I INTRODUCTION to the ON-LINE EDITION
This work originated from, and is based upon, “QuakerSpeak” by Alastair Heron, published in 1994 and revised in 1997, 2003 and 2008. The original book, and subsequent printed editions, were intended to be pocket sized for convenience: the on-line version has no such limitations. We are indebted to Alastair for the use of the original text, many of the entries of which remain the same. However the on-line text will, in future, be updated as found to be necessary. Please follow this link for copyright information .
We used the same criteria for inclusion as had Alastair Heron, which was ‘Any word, term or expression peculiar (or nearly so) to Quakers, that might cause a newcomer or attender to exclaim "What on earth is that?"’.
The story of how "QuakerSpeak" was compiled is told in Alastair's Frontispiece and Introduction. One difference with the on-line edition is that
cross-referencing is by links, which are either blue or brown and underlined, (and return by Back Button), and another is that items in brown are terms no longer in general use.
Access is possible direct to each section from the menu. For the larger sections it is possible to enter the section at the start of a desired letter of the alphabet. Within each section it is possible to scroll up or down using the scroll bar, or the page up/down keys.
Anyone wishing to contribute additions or revisions to this version should contact QOY at qsol@quakersinyorkshire.org.uk
Chris Petrie
2008
Frontispiece
This little book is mainly directed to the needs of newcomers, attenders, and recently-joined members of Quaker meetings in Britain and Ireland, though it may well prove useful more widely in Europe, and also in Australia and New Zealand. despite differences in yearly meeting structure and in nomenclature. It forms part of a systematic response to the suggestions made by many of the nearly 500 attenders who participated in the 1991 Yorkshire Attenders Survey, the results of which are to be found in the volume published in 1992, jointly by Quaker Home Seivice and Woodbrooke College, under the title Caring * conviction * commitment.
Attenders complained - with justification - that they frequently encountered the use by Quakers of many abbreviated titles, such as for example 'AM' or 'BYM', and words or phrases that seemed to belong to an 'in language'. Examples of the latter might be 'prevented' or 'sense of the meeting'. What was needed was a fairly comprehensive glossary, in pocket or handbag size, to which quick reference could readily be made. It had nevertheless to be of manageable length, if only to keep down the price to be charged for it. With this in mind, the usual upper limit for a definition is about sixty words. We hope this outcome will prove widely useful.
Introduction to the 1st edition
Some questions answered
The criterion for inclusion which we adopted was ‘Any word, term or expression peculiar (or nearly so) to Quakers, that might cause a newcomer or attender to exclaim "What on earth is that?"’ Candidates were sought from earlier publications of a similar kind in Britain and in the U.S.A.; through a brief announcement in The Friend; from both newcomers and regular attenders at a local Quaker meeting; and from many individuals as opportunity offered. The provisional list was then reviewed by members of the Enquirers, Newcomers and Attenders committee of Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire. The ‘definitions’ provided are sometimes taken direct from appropriate source material; some have been suggested by, and gladly accepted from those to whom the item has been referred; but most have been put together by the author. The factual and historical accuracy of all the definitions has been checked by a team of three very experienced and well qualified scrutineers, taking one third of the items each, finally, the penultimate draft was examined independently by two Quakers with extensive experience among those to whose needs this book is addressed.
This is not, however, a dictionary of Quaker and related theological terms, concepts and expressions. If some of the definitions are infuriatingly less than adequate to meet at once the curiosity of the user, one muse hope that this will take her or him straight to the nearest Quaker library. Finally, it is important to stress that the author was positively encouraged to enliven the likely dullness of the contents by adding his own gloss on occasions. He cannot hope to escape censure, given that "if you ask ten Quakers a question, you will get at least eleven answers". Perhaps there should be an entry for ‘individualism’: but that is not "peculiar (or nearly so) to Quakers" just highly characteristic!
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my appreciation for the suggestions put forward by those who
responded to my appeal in The Friend, or spontaneously on hearing about the project;
to the attenders who checked the proposed list of items and suggested both additions
and deletions; to my colleagues in Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire; to Christina Lawson,
Edward Milligan and Malcolm Thomas for serving as my ‘scrutineers for factual and
historical accuracy’; to Michael Hutchinson for checking (or having checked) some
definitions for ‘central bodies’; to Harvey Gillman and Ben Pink Dandelion for their
independent detailed final overviews; and to John Lampen for items likely to be useful
in Ireland. Despite all this very necessary and much valued assistance, there will
inevitably be some errors and omissions: for those, and for any over-stepping of the
mark in my personal glosses, I must take full responsibility.
Alastair Heron
1994
Introduction to the 4th edition
In 2006 Alastair Heron asked Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire to consider publishing a fourth edition of QuakerSpeak. He felt he was no longer was in sufficiently good health to undertake the exercise himself. QOY decided to wait until the changes of nomenclature that produced ‘Local’ and ‘Area’ meetings were well established, and Meeting for Sufferings had settled into its new ‘visionary and prophetic’ role before moving forward. At the same time QOY’s newly formed Resources Information and Media subcommittee felt that an extended version of QuakerSpeak should be developed and made available on the Internet. The subcommittee would have the responsibility of scrutinising the on-line version of the book and keeping it regularly updated.
Friends with an eye for detail will find some minor changes in these pages. There are deletions of bodies that careful Internet searches would indicate no longer function. While the intention is that the book treats present bodies and current Quaker usage, some important historical bodies are referenced, even though they are effectively ‘laid down’. Entries have been retained for some committees or groups which have been superseded or renamed, when the old names still appear in books, leaflets and documents (such has Quaker Home Service, whose publications for new members can often be found in meeting houses).
There is no pleasing everyone, as Alastair is too well aware, and QOY will welcome any
corrections or appropriate additional entries for the on-line version of the booklet.
These should be sent by email to qsol@quakersinyorkshire.org.uk.
