Issue 25-03-2022
Featured story
Seed capital: David Brown’s Thought for the Week
As spring arrives, it reminds me that the image and metaphor of the seed has been very popular with Quakers. William Penn in 1694 likens the seed to the potential for inner connection with God, saying: ‘If you would know God and worship and serve God as you should do, you...
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Peace must be made: Lessons from a bombed city by Christopher Cocksworth
The last time I spoke of nuclear weapons I felt myself having to justify giving so much attention to a subject which many regarded as irrelevant – a non-issue. Today, the nuclear threat is staring us in the face: Russia, during the invasion of Ukraine, has escalated its nuclear readiness. For...
Quakers nominate Kenyan Miriam Were for Nobel Peace Prize
Quakers in Britain and the United States have nominated Kenyan doctor Miriam Were for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
A welcome change? Kate McNally on Ukrainian refugees
Like many I have been struggling with how to help with the influx of refugees from Ukraine. My particular struggle is with the fact that they are being welcomed very differently from others.
Some assembly required? Paul Holdsworth on the value of worshipping ‘in person’
Friends have taken to online worship like ducks to water. During the Covid pandemic, worshipping via Zoom has been for many a welcome replacement – albeit not a perfect substitute – for attending in the local Meeting house.
After hard times
Patience comes first in that dark night; slowly, peace rises in the inward mind, then all the world around exhibits what there is, quiet and profound, disclosing itself as an offering; the soul appreciates what is offered.
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Quaker project welcomes refugees to Camden
A family fleeing from a war-torn part of the world will find a new life in Camden, thanks to a Quaker-instigated project.
Friends highlight UK ‘temporary protection’ rule
The crisis in Ukraine has highlighted ‘how public support for refugees is at odds with government policy’, the Quakers Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN) has said.
New Scientist Live festival pulls fossil fuel links
A leading science festival appears to have cut ties with major oil and gas companies after years of opposition. This year’s New Scientist Live festival – which took place in Manchester last weekend – had no fossil fuel companies as sponsors or exhibitors. The move is understood to signal a shift...
Quaker group makes proposals for The Retreat
A group of Quakers has made some proposals regarding the development of The Retreat estate at Heslington Road in York. The proposals come from the coordinating group for ‘Quaker Voices on Mental Health’ (QVMH) which is a national group supported by the Quaker Mental Health Fund (formerly The Retreat Benevolent...
Good call: Robert Ashton’s digital detox
Most Sunday mornings I meet a couple of Friends for coffee at a café near to the Norwich Meeting House. We discuss the issues of the day and share news from the past week. Then we walk together to Meeting for Worship, where I find our conversation provides a good...
A Sudden Mirror: Collected poems, by Roger Iredale
This well-crafted collection of poems is a distillation of its author’s experience and reflection acquired through travels all over the world. The poems conjure up images of people and their plights that are especially relevant for Friends concerned with truth, peaceful relationships, and the alleviation of poverty.
The Gospels: A new translation, by Sarah Ruden
Online searches for ‘Quaker Bible’ tend to find Anthony Purver, who spent thirty years translating both Testaments. He struggled to find a publisher until the Quaker physician John Fothergill bought the copyright and published it in 1764. It was not a success.
Letters - 25 March 2022
Ukraine One cannot refrain from taking sides in the present conflict. The reaction of most papers is to call for greater expenditure on arms, but as we know this is likely simply to make matters worse. What can we do to prevent a full-scale nuclear conflict? At the least we...