From 10-12 June, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre will host a Soulcraft weekend for men, led by Peter Fishpool and David Williams. Peter Fishpool has led groups and arts work in many contexts. He has written in The Friend about men’s rites of passage and on accompanying his wife, Jenny, to her death from brain tumours.…
Epistle of the Experiment with Light conference, Glenthorne, 13-16 May 2011 To Friends Everywhere, We have come together to discern how Experiment with Light might be integrated into Britain Yearly Meeting so that it can be supported and further developed, both within Britain Yearly Meeting and beyond. Experiment with Light is a practice that was…
by Brian Beecroft Alfred Salter was a man of principles – a pacifist, a teetotaller, and determined to improve the lives of the poor in Bermondsey. He preached and put into practice these principles. He was active in temperance movement as a result of his experiences as a doctor, work on the Board of Guardians…
The government move to grant the right of discharge to under eighteen year old recruits to the armed forces is being warmly welcomed by Quakers, who have long campaigned for the rights of young recruits. “We warmly welcome the commitment of the Ministry of Defence to granting a right of discharge to under eighteens in…
Michael Eccles is the Young Adult Programmes Coordinator at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham. This is a new post that was created in January 2011. Michael took time out from his schedule to talk to Nayler. Tell us about your work at Woodbrooke. My responsibilities include organising a Friends Schools Gathering each summer for…
by Jennifer Kavanagh My favourite definition of simplicity is removing the clutter between ourselves and God. In our Meetings for Worship we have stripped away the inessentials not only in the rooms in which we meet but in the process. There is nothing put in the way of a direct experience of God. Like all…
Quakers in Britain have called for the UK’s duty of care to its armed forces to include the provision of right of discharge for under eighteen year olds. They are supporting a New Clause amending the Armed Forces Bill. (New Clause seven.) The amendment tabled by Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, will entitle under…
“Quakers would ideally be suited to a home where any children are over the age of 14 and could possibly live with a female dog.” Great advice from an article in the Darlington and Stockton Times earlier this month. It turns out, though, that this advice is to help find a home for a black…
By Jez Smith Imagine that your child is sick. You do everything that you can to care for him but it is not enough. You take your son to the local district hospital but he doesn’t respond well. Not to worry, someone says, you can take him to a larger hospital. Fine, you say. You’ll…
by Heather Martin I have been coming to Wednesday Meeting at Westminster Quakers for just over 2 years. My spiritual life was something I had struggled with for a number of years before I started coming. I had been raised a Catholic, became an Anglican, ended up doing some Eastern meditation. What I increasingly was…