Chris Petrie
Arthur Pritchard
2008
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
QuakerSpeak
First published in March 1994
Revised and reprinted May 1997
Reprinted 1999
Revised and reprinted 2003
Revised and reprinted 2008
Text © Alastair Heron
HTML © Chris Petrie
Published by Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire
Friends Meeting House, High Flatts, Huddersfield, HD8 8XU
ISBN 0 9519440 2 9
II ABBREVIATIONS
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American Friends Service Committee
AM
Area Meeting
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BIA
Bedford Institute Association
BYM Trustees
Britain Yearly Meeting Trustees
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Charities Aid Foundation (a bank for charities only)
CC
The Charity Commission
CCBI
Council of Churches in Britain and Ireland
CCR
Committee on Christian Relationships
CFP
Christian Faith & Practice
CYPC
Children and Young People Committee [QL]
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Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel
EFI
Evangelical Friends International
ENA
Enquirers, Newcomers and Attenders Committee
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FFH
Friends Fellowship of Healing
A Listed Informal Group
FGC
Friends General Conference
FHS
Friends Historical Society
A Listed Informal Group
FHBT
Friends Housing Bursary Trust
A Quaker Committee
FIDEM
Friends International Drug Education Movement
FMH
Friends Meeting House
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FVS
Friends Vegetarian Society
FWCC
Friends World Committee for Consultation
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Guild of Friends in Education
GM
General Meeting [in Britain]
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Ireland Yearly Meeting
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Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation
JYM
Junior Yearly Meeting
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Local Meeting
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Meeting for Sufferings
MSC
Meeting for Sufferings Committee [Laid down in 2007]
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New Foundation Fellowship A Listed Informal Group
NFPB
Northern Friends Peace Board A Quaker Committee
Nom Com
Nominations Committee
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Open Letter Movement
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Preparative Meeting
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Quaker Retreats & One-to-One Ministry
QAAD
Quaker Action on Alcohol & Drugs A Listed Informal Group
QCA
Quaker Concern for Animals A Listed Informal Group
QCCC
Quaker Communications Central Committee
QCEA
Quaker Council for European Affairs A Quaker Committee
QCJ
Quakers in Criminal Justice A Listed Informal Group
QES
Quaker Esperanto Society A Listed Informal Group
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Quaker Employment and Services Central Committee
QFA
Quaker Fellowship of the Arts
QFACS
Quaker Facilitators
QFAPCC
Quaker Finance and Property Central Committee
QHA
Quaker Homeless Action A Listed Informal Group
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QIC
Quaker International Centre
QISP
Quaker International Social Projects
QL
Quaker Life
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Quaker Lesbian and Gay Fellowship A Listed Informal Group
QLVG
Quaker Land Value Group A Listed Informal Group
QM
Quarterly Meeting [in Yorkshire and Ireland]
QMH
Quaker Meeting House
QMS
Quaker Medical Society A Listed Informal Group
QOY
Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire
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Quaker Peace & Social Witness
QQ
Quaker Quest
QRNF
Quaker Renewal Newsletter Fellowship
QSA
Quaker Social Action A Listed Informal Group
QSC
Quaker Stewardship Committee
QSRA
Quaker Studies Research Association
QSRE
Quaker Social Responsibility and Education
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Quaker Socialist Society A Listed Informal Group
QUG
Quaker Universalist Group A Listed Informal Group
QUIP
Quakers United In Publishing
QUNO
Quaker United Nations Office(s)
QWG
Quaker Women's Group A Listed Informal Group
QWRC
Quaker World Relations Committee
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Working Group on Representation, Communication and Accountability in our Structure.
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Single Quaker in Family
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TIPA
Truth and Integrity in Public Affairs
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Westmorland General Meeting
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YFSC
Yorkshire Friends Service Committee
YMC
Yearly Meeting's Committee [in Ireland]
YSJC
Yorkshire Schools Joint Council
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III QUAKER TERMS, TITLES AND EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED
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Begun by Quakers in the 1840s, but which attracted new leadership towards the end of the century and contributed greatly to the recovery of the Society in Great Britain. This was due mainly to the way in which initial literacy and biblical instruction were later combined with post-Darwinian thought and the new biblical criticism. Some Quaker meetings still have adult school members, meeting as groups when numbers permit.
ADVICES and QUERIES
Originally published in 1682 and then containing only three questions, Advices and Queries were originally intended to provide factual information about the Society to London Yearly Meeting. The content of
the Advices and Queries changed
over the years to become a guide to living, both individually and as a meeting. They
are published both as a booklet, and as part of Quaker faith and practice .
They are revised
periodically, as the need is seen to arise. A concise history of this practice can be found
in the introduction to Advices and Queries in Quaker faith and practice.
AFFIRMATION
[For the Quaker testimony against oaths, see Yea and Nay]. The
Affirmation Acts 1696 and 1722 enabled Quakers to make, in lieu of an oath in most
cases where it was required, a solemn affirmation that they were telling the truth.
This right to affirm was gradually extended into a general right, notably by the Oaths
Act of 1888.
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The independent body through which many of the Quaker yearly meetings in the USA, and their individual members, channel their support for practical service, both at home and abroad. The AFSC has a long record of work in the field of international mediation and reconciliation. British and American Quakers were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after the second world war.
Links & Contacts
AREA MEETING
Formerly called Monthly Meetings, the area meetings are
the bodies to which Friends formally belong and from which all decisions of membership are
made. A group of local meetings within a geographical area, this is the
primary meeting for
church affairs. It consists of those who are recorded by minute as its members, and who are
attached to one or another of its local meetings, it also until recently indicated the
frequency with which meetings for worship for church affairs [business] in that area were
held. With the change to area meeting in 2007, many meetings also changed their geographical
name. Area meetings communicate with Britain Yearly Meeting by sending representatives to Meetings for Sufferings (MfS).
AREA MEETING TRUSTEES
A committee appointed under the requirements of the Charity Commission as the body legally
responsible for the financial affairs of the society at area meeting level.
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One who, not being a member, frequently attends a local meeting for worship and is usually included as such in the temporary lists of members and attenders prepared by many local meetings. Printed lists are published triennially by most general meetings, making use of a fresh revision of temporary lists by the local and area meetings in its area.
AUTHORITY
From the earliest days, Quakers have experienced difficulty in reconciling an individual
dependence on the guidance
of the Inward Light with the need for some acceptable corporate check.
