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A faith commitment to sustainable living
Friends were represented last week at the Windsor Celebration of faith groups’ commitments to action for climate change, jointly organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Among the faiths represented were Sikhs and Hindus; Christians of many flavours from evangelical to...
Climate battle starts at ground level
In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate change conference, leading soil scientists from across the United Kingdom have emphasised the crucial role that soil plays in preventing climate change by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. In September the British government published a strategy document setting out plans to halt and...
Hidden Children
London Quaker Laura Wirtz has unveiled a damning report for the Children’s Society on the exploitation of vulnerable migrant children in the UK. Laura, a member of South East London Area Meeting and Quaker chaplain of Greenwich University, has researched the lives of exploited migrant children who have...
American Friends Service Committee has massive staff cuts
British and American Friends held simultaneous Meetings for Worship in London and Philadelphia on Monday, to hold American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in the light as they struggle with a financial crisis. AFSC, which oversees Quaker work across the US and the world, was last week forced to reduce staff...
Sustainability at Friends House
As regular readers of the Friend will be well aware, climate change is rapidly becoming one of the highest priorities for individual Friends and for Quaker organisations at all levels. So it was that staff from all the offices in Friends House (FH) gathered last week for a meeting on...
‘Respect, equality, goodwill to all’ – Welsh Quakers make stand against extremists
Hearing that the so-called ‘Welsh Defence League’ (WDL) was going to hold an anti-Muslim protest on Saturday 17 October, Swansea Quakers got together with Swansea City of Sanctuary steering group and called for a silent vigil on the theme of ‘Respect, Equality, Goodwill to All’. We wanted to show that Swansea...
German Friends seek end to military
Germany Yearly Meeting (GYM) last week sent a letter to the politicians attempting to form the country’s new coalition government, asking for a fundamental demilitarisation of the country. GYM, which met from 15 to 18 October, called for a complete end to conscription (Wehrpflicht), which still requires that all male citizens...
Friends launch ‘media hustings’ campaign
The ‘Stand Up’ activities reported in the Friend last week were by no means the beginning and end of Quakers’ attempts to push climate change onto individual candidates’ agendas in the run up to the general election. Inspired by climate change workshops at Yearly Meeting, Friends in Cambridge are now...
Stephen Fry holds Quakers in the limelight
In a recent debate hosted by the Intelligence Squared organisation the confirmed atheist and humanist Stephen Fry surprised few with his impassioned attack on the Catholic church. Speaking alongside Christopher Hitchens he took opposing speakers Anne Widdecombe and archbishop Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, to task on many topics, particularly Catholic...