YM 2008

Yearly Meeting 2008 – kindling, not snuffing

Hundreds of Friends from across the country gathered at Friends House in London at the end of May, for Yearly Meeting. Anne van Staveren spoke to a few of them about their experiences, and found out what made Yearly Meeting special for them. Photos by Charlie Choc.

The question that lingers on from Yearly Meeting is this: “Can we too be a church that shakes in the wind of the spirit?” These were encouraging words from Australian Friends in their epistle, (though it is actually the name of the New Zealand Yearly Meeting, Te Haahi Tuuhauwir). Could we too share news of prophetic action?

There were more encouraging words: let us be kindlers, not snuffers!

And this from the opening worship: “May God lift up her skirts and dance with joy at being among friends!” Or this from a minute about being the seeds of change: “The place God calls us to is the place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

“We draw on our personal experience to communicate wider truths; we have jewels to lay before the wider world, but our words are empty until they are put into practice.”

(Minute 12)

“In order to be a prophetic community we all need one another. Perfection is not required of us; but that we walk cheerfully in the right direction, seeking to live sustainably on our earth.”

(BYM Epistle 2008)

David L Saunders convened the Epistle Drafting Committee this year:

“As one of four Friends appointed to serve on the Epistle Drafting Committee I realised after a couple of sessions that something felt different. As a YM ‘regular’ for many years I wondered why. I try to be attentive during YM sessions, engaging with the issues and occasionally being prompted to my feet. This time, I knew I was there to take the pulse of Yearly Meeting, to detect the underlying currents, to note those moments when a word or a phrase makes YM take wing, to spot when the Spirit stirs the waters. So my primary role was not as an active participant but to listen, to observe, to record and to analyse.

“The practice of creative listening has demonstrated just how different it is when we give ourselves over to listen fully to another, accepting what is being said without judgement and without starting to rehearse a response. That’s how it was for me this time at Yearly Meeting. My ears were antennae. I scribbled reams of paper and felt under a discipline of not engaging personally with the issue of the moment. My service was to feel and record how YM was responding and reacting. It was one-way traffic and the Quaker me that enjoys engaging with YM issues was consciously off duty. I wouldn’t want it to be like that every time but the experience taught me something special. Thank you.”

From under-19s:

On the experience of going into sessions with the over-19s one under 19 wrote: “Different, long and you get to have your say no matter what your age is and everyone listens to you.”

Minute 48 included this from Smiley Seeds, aged 0-5: “We Smiley Seeds have been thinking about things that grow… The babies enjoyed watching, smiling and drinking milk while we played with play dough, the train and made smiley masks. Bubbles on the balcony were great fun. One enormous one went right over the people in the courtyard, then up into space.”

Transitional Group minute:

“Everyone is capable of change, big or small, and nobody should shy away from it, regardless of being ‘too old’, or ‘too young’. Goldilocks had the wrong idea: instead of just choosing the middle ground by opting for baby bear’s porridge, she should have combined the bowls that were ‘too hot’ and ‘too cold’ to create an abundance of porridge that was ‘just right’. Everyone has individual talents which combined produce effective results. There is no middle ground. We need to work together across all ages to implement change.

“We feel that work done by Quakers in the past is valid, but rather than reminiscing, Friends should use these as inspiration to move current concerns into action. What will the Quakers of the early 21st century be remembered for?”

Marion Wells-Bruges of Bristol Area Meeting:

“This was only my third time and it engaged all parts of me. Sessions led me into new exploration of the inward life and into a fuller understanding of the responsibilities of different kinds of stewardship. The real value of the long term framework and its new mode of working, came alive for me. From there it was possible to look outwards and hope to face up to the crises of our dangerous but wonderful world.

“I appreciated taking part in our Quaker processes in both the large and the smaller settings. The discipline of our silent shuffle breaks gave a sense of continuity and equality, of being there together with a shared purpose. As did some singing and dancing.

“What impressed me particularly? The openness with which Agenda Committee was prepared to share their discernment process. The patience shown when we sometimes had a long struggle to reach a minute that we could accept. The lighter times when we laughed and played with metaphor, recognising both the richness and limitations of language. The drafting and consultation process for our own epistle that caught so well the essence of this YM.

“I was delighted that the children and young people participated so fully. The work being done throughout by the staff was magnificent. Friends House will, from now on, hold memories for me of our Quaker Society going ‘deeper and wider, united in the spirit’.”

Brenda Rigby from Pickering and Hull area meeting said:

“As a Nominations Committee clerk my concern is to find ways in which everyone in our Quaker community can utilise their gifts as ministry, both within and beyond BYM, and to support one another in that ministry. We are all needed. We can all do something. We need to enable each other to do it.”

Gillian Court, a Friend and representative of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland:

“There was a lively, promising buzz of encounter and opportunity around. The session for first-time attenders led by Woodbrooke was extremely helpful in understanding the process and gives visitors an insight into some basic Quaker practice. The daily bulletin also was a helpful practical signpost. The visitors’ tea was a good welcome. I was specially glad to meet representatives from other yearly meetings.”

Stevie Krayer:

“We were asked what would empower us to take a bolder stand: we have a tool, early Friends told us about facing up to the truth, shine the light in your conscience. If you let the light search you, it will show reality in your life, not in a judgemental way, but show you the way to live better. In a sense we are in denial about climate change because it is only beginning to affect us directly, not like in Bangladesh or Burma. We need to face up to it and decide what we will change in our lives.”

Katie Oliver (aged 18):

“Why, after 18 years of young Quaker events, do I keep going back? I seem to be able to find enough reasons why I shouldn’t. But here’s the thing: no matter how much I pick holes in it, Quakerism is not only a hugely integral part of my life, but my community. And I go back not because I’m a pacifist, or because the Quaker business method appeals to me, or because Advice ‘X’ resonates with my morals, but because of the incredible energy and creativity that shines out from everyone there. You don’t find this kind of passion just anywhere.

“What I get from Quakerism is my faith in people.”

Paul Parker (who will be clerk of Yearly Meeting Gathering 2009)

“Yearly Meeting 2008 has been for me a time of connecting – connecting our Quaker heritage to our present and future; connecting our roots to our branches; connecting this Yearly Meeting to others around the world; connecting our words and our deeds, our faith and our action; connecting our Quaker community to our lives in the world; connecting individual Friends, networks, meetings and the centrally-managed work; connecting 0–18 and over-19s programmes at Yearly Meeting.

“There has also been the perennial challenge of finding the right words with which to speak our truths. We heard that sometimes we may need to translate to understand the spiritual journeys of others, but that the spirit which moves us is one and the same. We describe the metaphorical elephant’s legs, trunk, ears, etc. in different ways, but we are all connected in talking about the same elephant.

“Much of Yearly Meeting seemed to centre around our care and stewardship: of the planet, our history, of our faith, of individual Friends, our staff and our resources. The Swarthmore Lecture enjoined us to mind the future.

“The next time this community gathers will be for the experimental Yearly Meeting Gathering, at York, from 25 July to 11 August 2009, a fusion of what we value most about Yearly Meetings, Summer Gatherings and Junior Yearly Meeting. I am looking forward to it as an event which will create community and create connections to strengthen our witness in the world.”