The Ranters failed to deal with this,
but George Fox distanced himself from their individualist stance by
setting up the basic structure of business meetings, in
which spiritual authority was vested, on the basis that God's will is being sought.
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See Quaker Social Action
BIRTHRIGHT
From 1737 until 1960, the children of' Quaker parents automatically became members of
the Society at birth. This overlapped from the 1940’s for some years with ‘temporary
membership’ for children, but the current provision is that parents may apply to their area meeting for ‘child membership'.
BOOK of CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE
The title of Ireland Yearly Meeting's equivalent to Britain Yearly Meeting's ‘Church
Government’ prior to the recent revision of the latter.
BOOK of DISCIPLINE
The full title is ‘Book of Christian discipline of Britain Yearly Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends’, which at present includes ‘Christian faith and practice’ and ‘Church Government’.
A revision of the present Book was undertaken by the Yearly Meeting in
1994 becoming Quaker faith and practice.
BOOK of MEETINGS
Published annually by Britain Yearly Meeting, this provides information about all the Quaker
meetings in Britain, Ireland and the rest of Europe, plus Africa, Asia and the West Pacific
area. Comparable information for North, Central and South America is to be found in
the Friends Directory, published by the Friends World Committee for Consultation.
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BRIGHOUSE CHARITIES
See Joint Trust Funds
BRITAIN YEARLY MEETING
Formerly London Yearly Meeting, this title denotes
both the "final constitutional body of the Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers) in Britain", and the
annual gathering [Yearly Meeting] of those in membership in its constituent area meetings, all
of whom have a right to take part in its proceedings; the area meetings no longer
send appointed representatives,
but steps are taken to ensure the participation of one or more Friends from each.
Links & Contacts
BRITAIN YEARLY MEETING TRUSTEES
A committee created to satisfy the Charity Commission as the body responsible for the
financial affairs of the society with effect from 2007.
BRITISH COUNCIL of CHURCHES
See Churches Together in Britain & Ireland.
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A reference to the departments of Britain Yearly Meeting, based at Friends House London, which work on behalf of Quakers throughout the yearly meeting. Quaker Life and Quaker Peace and Social Witness have central committees, and QPSW has a representative council which does not have executive functions. There are also six service departments which operate under the Administrative Committee. The central committees are listed here.
CENTRE DOWN
An expression traditional among Quakers, and still in general use, which refers to
the process through which those
who are taking part in a meeting for worship use the silent basis gradually to find
an inward stillness, where they may
be open to the leadings of God.
CHARNEY MANOR
Quaker retreat house and conference centre near Oxford, administered by Quaker
Life.
Links & Contacts
CHILDREN of the LIGHT
The name adopted by the first Quakers, later gradually replaced by
‘Friends in the Truth’.
The ‘Light’ was explicitly ‘the inward light of Christ’, who
they proclaimed ‘had come
to teach his people himself’.
CHRIST WITHIN
see ‘Children of the Light'.
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The title of Ireland Yearly Meeting's equivalent to Britain YM's ‘Christian faith and practice’ prior to the revision of the latter.
CHRISTIAN FAITH and PRACTICE
The name of the first part of the Books of
Christian Discipline published between
1738 and 1994, and consisting of texts from many sources and intended to be a source of guidance
and inspiration in the way we conduct our lives. Revised and published in 1994 as Quaker faith and practice.
CHRISTO-CENTRIC
A label, usually applied by others, to identify those who base their worship on an
acceptance of the Inward Light of Christ [the position of early Quakers, and of most until relatively
recently]. It is also used to
refer more widely to all professing Christians in other denominations and churches.
CHURCH GOVERNMENT
Part of the present Book of Discipline , of which the proposed Revision
was considered by London Yearly Meeting in 1994 and became part
of Quaker faith and practice.
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This replaced the British Council of Churches and then the Council of Churches in Britain and Ireland. Britain Yearly Meeting was accepted as a full member on the basis of a special clause which recognises the position of non-creedal religious bodies.
CLARIDGE HOUSE
A Quaker centre in Surrey for healing, rest and renewal.
Links & Contacts
CLEARNESS
A term used traditionally by Quakers to describe the sense of ‘seeing the right way
forward’, in relation to a desire to
identify and follow God’s purpose in a particular matter. Also used to describe an
absence of serious obstacles to
an intention of marriage under the care of a Quaker meeting. More recently applied
generally to a small group formed
to help an individual or couple seeking a right decision, on whatever basis.
CLERK
A member of a Quaker meeting appointed to ‘sit at the table’ in a ‘meeting
for worship for business’ .
The clerk is expected to have a spiritual capacity for discernment and
sensitivity to the meeting.
He or she prepares the agenda and guides the meeting through it; listens to what is
said; and in each item tries to
frame the ‘sense of the meeting’ in a written minute .
No attempt is made to reach consensus , and in all matters of substance the aim is to cooperate
with the purposes of God.
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As there is no fixed programme for the traditional meeting for worship, based on silent worship, it has been customary for it to be brought to an end by two elders shaking hands. Recently this has been extended to pairs of other members of the meeting. Flexibility in timing is clearly important, to ensure sensitive awareness of the movement of the Spirit as primary rather than a routine based on habit.
CONCERN
The special Quaker use of this term is to denote ‘a divine imperative to action laid
inwardly upon a person’ (which
may also come to a group). Such awareness requires to be ‘tested’ in a religiously
valid way: this is most often
achieved by laying it before the local or area meeting ‘to search together
in worship, to see whether this is actually what God wants’. ‘Concern’ should be
clearly distinguished from ‘concern about’.
CONCERN ABOUT...
A useful way in which to refer to a feeling that "something should be done" or that
"someone should do something",
about a problem or situation. The term serves to make clear the difference from a
strong inward sense that one has
to do something oneself, and that this may be a direct leading of the Spirit
[see Concern].
CONSENSUS
The aim of a secular method of decision-making which does not rely upon the taking
of a vote, seeking (if necessary
by very long discussion) to reach the point where all are agreed, or at least ready
not to object. It is not however the
aim of the Quaker business method: this depends upon the assumption
that all or most of those
present are trying to perceive the purpose of God for the matter under consideration.
