Issue 06-05-2016
Featured story
Thought for the Week: Completed Quakers
Wilfrid Meynell, on forsaking the Religious Society of Friends of his upbringing for the Catholic church, described himself as a ‘completed Quaker’. He meant that he had absorbed all there was of Quakerism for him and, so, could move on. Fortunately for posterity, he did move on, for it was...
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Behind the Iron Curtain
Friends are probably unaware of a remarkable reconciliation project in the early sixties in Dresden that was initiated by Coventry Cathedral and associated with their ‘Cross of Nails’ forgiveness symbol. The initiative, which was stimulated by the German Sühnezeichen project to atone for their action in world war two,...
Europe: Making a difference
The forthcoming referendum on membership of the European Union (EU) has prompted a lively debate within the United Kingdom. It raises issues shared by many countries in Europe.
Quaker renewal: Centre and boundary
Most of us are understandably wary of drawing boundaries around what counts as being a Quaker, as any boundary risks excluding someone. Yet the absence of any shared understanding of the Quaker way is experienced as an obstacle to communication and to community in many of our Meetings. It becomes...
‘All inclusive’ poverty
In a world where politicians continually remind us of the need for austerity in a bid to finally overcome the worldwide recession, we are becoming a society that is content to witness a growing demand for food banks, child poverty and the homeless on our streets. These issues are not...
Epistle
To all Friends everywhere, From the 2-6 April 2016, participants from all over Britain joined the Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) team at the Frontier Centre in Northampton, creating an event of ninety Friends, to explore the theme ‘Inner Light: opening and inspiring us?’ in the context of: ‘What does love require...
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Glebe House findings presented to parliament
The Quaker therapeutic community of Glebe House presented the findings of its twelve-year longitudinal report at an event in the House of Commons on 27 April.
Education takes centre stage at Friends House
Quaker Values in Education (QVinE)’s 2016 conference drew an audience of fifty to Friends House on Saturday 30 April.
Garden redesign nears completion
The latest phase of the Friends House garden redevelopment is close to completion, according to Britain Yearly Meeting.
Registering officers to gather at Woodbrooke
More than forty registering officers will meet at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham this weekend.
Amendments to Immigration Bill rejected
Five suggested amendments to the recent Immigration Bill, which were backed by Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) and the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN), were rejected in the House of Commons last week.
Death of two Quaker peacemakers
Two Friends who made significant and pioneering contributions to peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Britain and Northern Ireland have died.
Quaker vigil highlights veterans’ plight in US
American Friends held a silent vigil in April to highlight the suffering of United States army veterans dealing with mental health issues while incarcerated.
NOWness and MEness
What is ‘NOW’? NOW is a mysterious contradictory thing. It’s not the past… it’s not the future… it’s not ‘out there’… yet it contains all of these. NOW is the present moment, yet when past, future, or ‘out there’ press too close, then NOW shrinks, indeed it...
Eye - 06 May 2016
Humour in the midst of gloom During research into Quaker relief work during and after world war two Lucinda Martin, of German Yearly Meeting, happened across some unexpected light relief.
Letters - 06 May 2016
EU referendum I feel myself more European than British. My dear wife, who died two-and-a-half years ago, was German. My elder son has a Portuguese wife and has taken Portuguese nationality. My brother, with an English wife, lives permanently in Greece. I worked in Paris for six-and-a-half years and, after...