GLOUCESTERSHIRE AREA QUAKER MEETING...

GLOUCESTERSHIREAREA

QUAKER MEETING

NEWSLETTERSPRING 2018

Grazie amici!Gloucester Meeting House ©

Julia Price 2017

Painswick Meeting p5

Link Group p5

A Clerk’s Lot p2

Gloucestershire Area Quaker Meeting Newsletter |May 2018

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ContentsAM Dates 2018................................2On being a new clerk (and discoveringan old one)......................................2Newsletter Contributions..................3GLOUCESTER......................................4PAINSWICK.........................................4

Gloucestershire Area Meeting YoungPeople’s Link Group minute..............5Quaker Camping Club.......................6Cotswold Boatmobility ....................6Women’s refuges: getting up-to-dateand active.......................................7Thoughts on Criteria for Collections...9Where?..........................................10Look ahead for learning ..............11

AM Dates 2018

On being a newclerk (anddiscoveringan old one)

I write as the relatively new clerk ofGloucestershire Area Meeting. I amlooking forward to serving over the

next few years, and to getting to knowFriends in all our meetings. And I havecome to realise that history sometimesplays odd tricks with us!

I live in an old house. For most of the18th century it was owned and occupiedby a family called Fowler. One day Ityped “Charles Fowler Woodchester”into Google, and found someremarkable information.

Charles Fowler was a Quaker. He wasborn in Minchinhampton in 1682, andwas married (twice) in the MeetingHouse at Thornbury. By occupation hewas a mercer or shopkeeper. He boughtthe house where we now live in 1708,and may have lived there as a tenantbefore then.

But what sort of Quaker was he? Iwent to the county archives inGloucester to see what I could find.

Sure enough, during the period 1715to his death in 1739, there werefrequent references to Charles Fowler inboth the records of Nailsworth MonthlyMeeting and those of GloucestershireQuarterly Meeting. He was clearly anactive and committed Friend, who wasfrequently asked to carry outadministrative and financial tasks onbehalf of the meeting.

Day Date Time Meeting/Location

Sun 10 June 2pm WottonThur 5 July 7pm PainswickThur 6 Sept 7pm NailsworthSun 14 Oct 1.30pm GloucesterSun 9 Dec 1.30pm Stroud


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Quakers in the early 18th centurywere conservative in outlook. They feltcalled to preserve rather than build onthe insights of the first generation ofFriends. They were attached topeculiarities of dress and speech. Theypaid little attention to the affairs of theworld, other than the payment oftithes. They were strongly opposed to“marrying out” and routinely disownedoffenders.

Despite these big differences inoutlook and circumstances, I feltstrangely drawn to Charles Fowler.

What did we have in common? On mythird visit to Gloucester archives I foundit! Charles Fowler had been clerk ofGloucestershire Quarterly Meeting. Thiswas not immediately obvious, since itwas not the practice in those days forthe clerk to sign the minutes. However,in 1733 the minutes recorded thatCharles Fowler had tried to lay down hisresponsibilities, saying that he was notso capable of serving as clerk asformerly. Quarterly Meeting wasunimpressed and asked him to remainclerk for a further year!

It was an extrordinary feeling. I waslooking at Charles Fowler’s ownhandwriting. The great leather-coveredminute book had once been kept(presumably) in what is now our sittingroom. I went back through the minutesand found that he took over as “scribe”in 1715. He served as clerk for nearly 20years!

Charles Fowler had two sons. Both raninto bad Quaker-trouble. I will tell youmore in the next edition of thisnewsletter.

Peter Carter, AM Clerk

NewsletterContributionsIn November 2011 Gloucestershire AreaQuaker Meeting agreed to have an AreaMeeting Newsletter with the aim ofstrengthening the life of the AM byproviding local Quaker news and views.It will be published periodically but isnot intended to replace newslettersissued by the Local Quaker meetings.Contributions for the next newsletter(by the end of September 2018 please,in time for the next issue) can be sentby email or by post in typed orhandwritten form – whichever is easiestfor you. Photos are also welcome.Please send your contribution via email:[email protected] or by post to:Julia Price, c/o Friends Meeting House,Greyfriars, Gloucester GL1 1TS clearlymarked ‘for AM newsletter’.

