Thought for the Week: Friends and family
The team from The Friend give thanks to subscribers, contributors and advertisers
Some of the most moving messages we get at the Friend are from isolated Friends who, whether from ill-health or geography, are prevented from attending a Local Meeting. They have told us that, for them, this magazine is their most regular contact with the Society – the way in which they connect to their faith and community. For us, this is one of the greatest compliments we can receive – to know that, through our work, we have touched someone else’s life. That gentle reminding of the wider Quaker family, and the role we play in it, is what nourishes us and keeps us inspired.
Like all families, Quakers have their ups and downs, and at the Friend we have been through our own trials and tribulations – as well as appreciating many blessings. This year has been one of profound change, as we bid an emotional farewell to Ian Kirk-Smith after his eight and a half years as editor. Ian was passionate about the stories Friends had to tell, enabling the Spirit to infuse the magazine’s pages, and building a strong team on a firm foundation of respect and affection.
Since Ian’s departure at the beginning of November, Rebecca Hardy, the Friend’s journalist, and George Osgerby, the sub-editor, have doubled their hours and each taken responsibility for editing alternate issues, with help from Elinor Smallman, the Friend’s production and office manager. Whilst it has been a challenge, the experience has shown how necessary the qualities of humility, self-reflection, listening and valuing each other’s strengths are.
Working with others – in an office or at Meeting – often has the potential to churn up tensions, but at the Friend we are glad to be a happy and harmonious group. The factors that contribute to this – respecting each other’s skills, and avoiding the lure of vanity and ego – have been a important reminder of how we best conduct ourselves in the wider world, drawing on our testimonies to peace.
Families also have their bright new beginnings, and we are delighted to be welcoming new editor Joseph Jones to the Friend in January. We look forward to seeing what the future holds in this exciting new chapter.
Of course, the Friend family is far wider than the staff. The magazine could not continue without the support of subscribers, contributors and advertisers – not only because our survival depends on subscription and advertising revenue, but because your letters, articles and concerns are the lifeblood of the magazine. It is the stories of Friends’ lived experience of the Spirit, and how that leads them into acts of witness and service, which have filled the pages of the Friend for 176 years.
You are why we do what we do. Thank you.
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