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Quakers who are members of small yearly meetings in the USA which seek to maintain the Christian beliefs and some of the testimonies of the first two centuries of the movement that are no longer held generally by other yearly meetings, being seen as peculiarities now lacking the relevance which obtained at that time.
CONVERSION
This term is rarely encountered among present-day Quakers of the ‘liberal’ silence-based
tradition, but it is essential
to an understanding of George Fox and his companions who founded
the movement. It may he
described as the spiritual experience that followed convincement:
but it was not necessarily
sudden and complete. The convinced man or woman had the human will to contend with,
and was faced with a
process of being re-made.
CONVINCED / CONVINCEMENT
In the time of George Fox, to be convinced meant "to be convinced of
your sin", and led to repentance.
As Robert Barclay made clear in a famous passage, "Not by strength
of arguments or by a
particular disquisition of each doctrine, and convincement of my understanding thereby,
came I to receive and bear
witness of the Truth, but by being secretly reached by the Life". During this century it
has tended to be used in the
way he rejected.
COUNCIL of CHURCHES
in BRITAIN and IRELAND
See Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
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Not a specifically Quaker term, but found generally in writings on the spiritual life, referring to the process of perceiving the will of God through close attention to the leadings of the Spirit. It is therefore important for Quakers in their individual lives and in corporate decision-making.
DISOWNMENT
Expulsion of a Quaker from membership by the Monthly Meeting is no longer in use in London Yearly
Meeting. Until the mid 19th century Quakers who married a non-Quaker were usually disowned;
other offences leading
to this included bankruptcy, immorality, and persistent drunkenness. Today either
the individual or the area
meeting can initiate what is described as ‘termination of membership’.
DOCUMENTS in ADVANCE
These relate to the matters to be considered during the sessions of Yearly
Meeting , and also
contain considerable amounts of additional information. In addition to an agenda and
timetable, with short
introductory statements for the main sessions, epistles from other yearly meetings and
‘testimonies to the grace of God’
in the lives of deceased Friends are included. Changes in format and content adapt to
fresh perceptions.
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A Quaker conference for Quakers in Yorkshire of all ages, held at Cober Hill, near Scarborough, over Easter.
Links & Contacts
ELDERS
Individual Quakers appointed by their area meeting to assume responsibility as a group
for the nurture of the
spiritual life of the constituent meetings, and of the individual members and attenders;
and to ensure the provision
of religious education, in its broad sense, for the members and attenders of all ages.
They usually work
collaboratively with the group of overseers.
ENQUIRERS, NEWCOMERS and ATTENDERS
A one day conference, organised by Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire , for
people wishing
to learn more about Quakers. It held a few times a year in Yorkshire,
according to demand.
Links & Contacts
EPISTLE
A letter issued at the close of Yearly Meeting, often addressed to all Friends everywhere,
which reflects the
matters considered and the experience of those present. Most yearly meetings around the
world send out epistles,
and it is the practice of Britain Yearly Meeting to print all those received
in ‘Documents in advance’. Early Quakers, especially George
Fox,
sent epistles to groups and meetings in Britain and abroad.
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A reference to the members of yearly meetings forming part of Evangelical Friends International. These are to be found on the Pacific seaboard and in Ohio, together with several yearly meetings in Latin America, involving some with many more active members than are to be found in the silence-based yearly meetings in North America and here in Europe. They stress personal salvation through Christ as redeemer.
EXPERIENTIALLY [EXPERIMENTALLY]
Taken from a statement of George Fox on his personal faith: "And this
I knew
experimentally", meaning ‘through first hand experience’. This is a central concept for
all Quakers, since
from the outset they rejected the outward authority of both a hierarchical church and of
the Bible [though they
knew well and greatly valued the latter]. For Fox and early Quakers, the authority was to
be found with ‘the Inward Light of Christ’.
EXTENSION WORK
See Outreach.
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In older Quaker meeting houses it is often found that the benches are set out in a square or rectangle, and that one or more rows along one of the sides are set higher. These were for the use of those ‘recorded’ as ministers, and facing them sat the elders. During the 18th century and beyond, it was one duty of the latter to support and advise the recorded ministers, and to identify and encourage others appearing thus gifted.
FAITH AND PRACTICE
The short title proposed in the revision of the Book of Discipline in 1994
.
FIRST DAY
In the early days of the Quaker movement the days of the week and the months of the year
were numbered
in order to avoid the use of names originating from pagan gods. Although this usage has
not died out,
the recent tendency has been to avoid ‘peculiarity’ and use
the
generally familiar names. Many American meetings, both programmed and silence-based, refer to First-Day School.
FRIEND, THE
See The Friend.
Links & Contacts
FRIENDLY WORD [THE]
The Irish bi-monthly Quaker journal.
Links & Contacts
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An organisation set up during the 1914-18 War, to enable Quakers and other conscientious objectors to render non-combatant service, not as members of the Armed Forces. It was re-activated during the 1939-45 War, and along with the Friends Relief Service carried out both wartime and post-war relief and refugee work in many areas.
FRIENDS BOOK SHOP
See Quaker Book Shop
FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE
This is a grouping, started in 1900, of yearly meetings in North America, mainly of
those adhering to
the silence-based 'unprogrammed’ tradition, but including
others in which
some local or monthly meetings are programmed. The latter are likely also to be affiliated
to the Friends United Meeting. Meeting annually, the Conference provides services
for the
constituent yearly meetings, but has no authority.
FRIENDS HOUSE
Refers to the building opposite Euston Station in London. This contains the offices of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers),
as well as a large and a small meeting house. The annual gathering of the Yearly
Meeting is held here, except each
fourth year when
it is held residentially in other parts of Britain.
Links & Contacts
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FRIENDS QUARTERLY
A British Quaker periodical published by the trustees of The Friend (which appears
weekly). It provides a limited outlet for the more academic or scholarly article, at
somewhat greater length than
is acceptable to The Friend or to Quaker Monthly.
Links & Contacts
FRIENDS RELIEF SERVICE
Quaker concern for the casualties of armed conflict and of famine, including refugees,
found expression
in relief work in the 19th century and the 1914-18 war. From 1940 to 1948 Friends Relief
Service was
responsible under London Yearly Meeting for
work in hostel and air-raid shelter situations in the UK, and then in France, Germany,
Greece and other
areas on the Continent: grey uniforms were worn with the Quaker star.