Minute by minute…


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GLOUCESTERFaith in Action

A FORMER PRIME minister suggestedthat the churches should not involvethemselves in politics, but they shouldbe concerning themselves with thehereafter. This seems to be a completemisunderstanding of Jesus’s teaching,certainly as understood by Quakers.

Like many faith groups, we believethat we show – and share – our faithby the way we live our lives. Forexample, we join with other faithgroups to tackle homelessness; wecollect for Gloucester Food Bank; weare involved with groups who supportrefugees and people claiming asylum;we sell and use Fairtrade goods; wetake very seriously our testimonies toequality, truth, simplicity and peace,and we try to LIVE these testimonies.

It is good to do all these activities,and many others, for the good of ourfellow beings and our world, but itisn’t enough!

We should be asking why so manypeople are homeless, and so manyothers have no food in one of therichest countries in the world.

We should ask what terriblesituations refugees are fleeing from,and whether our country is fuellingthese conflicts by selling weapons toone side or the other (or both!).

We should ask if our country treatspeople claiming asylum, and peoplefleeing torture, in a fair way.

We should ask how producers inpoorer countries are exploited, so that

we need a Fairtrade network to ensurethat they are paid properly for theirproduce.

We should investigate howgovernment policies affect the mostvulnerable people.

This can be difficult, as we can beaccused of ‘politicising religion’ – as ifthis isn’t what Jesus did, with hismessage of love.

We can be, and sometimes are, toldto ‘mind our own business’, as if lovingour neighbours is not our business,

The Salvadoran archbishop OscarRomero wrote ‘When I feed the poor,they call me a saint. When I ask whythe poor are poor, they call me acommunist’. In 1980, he was shot deadby a sniper.

Andrew Turrall

(Originally printed as the Thought forthe Week column in the Citizennewspaper, 19 March 2018).

PAINSWICKWE ARE WAVING packs of nut brittlesent to us as a thank you gift from theorganisers of a small charity in Sicily,for a donation we made. Its the firsttime they have had anyone fromoutside the island collect money ontheir behalf - and it meant a lot tothem. Not just the money - but themoral support for their hard work.They popped in some lemons pickedfrom their garden into the package -

http://www.alkharub.it/norah.html



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and we spent coffee time sniffing thefreshest of lemons !

The Al Kharub cooperative wasstarted by a husband and wife teamwho wanted to help refugees findemployment. So they started a cafe andtrained refugees in catering. After ahuge amount of effort (both theRoccaro’s have day jobs and are doingthis as volunteers) the cafe is up andrunning, with a number of “graduate”chefs...

For Friends who can read Italian!http://www.alkharub.it/norah.html

Fiona Meadley

We have received news from AnthonyWilson that the snowdrops, planted atthe Quaker Memorial in the NationalArboretum two years ago by membersof the Area Meeting Link Group andsupporting cast, are doing well andare spreading. He enquired if we hada superfluity of primroses in ourgardens? They might do well too!

Mary Penny

GloucestershireArea MeetingYoung People’sLink Group minuteON SATURDAY 10 February sevenyoung people and three adults fromGloucestershire Area Meeting LinkGroup met at Nailsworth MeetingHouse for a day of LivingAdventurously.

Link Group came together to thinkabout faith in action, discuss globaland local concerns and create acommunity. We did this by talking,counting, hopping, balancing,laughing, zapping, eating and sharingtogether.

In the morning we Skyped a Friendlyactivist – Sam Walton from QuakerPeace and Social Witness – and learntabout his recent adventure. Afterlunch we took a stroll to Ruskin Millobserving the signs of oncomingSpring. On the way back we heardsome fun facts about Willow, tried out

Words of Wisdom

Painswick Friends enjoy coffee time!




