewables’ supported by Harpenden
Many of the skills employed in the arms trade could be put to better use in the renewable energy industry, Harpenden Friends and visitors heard last week.
Quaker activist remembered
A plaque commemorating the life and work of campaigning Friend Sam Peel has been unveiled at Wells-next-the-Sea Meeting House in Norfolk.
Poppies
A simple porcelain water jug holds fragile flowers, which were arranged with casual care before mass on Sunday. Red petals for blood and the night-black centre for death, against pale, creamy cow parsley and a white jug for peace. The poppies smelt musty while the umbelliferous flowers were sweet.
We are all mortal
Many Friends were disappointed that the Assisted Dying Bill did not become law. This is, perhaps, because MPs, like some Friends, were not quite satisfied that adequate safeguards were in place. For those with supportive families the issue seems straightforward, but it is important to acknowledge that not everybody at...
Eye - 09 October 2015
Horses and Quaker history at Gildersome Over 300 years of Quaker history was on display at the Grade 2 listed Gildersome Quaker Meeting House when the building was opened as part of Heritage Open Day on Sunday 13 September. One of the most interesting historic features at the Meeting house, which was built...
Letters – 9 October 2015
Living out our faith in the world David Bradley-Willmetts and David Fish (25 September) call for all Quaker employers to pay a living wage. Thanks to the generosity of Friends supporting the work of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), we are fortunate to be able to pay all BYM staff more than...