Letters - 08 December 2023
From Quaker Recognised Bodies to In right ordering?
Quaker Recognised Bodies
In his prepared ministry on the additional day of Britain Yearly Meeting 2023, Paul Parker made a brief reference to Quaker Recognised Bodies (QRB). Sadly, few Friends have heard of them and certainly don’t mention them to newcomers. What a trick we are missing!
A QRB is an independent group of Friends who explore a common interest, seek affirmation, or carry out witness. The group wishes to be recognised as a Quaker organisation because its Quaker roots are important to its identity. And there are nearly 100 of them! From Quaker schools to groups with an interest in refugees, healing, the arts, work in Asia, Moscow or the United Nations, there’s something for each of us. Have a look online: www.quaker.org.uk/quakergroups.
A large part of my Quaker life has been involved with these groups. When I first came to Quakers, I volunteered with Quaker Homeless Action, then worked for Quaker Social Action.
Since then I have been involved with Woodbrooke, Money for Madagascar, Quakers in Criminal Justice, Quakers Uniting in Publications, and Quaker Africa Interest Group, and have made contact with many more. Many of my Quaker friendships come from these groups – they are part of my community.
We often talk of the importance of getting to know Friends beyond our own Meeting. How important it is to reveal the opportunities for community offered by QRBs, many of which could do with our help in expressing Quaker values and work.
Let’s spread the word.
Jennifer Kavanagh
Financial help for Friends
I write in response to recent letters in the Friend about financial hardship among Quakers, to clarify the situation with regards to the McBain fund.
Marjorie McBain left a large legacy to Hampshire & Islands Area Quaker Meeting (HIAQM) to ‘relieve either generally or individually persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress’.
The fund can be available to any member or regular attender of a Meeting within Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), though with preference given to Quakers in Hampshire & Islands if necessary. Decisions are made by a small committee and the agreement is that they can award up to £3,000. In exceptional circumstances they can apply to HIAQM trustees to go over that amount.
Applications are invited for one-off items or bills which are unaffordable without the help of the fund. Ongoing income support, however much needed, cannot be considered.
I am the current convenor of the McBain committee. We realised several years ago that more Quakers must be in financial hardship than was then apparent so we set about actively inviting applications.
We began regular advertising in the Friend aimed at applicants themselves and at their pastoral Friends who have to support them as part of the application process. We are now kept quite busy responding to requests for financial assistance and we aim to make the process accessible and speedy.
Enquiries should be made to convenormcbaintrust@gmail.com. I urge Friends to consider whether they themselves, or someone they know, might benefit.
Trish Roscoe
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