FRIENDS SCHOOLS
There are seven surviving secondary boarding schools in England, and two in Ireland.
All endeavour to maintain
what may be called ‘a Quaker ethos’ despite the fact that very few of the staff are Quaker,
and only a minority
of the pupils come from Quaker background, even though a good deal of financial assistance
is available from
trusts, and from general [quarterly] and area meeting funds.
One school, Breckenbrough, is a Special School for boys of above average intelligence assessed
as EDB. The schools in brief.
FRIENDS TRUSTS LTD
The central body which is the custodian trustee for most meeting houses, burial grounds
and endowments.
These are normally beneficially owned and managed by local Friends.
Links & Contacts
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FRIENDS UNITED MEETING
Formerly the Five Years Meeting, this is a federation
of yearly meetings in the Americas, characterised
by ‘programmed’ worship frequently very similar to that found in
mainstream
Protestant churches. Many have paid pastors, who usually take no active part in the
decision making process
of the meeting/church. Though Bible based, the programme does not however include
the outward sacraments
or recitation of a creed.
Links & Contacts
FRIENDS WORLD COMMITTEE for CONSULTATION
Representative of Friends around the world, this body is recognised as a non-governmental
organisation by the
United Nations. With headquarters in London, it meets triennially in different countries
and is mainly responsible
for the ‘once in a generation’ [approximately] Friends World Conference, when limited
numbers of members of
the ‘world family of Friends’ have an opportunity to share and explore their differing
faith and practice.
Links & Contacts
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GATHERED MEETING
The traditional words, still frequently used today, describing the sense that a meeting
for worship has entered
a deeper phase, as those present have individually ‘centred down’.
Even
in meetings familiar with this experience over the years, it does not happen every time.
As for each person,
so for the worshipping group: the determining factor is a true openness to the grace of
God and to the leading
of the Inward Light.
GENERAL CHRISTIAN COUNSEL
Ireland Yearly Meeting's term for what Britain Yearly Meeting refers
to as ‘Advices’.
GENERAL MEETING
Until 1967 was known as the Quarterly Meeting [as it remains in most other Yearly Meetings]. Composed
of several area meetings within a geographical area, it no longer has a
constitutional
role, and the formal business mainly involves trusts and, in some cases, responsibility for
schools or the
management of residential homes for the elderly. General meetings can still provide for
consideration of
subjects brought up in, or referred to the constituent area meetings.
Some general meetings are much more vigorous than others.
GLENTHORNE
A Quaker guest house in Grasmere, run by Quakers in Yorkshire and
Westmorland General Meeting and used for Quaker
conferences.
Links & Contacts
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A week long conference for 13-17 year old Friends, organised by Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire and held in the summer in Yorkshire.
Links & Contacts
HOLY EXPERIMENT
Set up in an area granted to William Penn by Charles II, in lieu of
repayment of debts
to his father, Admiral Penn. This became Pennsylvania, with Philadelphia as its capital.
Penn started the colony
in 1681 by a peaceable approach to the native American tribes, but Quaker control of the
colony was relinquished
at the outbreak of the Seven Years War in 1756, as non-Quaker pressure mounted for armed
resistance to French
allied tribes.
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An expression used to signify agreement / disagreement in a business meeting.
INTERNATIONAL CENTRES
There are Quaker International Centres in several of the main cities of Europe and Asia.
Those in Geneva
and New York are closely associated with the work of the Quaker United
Nations Offices.
IRELAND YEARLY MEETING
This is the yearly meeting of Quakers in the whole of Ireland.
Links & Contacts
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Formerly known as Brighouse Charities, now Brighouse, Leeds and Settle Monthly Meetings Buildings Charities. Originally there were two monthly meetings, Brighouse and Settle, covering some of what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1853 Settle and Brighouse Monthly Meetings (and part of Knaresborough) merged into Brighouse: in 1923 this Monthly Meeting split into three; Brighouse, Leeds and Settle Monthly Meetings. BLSMMBC, a Registered Charity, manages some meeting houses and graveyards, and also provides funds to meetings within the old Brighouse area for the maintenance of their meeting houses.
JUNIOR HOLIDAYS
Junior Holidays are regular residential holidays for younger Quaker children,
aged 7 -12 years, which
provide a chance for children from different Quaker meetings to meet together,
get to know one another,
and spend time away form their family in a Quaker group. Organised through Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire .
Links & Contacts
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A Quaker centre for healing and renewal near Penrith in the Lake District, closed in 2006.
LAY DOWN
The simple expression used to indicate that the work of a committee or ad hoc body
having come to an end, that body need no longer remain in existence.
LEADINGS
A Quaker term for what many would refer to as ‘guidance’, usually attributed to the
Holy Spirit - as did George Fox and early Quakers. He distinguished such relatively
common experience
from what he called ‘openings’, using that term to denote a fresh and major insight
into the ways of God,
which often led to specific courses of action or to the taking of a particular
stand on the matter concerned.
LEAVENERS
The Quaker performing arts organisation which aims to express Quaker faith and values
through performance. It has an associated orchestra and chorus, with several major
productions to its credit. Its activities involve many Young Friends, but many older
ones participate actively on the musical side.
A Listed Informal Group
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Provided by a meeting or a committee to a Quaker setting off on a journey during which contact with one or more Quaker meetings is anticipated. It does not have the status of a travelling minute.
LIBERAL QUAKERS
Sometimes used to describe collectively all those in membership of meetings in the ‘unprogrammed tradition’, with the exception of the small Conservative yearly meetings.
Their beliefs stemmed from late 19th century discoveries in biblical criticism,
scientific thought and social life,
and a rediscovery of early Quaker history. From the turn of this century the
movement gained momentum and
progressively changed in character.
LIGHT, THE/ INWARD LIGHT
The term used by the early Quakers to denote the source of leading and inspiration,
to be found at the still centre
sought through the silence of personal or corporate worship. For them it was unequivocally
the light of Christ, "come to teach his people himself”, a far cry from the
undefined
‘light’ or ‘spirit’ to which most ‘unprogrammed’ Quakers today
feel able
to make reference.
