Issue 21-09-2018
Featured story
Thought for the Week: Enthusiasm
A man of about forty, wearing a green tweed jacket, bustled into the room. Mr Peters, our new teacher of French, was a scholar of Balliol College, Oxford who had been a wartime translator at Bletchley Park. He exuded positivity and a love of his subject. We would rush to...
Top stories
Facing the future
While I have confidence that Our faith in the future is a truly discerned statement, I also believe the discernment and consultation process to reach it was not age representative. Meeting for Sufferings is not age diverse, and young adults rarely attend Area and Local Business Meetings. Young Friends General...
Love and truth
It has been said that truth without love is simply a sort of violence, whilst love without truth is merely sentimentality. Of the two conditions, I think the second is preferable, but I do think neither seems a proper ordering of things. As ever, much depends on terms and their...
From the archive: Opportunities for service
As the first world war ground on in 1918, Friends were striving in various ways to give assistance and support where they could. For instance, the Friend on 23 August contained a report from Bootham School detailing how the pupils wrote out 6,000 ration books for the new rationing scheme: More than two...
Identity, community and renewal
The first ever Devon and Cornwall Residential Gathering was held at the beginning of June and proved to be a great success. It was a chance for different generations to spend time together; an opportunity for disparate groups of rural Quaker activists to network, encourage and support each other; a...
All articles
BYM joins call for Palestine recognition
British Yearly Meeting (BYM) has joined the call for the UK to recognise the state of Palestine. Paul Parker, BYM recording clerk, signed the letter published in The Times on 14 September. The signatories include Palestinian, Israeli and UK academics, diplomats, faith representatives, and politicians such as Emily Thornberry MP and...
‘Extraordinary Quaker women’ celebrated
Around sixty people attended an exhibition on ‘Extraordinary Quaker Women’ at Bury St Edmunds Meeting House, as part of the Heritage Open Day programme.
Friends’ concern over Guides and army
Quakers have voiced concern about the new partnership between Girlguiding and the British army. Girlguiding is the operating name of the Guide Association.
Bewdley Quakers join vigil at Roxel factory
Bewdley Quakers were among those protesting with other Christian peace campaigners outside the Roxel factory in Kidderminster. Roxel manufactures propulsion systems for missiles.
Friend wins National Diversity Award
An attender at Bournemouth Meeting has won the National Diversity Award ‘Positive Role Model for Disability’ 2018 for her campaign work around stomas.
First world war exhibition at Chelmsford
Chelmsford Friends marked the approaching centenary of the end of world war one with an exhibition that explored Quaker humanitarian relief initiatives in peace and war, and the suffering of civilians.
International Day of Peace outreach
Eccles Friends are gearing up for International Day of Peace with a celebration at their Meeting house on 21 September, designed to attract non-Quakers as well as Quakers.
Heritage day
A Grade II listed Meeting house that has not been used since 2011 opened for a weekend as part of the National Trust Heritage Open Day initiative.
‘Unconscious bias’
London Friends came together to explore the theme of ‘unconscious bias and privilege’ in a workshop on 8 September.
Quaker Meeting houses
Old Quaker Meeting houses and buildings are often in prime locations, situated in the heart of the community, built at a time when Quakers were business people and, therefore, sharp in the stewardship of God’s gifts. I believe these places need rejuvenating. But how? By becoming busy beehives exuding...
Eye - 21 September 2018
Searching and developing A quote from scientist and Quaker Jocelyn Bell Burnell is featured in a striking sculpture exhibition in Cambridge, which runs until January 2019. Archetypes is a collection of five pieces by sculptor Liviu Mocan on display in the churchyard of Great St Mary’s. The exhibition, commissioned by...
Letters - 21 September 2018
Food for thought I grew up on English farm cooking, tested over many years by people who knew how human beings and animals thrive. Waves of loosely defined love seem to me to have little to do with choices of food. An aunt who lived in the heart of country...