General election 2017
A general
election will be held on
8 June. It is
a short lead-in period but
gives us an opportunity
to engage in the
political process and raise questions on Quaker concerns with parliamentary candidates. Guidance
on holding hustings is available to download
on the Quaker Vote
website at www.quakervote.org.uk and the
blog will be updated
on a regular basis
over the next few weeks.
You can also follow information on Twitter via @QuakerVote. If you would like to get in touch about
any of the upcoming elections
please email us on quakervote@quaker.org.uk
Bursaries still available for Yearly Meeting Gathering
If you
are prevented from attending Yearly Meeting Gathering this year because of financial need we have
bursaries available to help with part or
all of the costs. Application is via a short form, which will also need to be signed by a local overseer.
If you would like to know more please talk to your local overseers or contact:
Gary Mitchell, 020 7663 1006, garym@quaker.org.uk
What have you learned from the process
of reading Quaker faith & practice?
If you
have been following the
‘Reading Quaker faith & practice
calendar’, then you will have just finished the whole book. Congratulations! We would like to find out what you have learnt from the process.
Your comments will inform
the process of discernment about whether it is time to revise our book of discipline, which Yearly Meeting will probably
consider in 2018.
Please complete
the form at:
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ReadingQfp Michael
Booth, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. qfp@quaker.org.uk
Young Friends General
Meeting, May gathering
26–29 May, Sheffield Meeting House
Young Friends
General Meeting will be
having a three day gathering
over the second
May bank holiday.
All young adults (18–30ish) with an interest
in Quakerism are most
welcome to attend. We will
pay travel expenses for
first-time attenders. The event promises
to be interesting and stimulating, featuring a conference call
with young Friends in Philadelphia, and a talk from Veterans for Peace. If your
meeting does not yet
have a representative to YFGM, please
consider appointing a young adult and covering their costs to attend.
For further
information and to register
please visit YFGM’s
website: yfgm.quaker.org.uk. If you have any queries, contact
the YFGM coordinator, Rachel Evans on yfgm@quaker.org.uk /
020 7663 1050
QPSW / QCEA Joint Conference – ‘Sanctuary Everywhere’
1–3 December,
Chant d’Oisseau, Brussels
Europe is
facing significant challenges relating to peace and human rights, including an increase in nationalism
– and a fragmentation of the mechanism
for dialogue and cooperation that has developed in the last 60 years. As Friends we oppose war, and call for peacebuilding efforts long
before war is on the agenda.
The question facing European
Friends is what should we be doing to swim
against the current tide?
Come along to be informed and inspired by Quaker
ideas, Quaker agencies and examples of ongoing work.
For more
information and to register
visit qcea.org/events
Refugee
Week
19–25
June
Refugee Week is an open platform for organisations to organise events
amplifying the voices of people seeking
sanctuary.
Many meetings
will be organising events for this, from talks to all-age
semi-programmed meetings for worship. If your meeting is organising an event in Refugee Week please let Tim Gee know so we can help promote
it. To see all of the events organised so far, visit www.quaker.org.uk/migration
Tim Gee, timothyg@quaker.org.uk
Quaker
Week 2017 speaker offer
30 September – 8 October
The theme for Quaker
Week 2017 is ‘In turbulent times: be a Quaker’. Quaker
Week is our annual outreach event. We encourage meetings to use this
week as an
opportunity to hold events that will attract people
from the local community; resources will be
available in the coming months. If you would like to
book a speaker please email us with suggested dates and a theme
or topic you would like
covered.
