1. Children and families day

Monday 7 April 2014, Friends House

This day is booking fast. A great opportunity for children (0–18 years), with an accompanying adult, to visit and enjoy Friends House and to learn more about the work that goes on there. This could be a meeting excursion or a family day out. Adults will stay with children throughout the day.

There will be a chance to hear about Quaker peace and social justice work, to visit and find out about the Quaker Library, to visit the Quaker Centre, with its bookshop and worship space, and to learn lots more about Friends House. There will be stories, activities and worship. Booking is necessary – closing date 21 March.

To book go to www.quaker.org.uk/cyp-family-day-april-2014

David Goncalves, cypadmin@quaker.org.uk, 020 7663 1013

ACTION POINT: Please encourage people from your meeting to come.

Courses, conferences and events

2. Exploring the Quaker way with Woodbrooke’s ‘Friendly Introductions’

Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham

Woodbrooke’s ‘Friendly Introductions’ is a programme of short courses for those who are new to Quakers, still discovering the Quaker way or even experienced Friends with gaps in their experience. There are courses on history, Quaker practice, spirituality, our living tradition and engagement with the world. If you book three ‘Friendly Introductions’ courses within a 12-month period, you will get the third at half price. Come on one or all that appeal to you. And three of this year’s courses are running at Swarthmoor Hall, the perfect opportunity to combine learning with a visit to the birthplace of Quakerism.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/friendintro

http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/AM-icon.gifACTION POINT: Please circulate enclosed flyer as widely as possible.

DOWNLOAD: Woodbrooke Friendly Introductions courses (PDF 601KB)

3. Hurt and Healing: a conference run in partnership with Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs

Friday 11–Sunday 13 July 2014

At Woodbrooke: £200 ensuite, £190 standard room

Hurt can be the spring that feeds the disease of addiction, and a well of hurt for all those involved. In his poem ‘For an Addict’, John Donaghue prays “May some glimmer of outside light reach your eyes”. Join us to explore the ways light can come from without and within, through spiritual life, sharing, poetry, music, and our own paths – whether you have experience of addiction or none. Harvey Gillman will be one of our facilitators.

To book your place visit http://bit.ly/hurtnheal

Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, 1046 Bristol Road, Birmingham, B29 6LJ. enquiries@woodbrooke.org.uk, 0121 472 5171

http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/AM-icon.gifACTION POINT: Please make the meeting aware of this event.

4. ‘This Light that Pushes Me’ exhibition, book launch and film festival

Launch on 9 April, Friends House, London

On 9 April Friends House will be hosting the launch of an exhibition and book highlighting African Quaker peacebuilders called ‘This Light that Pushes Me’. The peacebuilders come from nine sub-Saharan African countries and all have experienced some form of violence. The exhibition and book trace the journeys that have transformed that suffering into a force for social change. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, the launch will feature live performances and be followed by a film festival during subsequent weeks. The exhibition will be on until May 9.

For more information visit www.quaker.org.uk/africa-peacebuilders

Laura Shipler Chico, lauras@quaker.org.uk, 020 7663 1075

http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/AM-icon.gifACTION POINT: Come see the exhibition, buy the book and come to the events (launch, film festival).

DOWNLOAD: This Light that Pushes Me (PDF 222KB)

Governance

5. Revision of Quaker faith & practice

Thank you for all the responses to the consultation about the revision of Quaker faith & practice. Meeting for Sufferings has now considered the matter again, and is recommending that Yearly Meeting initiate a revision process, to include some further preparation and threshing on the issues raised in the consultation. This will be the subject of further discussion at Meeting for Sufferings in April.

Yearly Meeting will be considering this in August 2014. Further information will appear in Documents in advance.

Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, 020 7663 1161, rc@quaker.org.uk

http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/AM-icon.gifACTION POINT: Please thank Friends for their responses to the consultation and let them know about the next steps.

DOWNLOAD The summary of the consultation responses: MfS 2014 02 05 Is it time to begin the revision of Quaker faith & practice?

Peace

6. Nobel Peace Prize – nominations requested for 2015

In 1947 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Quakers worldwide for the work they had done, particularly relief work, between the two World Wars and after World War II.

Friends and meetings in Britain Yearly Meeting can provide their nominations for the 2015 prize to the Quaker Peace & Social Witness representative on the American Friends Service Committee Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee, by 1 May 2014.

Please see the website for the criteria and contact information:
www.quaker.org.uk/1947-nobel-peace-prize.

Alan Quilley c/o QPSW, qpsw@quaker.org.uk, 0207 663 1121

http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/AM-icon.gifACTION POINT: Please inform Friends in your meeting of this, and leave the leaflet out after meeting.

DOWNLOAD: Nobel Peace Prize 2015 (PDF 48KB)

Social Action

7. End Hunger Fast

Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW) is supporting End Hunger Fast, an ecumenical campaign to call for urgent political action to end hunger in Britain. Friends may consider options to fast for a day, a week, or as they feel able. The campaign will culminate in a vigil in Parliament Square on one day (date to be confirmed) during the week before Easter, where as many people as possible will be gathered to stand in solidarity with those who go hungry week to week, and to call upon the government to act.
www.quaker.org.uk/news/quakers-say-end-hunger-fast
For advice on fasting see http://endhungerfast.co.uk

Please let us know if you are planning to take part in any way, or would like to attend the vigil in London. Contact qpsw@quaker.org.uk

ACTION POINT: Please let Friends know about the End Hunger Fast campaign and consider supporting it.

Witnessing for peace on the centenary of World War I

8. World War I free resource pack

A free resource pack for Quaker meetings is now available from the Quaker Centre. Please email them with your full postal address and the name of your meeting.

The pack contains materials about WWI including a newspaper, postcards, audio CD of a play by Bootham school and timeline of WWI 1914–1918 that can be used as a poster.

www.quaker.org.uk/WWI

Quaker Centre, quakercentre@quaker.org.uk, 020 7663 1030,
www.quaker.org.uk/shop

ACTION POINT: For anyone who wants to discuss current peace work using the historical example of WWI or has links with local history groups.

9. World War I interactive map

Is your meeting or Quaker group thinking about an event to mark the centenary of World War I?

Please log it on our online Quaker map: www.quaker.org.uk/WWI

We need your help to build a national picture of happenings which give voice to the stories of conscientious objectors, the experiences of those in the Friends Ambulance Unit and Friends War Victims Relief Service and Quaker peace efforts then and now. Share your ideas and let others know what you are planning.

ACTION POINT: Put your WWI related events marking historic and current Quaker work for peace onto our online map