Issue 31-03-2017
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Thought for the Week: Kindness
A month or so ago one of those worshipping in our Sunday Meeting rose from her seat and ministered to us about ‘kindness’. She pointed out that it wasn’t always easy to love our neighbour and that it is nearly always very difficult to love our enemies. It was,...
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A diversity of belief
The wide range of beliefs held within the world family of Friends was one of the subjects raised at General Meeting for Scotland held in Edinburgh on Saturday 11 March. It was Adwoa Bittle’s first meeting as clerk of General Meeting for Scotland and she began by asking Friends for...
Reflections on the ‘Red Book’: …with discernment
‘Be aware of the spirit of God at work in the ordinary activities and experience of your daily life. Spiritual learning continues throughout life, and often in unexpected ways. There is inspiration to be found all around us, in the natural world, in the sciences and arts, in our work...
Who’s for Balby?
A hundred and sixty one years ago a small Quaker group penned a quiet proclamation that I believe is more relevant today than Martin Luther’s articles. In 1656 the elders at Balby wrote a famous ‘Epistle’. It was a list of points – but not ‘a rule to walk by’. They...
Why are we here?
Why are we here? Is it to make America or Britain great again? To stay as one of the world’s leading arms exporters under American leadership? Is that why? Philosophers write reams about why we live, but surely we are here for one purpose: to conserve our genes and...
From the archive: Change!
In early 1917 there was change all around the world. It was sometimes hopeful, often painful, and was to have a huge impact on the lives of millions. The United States entered the war that year. The Ottoman Empire was crumbling. In Russia the first stage of the Russian Revolution gave...
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Statement issued on attack
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, has made a statement on behalf of Quakers following the violent events at Westminster on 22 March.
Pilgrimage for the Common Good
Friends are organising a pilgrimage in April that aims to highlight the lives of those who have fallen out of the ‘safety net’ of the welfare state.
Developing country debt payments increase
New figures from the Jubilee Debt Campaign (JDC) show that average government external debt payments across the 122 developing countries for which data is available have risen from 6.7 per cent of government revenue in 2014 to 9.7 per cent in 2016, an increase of 45 per cent.
Famine appeal launched for East Africa
Christian Aid has issued an appeal to support its famine relief work in East Africa. In Kenya, home to around 120,000 Friends, the government has declared a national emergency. Kenya’s Red Cross says 2.7 million people face starvation if more help is not provided.
Forced migration listening tour
Quakers around the country have been sharing their thoughts on refugees and asylum seekers with two staff members of Friends House who are presently engaged on a ‘Forced Migration Listening Tour’.
Homeless witness
Pupils at The Mount, the Quaker girls’ school in York, raised awareness of the plight of the city’s homeless by holding a sleepout on 24 March.
Swarthmoor
This is where history speaks through the present, opens up new possibilities: we cross-fertilise, plant and nurture vulnerable seedling thoughts.
Eye - 31 March 2017
Mind your Ps and Qs The use of fossil fuels and the challenge for travelling Friends is far from a new concern. Friends in the 1940s were perplexed as to how to deal with a very immediate problem: an unobtainable spirit. Jennifer Milligan, senior library assistant at Friends House library...
Letters - 31 March 2017
Prayer and the kingfisher Prayer is satisfying for some, yet frustratingly elusive for others. Is there anyone out there? We were recently out walking the dog on quiet suburban paths alongside water channels linking balancing ponds. I was alert to the possibility of a kingfisher, a pleasure bestowed only a...