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meditative walking and played gamesin the rain.

Back in Nailsworth's new Gardenroom we warmed up and plantedwillow shoots with intentions for 2018and beyond.

Gathered round the fire we sharedepilogue with parents.

Thank you to Nailsworth Meetingfor the use of the Meeting house(sorry about the mud) and GardenRoom (which is a great space) and toall those who came, helped andprepared.

Liz Whiteside

Quaker CampingClubTHIS SUMMER, QUAKER Camping Clubwill be held at Cromer Camping, HallRoad, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9JGSaturday 28th July to Saturday 4thAugust 2018. This camp is open to alland people come from all over thecountry. It is an informal camp on aseparate field from the public and eachunit is independent of each other.There are toilets and shower facilities.Some people camp singly, some comeas families. You bring your ownequipment, cook mainly for yourselfand you are free to spend your time asyou wish.

Each day starts with an open-airMeeting for Worship, followed byshared intentions of the days activities.This is a seaside holiday on the northNorfolk Coast with all that has to

offer. Cost is £15 per night and dogsare allowed at no extra cost. A bookingis required by May 31 with a deposit.Further information can be obtainedfrom Jan Thomas or emailing theQuaker Camping Clerk, ChrisEdwards: [email protected]

CotswoldBoatmobility“20.20 For a Quaker, religion is not an

external activity, concerning a special

‘holy’ part of the self. It is an openness to

the world in the here and now with the

whole of the self.”

THIS PASSAGE WAS read at AM inApril and spoke to me as I find myselfalmost totally immersed in a non-Quaker activity but as my testimony toequality, it sits very nicely. I live by thecanal and I was aware that walking onthe towpath and boating was notaccessible to everyone. We have awonderful, calm and naturalenvironment on our doorstep, with all

Waterworld


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the benefits of water and wildlife,away from the roads.

So, Cotswold Boatmobility was setup on the Stroudwater Canal. Wehave two types of boats, Katakanusand Wheelyboats. Stroud Quakerswere amongst our first guests, where Iadded ‘exuberance’ to our risk factorsof frailty, balance, vision etc. TheKatakanus seat six and are a verystable catamaran type of canoe.Everyone has a paddle, we share theeffort according to ability and youcan’t get lost. You don’t need to be ableto swim and you get more wet fromrain than from the boat. TheWheelyboat (which doesn’t havewheels!) has a ramp which we lower ata slipway, for wheelchairs to rollstraight on. It takes up to eight people.The electric engine is silent at 2mphand the ducks still haven’t got used touse creeping up on them. It can also besteered from a wheelchair and bypeople who are not able to drive a car.No guarantees of a kingfisher, but wesee them often.

In the spirit of inclusion, we takefriends and relatives, carers andsupporters and anyone who wants togo. People come mainly from all over

Gloucestershire. We have guests withall sorts of disabilities, who just lovethe freedom on water. We make asocial event of a trip, with a break forrefreshments. We do not charge butwe gladly accept contributions.

You are always with at least twovolunteer skippers, and you arewelcome to visit any time.www.cotswoldboatmobility.org haslots more pictures and information.

Jan Thomas

Women’s refuges:getting up-to-dateand activeEVERY YEAR, THOUSANDS of womenand children in this country are forcedto flee the violence in their ownhomes. For them, women’s refugesprovide a vital haven, a safe place torecover from trauma and gain thestrength to build new lives.

Until twenty years ago, there hadbeen a steady growth in these. Eversince, the growth has been in theopposite direction. Figures in 2015reported the need for 5,500 women’srefuge places in England and Wales,with only 3,700 available. By 2017,three out of the four refuges inGloucestershire had closed. Today, thegap between supply and demandcontinues to grow.

A group of Gloucestershire Quakershas become exercised about this. Wewant to get a grip on the extent of

Katakuna


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domestic abuse and shine a light onthe essential support that refugesprovide for victims. We know manypeople see refuges as important. Wealso know that a lot of us have littleidea of how they work, let alone of thefunding crisis they face.