LINK GROUP
Link is a regular meeting of young people, aged 13-18, from Quaker meetings around an area,
eg Yorkshire Link Group. It is an opportunity for fun, friendship and discussion, linking
young
people with Quaker connections.
Links & Contacts
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So called because the names and brief details are listed in the annual "Book of Meetings", compiled by the Recording Clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting . About thirty in number, their interests range widely. It has been observed that the felt need to form such groups arises, at least in part, from the channelling of topics through the area meetings and the Yearly Meeting Agenda Committee, so limiting chances of a ‘national’ forum. The groups as in 2007.
LOCAL MEETING
Previously called Preparative Meetings, Recognised Meetings or Notified Meetings, these are the groups
of Friends who worship together and, together, form the congregation of the area meetings. Defined as "any local group holding a public meeting for worship regularly and not less
frequently than once
a month, either on a Sunday or a weekday, and which has done so for at least a year, may
be recognised
by minute of the area meeting". It may, but need not have, a preparative meeting.
In most cases a local meeting is centred on a meeting house. Local meetings communicate
with area
meetings by sending representatives to business meetings, which occur between six and twelve
times a year.
Quakers in Ireland use the earlier term ‘Allowed meeting’, though not recognised in their Book of Christian Discipline.
LONDON YEARLY MEETING
See Britain Yearly Meeting
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In a meeting for worship for marriage, the man and woman make their vows to each other without the participation of a priest, or any other officiating person. All those present are encouraged to sign the marriage certificate as witnesses. The legal requirements are dealt with by a member of the area meeting serving as a Registering Officer.
MARRYING OUT
It was a practice of Friends until 1860 to disown a member who married
someone not in membership, and not willing to apply for membership. The effects were
progressively
disastrous, and the practice was identified in 1859 by John Stephenson
Rowntree as the principal cause of the Society's numerical decline in Britain.
MEETING for BUSINESS
The full title should be ‘meeting for worship for business’, which indicates the basis on
which all Quaker
‘church affairs’ are intended to be conducted. [See ‘Consensus’, ‘Clerk’ and ‘Minute’].
MEETING for SUFFERINGS
The standing representative committee of the yearly meeting, entrusted between the meetings
thereof with
the general care of matters affecting Britain Yearly Meeting as a whole.
Its function
was both deliberative and executive until January 2007 when it took on a ‘visionary and
prophetic role’,
intended to draw the Quaker community together and work for a better world. The title
originated with the
period in the early days of the Quaker movement when many adherents and their families
were imprisoned, fined
or had their dwellings distrained.
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Now laid down, its duties included preparing the budget recommendations, constantly reviewing Britain Yearly Meeting’s core purposes and balance of responsibilities between committees and staff, management of functions of central departments, and the presentation of business to Meeting for Sufferings.
MEETING for WORSHIP
The name given to the silence based Quaker equivalent of a church service. Originally
lasting several hours,
with no set duration, the practice has slowly evolved to the present point, where the
meeting is expected
to last about one hour. Signs of habit about this may be attributed to the domestic
pressures in the
characteristic one-Quaker household, and the usual British loyalty to the ‘Sunday dinner’.
[see 'Ministry'].
MEETING HOUSE
The name given by Quakers [and other religious bodies] to the building in which the regular
occasions of
worship take place. In the case of Quakers, it is explicit that no building is more sacred
than another, so
their meeting houses can be used by themselves and others for any purpose which the meeting
concerned
regards as appropriate.
MEMBERSHIP
Apart from a dwindling number of ‘birthright’ members, membership
of the Religious
Society of Friends is acquired by application to an area meeting. Those
applying are visited
by two Friends, appointed by the area meeting. The purpose is to ensure that the applicant
is sufficiently
familiar with the heritage and testimonies of Quakers, and in unity with its views and
practices.
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A meeting for worship on the occasion of the death of a member , or of an attender closely associated with the life of the meeting. It may take place on the day of the funeral, or at a later date which is chosen to enable more to attend who wish to do so. The intention is to "give thanks for the grace of God" in the life of the deceased person.
MINISTRIES
Various forms of service to which the gifts [spiritual and other] of an individual may be
matched [see 'Nominations Committee’].
MINISTRY, SPOKEN/VOCAL
It is part of the Quaker tradition from the beginning, that during a meeting for worship
anyone may rise
to speak or to pray. Until recently, it was understood that the call to offer spoken
ministry should arise
from a clear sense that it came from the Holy Spirit. Vocal ministry has been described
as "the offering
of experience won in thought and in life which… has led to a deeper vision of God ".
MINUTE
Drafted by the clerk during a meeting for worship for business, and
offered as a
concise summary of the position reached by the meeting on the matter in hand
[‘ the sense of the meeting’]. Only in exceptional circumstances [such as awareness
that the ‘sense’
has not yet been achieved] or to permit some rephrasing [e.g. ‘over lunch’] is the
acceptance of a minute
not achieved before moving on to the next item.
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See Area Meeting
MOVED
Although frequently heard [as in "I felt moved to speak"], it would be unwise to assume
that the original
Quaker sense is in use: that of an inward motion of the Spirit, impelling the person
involved to speak or
to carry out some specific course of action.
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A small group of people of any age at a conference or similar event, selected with the intention of getting to know each other better. More appreciated by the younger, less so by the elderly.
NOMINATIONS COMMITTEES
The traditional means by which Quakers identify those among their number for service
of various kinds.
Nominations are laid before the body of Friends that has appointed the nominations
committee. In theory,
anyone may express hesitation, or raise queries about the extent of the search [since
it has not been Quaker
practice to offer oneself], but this has become rare, thus tending to equate nominating
with appointing.
NOTIFIED MEETING
See local meeting.
NOTIONS
The original Quaker term for ideas or proposals which are ’heady’, lacking in spiritual
depth. Thus more
generally applied to any approach to religious matters which is not primarily based on
first hand spiritual
experience.
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See Leadings.
