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Meeting for Sufferings: Online again
Saturday 4 December, morning session Meeting for Sufferings (MfS) was online-only again for its December session, after having experimented in October with a ‘blended’ mix of Zoom and in-person gathering. The experiment had been successful, but the pandemic logistics are complicated, and this time it was just the clerks who met...
Meeting for Sufferings: Book of Discipline Revision Committee
The day would mostly be spent hearing reports from various groups, the first of which was from the Book of Discipline Revision Committee (BDRC). Clerk Margaret Bryan reminded Friends that it was MfS’s reponsibility to ensure that matters were proceeding well: that any outputs were consistent and coherent, and...
Meeting for Sufferings: Quaker World Relations Committee
Tracey Martin, clerk of Quaker World Relations Committee (QWRC) introduced the committee’s annual report. QWRC’s remit had taken a different shape this year, she said, with a greater number of online events. But it was still a ‘great joy’ to be part of the ‘ecosystem’ of Friends’ relationships...
Meeting for Sufferings: Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations
Representatives had already read reports offered from Yearly Meetings around Europe, and expressed interest and gratuitude in response. It was a shame that no one had been able to attend Norway’s gathering, but a last-minute hitch in translation services made it impossible. Overall it was good to be ‘reminded...
Quakers consider next steps for climate justice
Friends have been reflecting on the next steps for climate justice after a ‘disappointing’ COP26. As London Quakers gather this weekend to consider ‘Stubborn Optimism’ in the face of the challenge, other Friends are discerning how to move forward. Writing on the Quakers in Britain website, Olivia Hanks called COP26 â€...
Street Friends send letter about Clarks strike
Street Meeting has sent a letter to the new CEO of LionRock Capital, the company which is now the majority shareholder in Clarks shoemakers, once a Quaker company. Friends have been working on the statement for weeks, Sheila James told the Friend. Meanwhile some local Quakers have been supporting the...
Army under spotlight for abuse allegations
Quakers are among campaigners who have called again for the army to lose the power to police itself after more allegations. Several sexual abuse claims in the army have recently made headlines, including an alleged cover-up over the murder of twenty-one-year-old Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru in 2012, and twenty-one-year-old Olivia Perks,...
Quiet Company wins award
The hospitality team at Friends House has won a prize for the ‘Best Client Support During Covid-19’ at the London Venue and Catering Awards 2021.
Protest prompts Scottish Ballet to review BP sponsorship
Friends welcomed the news that Scottish Ballet is reviewing its sponsorship policy after climate activists staged a protest during the last days of COP26.
Friends welcome Alternative Security Review
Quakers are supporting an Alternative Security Review that aims to encompass a broader and more ecological perspective.