This is a national issue that shouldmatter to all of us. Gloucestershire’sonly remaining refuge in Stroud needsour continued support.

So this is an invitation to an openmeeting, with speakers from StroudWomen’s Refuge, information on howthey work, experiences, stories anddetails of campaigns.

Find out how you can add your voiceto keep refuges like this one open andput an end to gender-based domesticviolence. Get up-to-date and active.

Background

FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS in the 1970s,a national network of safe houses grewup in this country for women fleeingdomestic violence. For many, theabuse they and their children sufferedhad been going on for a long time.Deciding to leave had been a struggle.Often the abuser found them andbrought them back. For many, thediscovery that there could be a placewhere they would be safe and out ofreach was a revelation.

Women’s refuge services began as avital source of crisis accommodation.Started forty years ago this year, theRefuge in Stroud was no different. Asa result of persistent fund-raising,however, they began to provide more.Today it’s a vital place of safety forwomen with nowhere else to hide; it’salso one where they can regain theirown strength and confidence throughworkshops and their children canlearn free from the fear of more abuseto themselves or their mothers.

Every refuge, wherever it is, is anational one - for perpetrators ofabuse are persistent in seeking outthose who seek to leave them. (Onesurvey reported that some 70% ofwomen in refuge services are beinghoused far away from their originalhome.)www.womensaid.org.ukwww.stroudwomens.org.uk

Contact:Jane Mace, Group convenor, GlosQuakers against domestic violence:[email protected] 07939 122203

WHAT AREWOMEN’S REFUGES

FOR?(And what can we do to

help them?)Speakers from Stroud Women’sRefuge give us some answers

Thursday 14 June 7.30pmSubscription Rooms

George Street, Stroud GL5 1AE

Entrance: freeHosted by Gloucestershire Quakers


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Thoughts onCriteria forCollectionsIN MAY 2013, Painswick Meetingthought it might be useful to reviewthe criteria for deciding how we chosewhich organisations to supportthrough our collections – particularlyas we had decided to focus on oneorganisation for two months so thatwe could generate a meaningful sum.Below are some of the key thoughtsthat emerged.

● We should look beyond the smartmarketing employed by many largercharities to identify those that donot, or cannot afford to, use suchtechniques.

● We tend to focus on the dire, butmore may be achieved byemphasising the positive and givinghope

● Our giving should be thoughtful –what do we want our giving toachieve?

● The best kind of giving is like aninvestment and its benefits livebeyond the original and immediateimpact. In the longer term, moremay be achieved by focusing onprevention rather than cure.

● Giving time can be as valuable asgiving money, and sometimespeople have more time than moneyto give.

● Our focus should be on reducinginequality within society.

● We should seek some evidence ofwhat the organisation hasachieved.

● Focus on the local.● How does Quaker giving differ

from any other form of giving?What does our faith tell us to do?Hope, faith and love - focus onenabling people to be what theywant to be.

● Help organisations to givecontinuity of care.

● Smaller charities are often most inneed of support and often mosteffective because they know theirlocal people and have lowoverheads

● Supporting communityengagement – bottom up, ratherthan top down

● Distinguish between“consumption” giving (that ismoney that once used has gone)and “productive” giving (that givesa continuing return) –

The following were suggested asguidance for assessing priorities forcollections – with a focus onorganisations that:● Are smaller – spending less on

overheads and marketing● Have a local focus● Address the cause at least as much

as the effect● Bring benefits that live beyond the

original impact and givecontinuity of support

● Reduce inequality in society● Have demonstrated their

effectiveness


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● Do not receive widespread, popularsupport

● Have Quaker links

These are by no means definitive andwe continue to have collections fororganisations that fall well outsidethese criteria. What is important isthat someone has thought deeplyabout the cause and has a sense ofownership of it.