OUTREACH
Previously known as extension work, the name given
to the activity involved in making the Quaker approach
available to others who might he interested, and then providing the necessary contacts,
information and support.
Unlike early Quakers, they no longer try to draw people from existing denominational
attachments
[proselytising], and tend to be cautious about sharing whatever good news they, have
[evangelising]:
"Everyone must be allowed to go at their own pace".
OVERSEERS
Individual Quakers appointed by their area meeting to assume responsibility
for the general
care of all members and attenders, with particular reference to families and children, and
those in special need
of support and assistance. They usually work collaboratively with the group of elders,
since the service is both complementary and overlapping.
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The genetic term for the service to all members and attenders that is the shared responsibility of all, together with the additional responsibilities of eldership and oversight, and the work carried out by the committees and staff departments of the yearly meeting.
PASTORAL FRIENDS
Members of yearly meetings, in the USA and elsewhere, which have pastors [sometimes
as members
of a team leadership]. While all these would be in ‘programmed meetings’,
not all the latter have pastors.
PEACE TESTIMONY
The basis of' the Quaker opposition to the use of war and other forms of organised
violence as a means
of dealing with national or international problems, or of settling disputes.
Traditionally seen as originating
in the address submitted to Charles II in 1661, to dissociate Quakers
from the politically suspect ‘Fifth
Monarchy Men’. The positive aspect lies in efforts to facilitate reconciliation
as trustworthy mediators.
PECULIARITIES
The term used to describe some of the testimonies held in earlier
times
by the Quaker movement. These included the refusal to doff the hat as a mark of
conventional courtesy
[because all are equal]; the use of ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ in the place of ‘you’; and
the adoption of plain
clothing [usually dark and without collar or other ‘frills’].
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Near Clitheroe in Lancashire, from the summit of' which George Fox “saw a great people to be gathered", northwest across Morecambe Bay [see 1652 Country]. Also the name of a Quaker centre for study and contemplation, at Wallingford just outside Philadelphia.
PENN CLUB
A guest house in central London, handy for Friends House. Established in 1920 with funds
made available from the Friends Ambulance
Unit which no longer needed a Central London
base. It retains ties with Friends and Quaker organisations throughout the UK.
Links &
Contacts
PENN’S SWORD
William Penn as the son of an admiral wore a sword as part of
his accustomed clothing.
Becoming increasingly concerned at this un-Quakerly display of weaponry he is reputed
to have
taken the problem to George Fox who told him “I advise thee to wear
it as
long as thou canst.” The phrase is often applied to-day as a metaphor.
PLAIN QUAKER
Rarely encountered outside the small yearly meetings of Conservative Friends in the USA; characterised by retention of the very plain dark clothing and
the ‘plain speech’ [thee and thou] as the surface manifestations, but additionally
by the emphasis on
traditional Quaker Christian spirituality.
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As mentioned under ‘Plain Quakers’, but also used to include the element of directness, illustrated by "his yea is yea and his nay is nay, and no more". Older Quakers have noticed a tendency for such plainness to be losing ground, through loss of the conviction upon which it was based in earlier times.
PREPARATIVE MEETING
A meeting for church affairs in connection with a local meeting which is
responsible
for the nurture of the spiritual life of the meeting and for the conduct of its business.
The term ‘preparative’
stems from the fact that such meetings send matters for consideration by the area meeting
(as well as
receiving from it business requiring its attention at local level).
PREVENTED
A euphemism widely used by Quakers to cover any and all reasons other than illness for
the absence of a
member listed as being expected to attend a business or other meeting. An example of
non-plain speech.
PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY REVIVED
What George Fox and his companions said they were experiencing. He was
explicit
that the structure and activities of the Christian Church from the end of the apostolic
period had been apostasy
- an abandonment of the faith and principles of Jesus as preached in and by his first
century followers. Early
Quakers were convinced that "Christ had come to teach his people himself”, inwardly
through the Light of the Holy Spirit.
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One not wholly based on silence as the means to worship, but similar to that of most non-conformist Protestant churches, though without a creed or use of the outward Sacraments. In most meetings in the USA of this kind, provision is made for silence (in varying amounts), usually described as ‘open worship’. The uses to which this is put vary widely from one place to another, according to how well-informed is the ‘congregation’.
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Originally related to the trembling sometimes experienced through spiritual experience (as when moved to speak during a meeting for worship) the term was applied in derision by a Justice before whom George Fox was appearing, and then later adopted positively by the movement. It is today a more satisfactory title than ‘Friends’, since there are so many organisations, both commercial and charitable, named similarly.
QUAKER BOOKSHOP
Once known as Friends Bookshop, it is located on
the ground floor of Friends House. This shop stocks or can obtain most
Quaker literature which is in print, and other works besides. It will form part of the
planned BYM Quaker Centre in London.
Links & Contacts
QUAKER BUSINESS METHOD
Friends believe that their decision-making process must be undertaken in a spirit of worship.
Hence,
business meetings are meetings for worship for business affairs,
contributions are
ministry and all unite with the agreed minute .
QUAKER COMMUNICATIONS CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Deals with communications both inside and outwith the Society, fundraising, organising yearly meeting
and summer gatherings.
QUAKER COUNCIL for EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
To provide a focus in continental Europe for British and Continental Quakers to act
jointly within the
framework of the European Community. The Council's centre in Brussels is known as
Quaker House.
Links & Contacts
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At Friends House, oversees all personnel matters, office services, information technology and the restaurant.
QUAKER FAITH and PRACTICE
The 1995 revision which combined ‘Christian Faith and Practice’ and ‘Church Government’
into the
present ‘Book of Christian Discipline’. 'Christian Faith and Practice' was the name of
the first part, published
between 1738 and 1994, and consisting of texts from many sources and intended to be
a source of guidance,
example and inspiration in the way we conduct our lives. Church Government was the second
part which
provided guidance in church affairs. The present Revision was considered by London Yearly Meeting in 1994 and became part of Quaker faith and practice.
The text is comprehensively revised about every generation, with smaller changes
periodically.
Links & Contacts
QUAKER FINANCE and PROPERTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Responsible for overseeing the finances of yearly meeting and for the
properties in its ownership.
QUAKER HOME SERVICE
See Quaker Life.
