MfS 6 December 2025
Meeting for Sufferings is a national meeting of representatives of area meetings and some other Quaker communities and committees. It does some of the important work of the yearly meeting in between Yearly Meeting sessions. Meeting for Sufferings will be laid down in May 2026 and replaced by continuing Yearly Meeting sessions that will still include representatives but will also be open to all.
As part of its business Meeting for Sufferings:
- Appointed Friends to roles.
- Recorded the details of a Friend who appeared in court and received a prison sentence as a result of their faith and acting under concern.
- Recorded that three area meetings in Scotland have laid themselves down and become part of Quakers in Scotland, and heard that Yorkshire Quakers are also preparing for significant governance change. Meeting for Sufferings also received important information about governance compliance by area meetings.
- Heard a report from a group set up to review the process for the registration and re-registration of Quaker Recognised Bodies. Meeting for Sufferings agreed to make some practical changes to this process, and asked the Agenda Planning Committee of Yearly Meeting to consider how to take other matters forward when Meeting for Sufferings is laid down. Using the current process, Meeting for Sufferings re-registered Peace Works Zimbabwe as a Quaker Recognised Body and did not register Sex Matters to Quakers.
- Received from Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations the document “Towards a paper on gender diversity in our church: Our differences are a blessing”. Friends and meetings are encouraged to read and reflect on this.
- Heard from BYM Trustees about the 2026 budget for BYM, which involves continuing to operate at a deficit with a view to a balanced budget by 2028, as well as about changes to BYM investment policy and arrangements.
- Looked at possible changes to the Quaker marriage declaration, as well as amendments to Quaker faith & practice. Meeting for Sufferings approved all the minor changes, and sent the proposals for a new marriage declaration and for a whole new chapter 6 to Yearly Meeting with our blessing.
- Heard a report from the Book of Discipline Revision Committee, who shared the timetable for their future work and revealed that the working title for the new book is Our Quaker Way: the spiritual discipline of the Religious Society of Friends.
You can read the full minutes of the meeting and the written reports below.
Meeting for Sufferings will meet for the final time on 7 March 2026.