John Meadley, Painswick Quaker Meeting

The following poem by Grace Lindsayappeared in the Friend, 9 March 2018. Grace writes about the poem: “I wrotethis poem after reading two novels,Mornings in Jenin and The Blue BetweenSky and Water, by Susan Abulhawa, aPalestinian woman now living inAmerica.

“She quoted a favourite poet of mine,Mahmoud Darwish. A line from hispoem, ‘Where should the birds fly afterthe last sky’, as well as the books werethe inspiration for my poem.

“The content is harsh and may bedifficult to read for I was left withpowerful images and emotions from thebooks. The second book though (TheBlue Between Sky and Water) I wouldparticularly recommend as, although itdeals with harsh realities within Gaza,there is a metaphysical strand to thestory. In addition the indomitable spiritof some of the characters shines strong,wholesome and bright despite all they

have endured. As such this book for mewas both powerful and inspirational.”

Where?Where does the heart go when

it knows the hideous lies spoken,

the searing of flesh is everywhere,

the ugliness of too-soon death

abounds?

Where should it go?

Where do the ears go when

the keening of women stops,

the baby's cry ceases for all time,

the bulldozers no longer bury,

all all that remains is Silence?

Where should they go?

Where should the eyes go when

the young boy picks up the gun,

the running limb of yesterday joins

the birds

and the blood-stained earth glares?

Where should they look?

Where should the soul go when

hope drains with the seeping blood,

rage rips open and humanity flees,

tears cease and in every crevice the

call is vengeance?

Where does it go?

Where is Love hidden?

Does the lark still sing? And the

nightingale?

The tender hand that warmly

strokes...

The soldier's dreams of white lilies

and the smell of coffee... Where?


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And where the joyful song at the

stirring of new dawn?

Where?

Grace Lindsay, Wotton-under-Edge Meeting

Look ahead forlearningWEEKEND AND MID-WEEK coursesthroughout the year at WoodbrookeQuaker Study Centre offer a range oflearning opportunities –training forroles we have been appointed to,support and challenge for ourspiritual lives, and education aboutour living Quaker tradition from itsroots to the worldwide diversity ofpresent-day Friends.

Here in Gloucestershire we arelucky in being relatively close toWoodbrooke. Regular train servicesget us to Birmingham and from theNew Street station it’s just a twentyminute ride on the 63 bus toWoodbrooke’s front door. By car,the journey from Gloucester isaround fifty miles via the M5 andA38. As to cost, it is certainly valuefor money. Charges vary from £75for an online study-at-home courseto £245 for a residential weekend –all meals included. There is a bursaryscheme and a payment plan to helpwith costs and a £50 discount onyour first course; Local Meetings canprovide funding help too; and foranyone newly appointed to AM roles

such as overseer, treasurer, trusteeand elder, our Area Meeting providesfull funding. I can vouch for thebenefits from personal experience.

So, to anyone new to Quakers orwanting to refresh your longer-termexperience of our faith and practice,I’d say: look ahead and plan yourselfsome high quality learning.

Here is just a taste of what’s comingup later this summer and autumn.Online study (allow two and a halfhours study a week for four weeks)● Friendly introduction to the

Quaker Way (August)● Introduction to meetings for

worship for business (September)● spiritual practices for everyday

(September)Residentials (Friday evening to Sundayafternoon or Monday to Wednesday)● exploring Nominations (August)● answering that of God in

everyone (October)● Bible study for Quakers

(November)These are examples only: best to get

browsing for yourself. Places getbooked up early - so do look ahead.

P.S. Woodbrooke is also fun – andyou can enjoy being there withoutbooking on a course. All rooms haveaccess to the library, games room andgardens.Woodbrooke,1046 Bristol Road,Birmingham B29 [email protected]: 0121 472 5171

Jane Mace, Nailsworth Meeting


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Gloucestershire Area Quaker Meeting Newsletter | Spring 2018

Gloucestershire Area Quaker Meeting Newsletter | Spring 2018

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