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As I write, police in British cities are braced for more discord. A refugee friend reports that a colleague who wears the hijab is afraid to come to work. Lancaster organisation East Meets West has cancelled an outing, for fear of intimidation. A friend whose son is a police officer is consumed with anxiety. But that’s not all. On Sunday 4 August, a couple of hundred members of the public stood on the steps of Lancaster Town Hall, holding signs indicating their support for refugees and other migrants (above). The planned demonstration by the English Defence League fizzled out. In Blackpool, those attending the city’s annual punk festival challenged far-right demonstrators and helped clear up the mess afterwards. Following serious rioting in Middlesbrough, police were overwhelmed by support from the public, who brought food and thank-you cards.
As a historian, I believe that if you ask the right questions, you will get the right answers. I want to apply this maxim to the future of Meeting houses.
The debate about this has been going on for a long time, without a coherent, agreed strategy emerging. The issues are, of course, complex and nuanced. We must chart a path between lots of different opposites, with a balanced, middle view not always being the most appropriate. For one, we need to discern whether these buildings are spiritual places or income-generating locations.
After the early excitement of arrival, a jubilant opening ceremony, and a small electrical fire (see 16 August), by Sunday’s Business Meeting Three, Friends at this year’s World Plenary had settled into something of a routine.
During the plenary, Friends had the opportunity to experience Worship as it is practised in each section of FWCC. The first was guided by the Africa Section, which comprises more than 181,000 Friends, across nineteen countries. Friends entered the room singing and dancing, for a session that would include both unprogrammed and programmed worship.
The last evening was given over to a Celebration and Talent Show. It had two MCs, one online and one in the room, where Kopano Moteane, of SAYM, invited Friends to ‘sit back, relax, and enjoy’.
The 2024 World Plenary Meeting is being held in the context of the challenges in our world, of climate and ecological breakdown and historical and ongoing injustices.
Meeting in South Africa and online, we are united by the spirit of Ubuntu.
A Quaker co-founder of Woodbrooke, John Henry Barlow (left), was remembered this month with a peace vigil outside his former home.
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Written by and for Friends on the bench
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