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Meeting for Sufferings: Arrangements group
Introducing the report on Arrangements Group, one of its authors, Jane Mace, reminded Friends that the task had not been to review MfS itself, but its arrangements. The recent ‘interesting’ year had been a chance to reflect on how MfS manages its work. Arrangement Group members were the ‘servants of...
Meeting for Sufferings: Membership data
BYM’s recording clerk, Paul Parker, tgave a graphical presentation of some statistics on membership (data on attenders was not included, but showed similar patterns, he said). Presenting a graph with figures dating back to 1860, he noted that although the Society has seen a decline in members since its peak...
Meeting for Sufferings: Trustees report
The first main item of business in the afternoon was the report from trustees. Clerk Caroline Nursey, said it is ‘impressive what staff in Britain Yearly Meeting are delivering’ during the pandemic. BYM ‘is no longer operating in emergency mode,’ she said, but Friends House being closed affects income. Most...
Meeting for Sufferings: Committee composition
MfS considered a minute from Central Nominations Committee, asking for a review of the prohibition on attenders serving on central committees. Co-clerk Hannah Brock Womack said the committee wants ‘to be able to draw upon the richness and gifts of everybody that is part of a Quaker Meeting’.
Meeting for Sufferings: Pandemic reflections
Last June, MfS reflected on the pandemic and how Friends’ communities were responding. At this meeting, MfS held an open worship session to share what has been learned. Representatives reflected on the effect of the pandemic on worship, on community and on outreach. How might our Meetings be in the...
‘Stansted Fifteen’ charges quashed
The ‘Stansted Fifteen’ protestors have won their appeal against terrorism-related convictions for stopping a deportation flight from taking off in March 2017. The verdict came on 29 January when the Court of Appeal said: ‘The appellants should not have been prosecuted [under this act]… There was, in truth, no case to answer.’
Hannah Brock Womack joins JRCT
Quaker Hannah Brock Womack has been recruited as one of six new appointments at Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT), in a push for a more diverse staff team as it expands its grant-making capabilities.
Friends join push for fair tax
Quakers have welcomed a campaign launched by Church Action for Tax Justice to push for more fairness in taxation.
Katherine Barclay marriage certificate for sale
The marriage certificate of Quaker Katherine Barclay and Daniel Bell is being auctioned on the website eBay, with bids starting at £195.
The Penn Club to close
The historic Quaker-founded Penn Club is closing just months after celebrations for its centenary birthday were cancelled. In a statement on its website, the Penn Club board wrote that: ‘The Club in its present situation is unsustainable and must cease business from the end of March this year. After deep...