QUAKER HOUSE
The centre for Irish Friends in Dublin.
Links & Contacts
QUAKER HOUSING TRUST
A national Quaker channel for practical Quaker witness in housing. Assists
local groups with local projects.
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This Centre [with which is associated William Penn House] was situated in central London not far from Friends House. With meeting rooms and accommodation for visitors, it provided a focal point for Quaker and other travellers visiting Britain, including diplomats and others with whom Quaker reconciliation work is involved. Its facilities were also available to Quakers in Britain and those closely associated with them.
QUAKER LIFE
Previously Quaker Home Service, the central department of Britain Yearly Meeting, primarily responsible for the nurture of
the spiritual life
of all the meetings, members of all ages, attenders and newcomers and for bringing
the Quaker position and
message to the attention of those who may be interested.
Also a publication of Friends United Meeting
Links & Contacts
QUAKER MONTHLY
A periodical produced by Quaker Life. Aimed particularly at the
interests of newcomers
and attenders, it also provides a valuable outlet for material which may not
readily find a place in the weekly journal [The Friend].
Links & Contacts
QUAKER NEWS
A ‘broadsheet' [in colour] that is made available without charge to all those who
attend the more than 400
Quaker meetings in Britain. The purpose is to provide, in readable prose and an
attractive format, information
about the work of the ‘central’ departments and services, and to set out and explain
the financial basis upon
which all such activities must depend. Attention is drawn to many other topics of
interest.
Links & Contacts
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Previously known as 1905 Committee, then Yorkshire Friends Sevice Committee, the committee of Quakers in Yorkshire which is responsible for Enquirers, Newcomers and Attenders days, Holiday School, Easter Settlement, Quaker exhibitions and other matters in Yorkshire, and Resources, Information and Media, who publish this document.
Links & Contacts
QUAKER PEACE and SERVICE
See Quaker Peace and Social Witness
QUAKER PEACE and SOCIAL WITNESS
One of the two central standing committees of BYM. Originally an
amalgam of
the former Quaker Peace & Service and Quaker Social Responsibility and Education. Quaker Peace and Service was a central department of Britain Yearly
Meeting responsible for the promotion and execution of the work implied by its title. This
is carried out both
in the UK and abroad, and often is in response to needs expressed by the country concerned.
It attracts funding from many non-Quaker sources because of the widespread recognition of
Quaker
work and commitment in the fields of service, and of conflict resolution. Quaker Social Responsibility and Education was
the central department of Britain Yearly Meeting that provides support for the interest and activities of Friends and meetings across a
wide range of
special topics such as, for example, housing and homelessness; poverty; the effects of
unemployment;
racial discrimination; criminal justice.
QUAKER QUEST
A series of meetings, usually four to six, and held in the evening, aimed at introducing
Quakerism to members
of the public who have no or very little knowledge of Quakerism. Originally a project
of
Hampstead Monthly Meeting, Quaker Quest teams now operate in many areas of the country.
Links & Contacts
QUAKER SOCIAL ACTION
Originally known as the Bedford Institute Association,
Quaker Social Action
is a Quaker charitable body that has been working in the City and East End of London since
1867.
It is responsible for a number of practical and innovative schemes to address the human
problems
resulting from unemployment and the widespread lack of acceptable housing.
Links & Contacts
A Listed Informal Group
QUAKER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
and EDUCATION
See Quaker Peace and Social Witness.
QUAKER STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
The role of this body is to support meetings in the management of finance and property;
to ‘encourage accountability, transparency and integrity’ and ‘enable Friends to work with statutory
bodies, such as those administering charity law, on issues that affect all meetings and their associated bodies.'
Their work in guiding meeting through the changes due to RECAST and by legislation has resulted in
the publication of the Treasurers Handbook and the Trustees Handbook.
Links & Contacts
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A series of panels, made by hand in tapestry, depicting the history of Quakerism, and on display, usually in Kendal Meeting House or at other locations during the winter months.
Links & Contacts A Listed Informal Group
QUAKER UNITED NATIONS OFFICES
These are located in Geneva and New York, enabling an active role in the work of the
Non-Governmental Organisations, as well as providing many opportunities far diplomats
to meet in
quite acceptable neutral surroundings for informal conversation and discussion.
Links & Contacts
QUAKERISM
Founded as a movement, not as a sect, the Quakers have never claimed to be a ‘denomination’.
By 1900 their historians were using the term ‘Quakerism’ without comment or explanation,
though
many of its members today are less than happy with the suffix. Creedless and increasingly
diverse in
terms of personal belief, there has been a growing tendency to stress the ‘way of life’ as
revealing
whatever identity it now can recognise. Within what is referred to as ‘the world family of
Friends’,
held together on a representative basis by the Friends World Committee for
Consultation,
there are of course many yearly meetings in no doubt about their own identity: this is a
problem more frequently
encountered by those in the silence based unprogrammed tradition, such as Britain Yearly Meeting.
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Formerly Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting, then Yorkshire General Meeting, this is the general meeting for the seven area meetings in the southern part of Yorkshire. Since 2008 the regular meetings of this body have been referred to again as Quarterly Meetings.
Links & Contacts
QUARTERLY MEETING
The body and occasion still known by this name in Ireland Yearly Meeting.
[For Britain Yearly Meeting, see ‘General Meeting’].
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Part of ‘Advices and Queries’ in Britain Yearly Meeting : the full title in Ireland Yearly Meeting is ‘Queries for serious consideration’.
QUIETIST
The term used to describe Quakers in the 18th century, often implying that they were
inward-looking and
defensive. Under the watchful eyes of the elders during that period, spoken ministry was
concentrated
in the ‘recorded ministers’, who travelled widely. Their waiting
for
a ‘leading’ to speak sometimes disappointed those present, when they
had
no clear sense of a ‘message to deliver’. But the period produced deeply spiritual Quakers.
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One of the many sects contemporaneous with the first Quakers, from which some were in fact recruited. It espoused the antinomian doctrine, whereby the individual was completely free to follow her or his interpretation of the leading of the Holy Spirit, regardless of the moral or other law. Fox saw the danger of this, stressing the need for letting the worshipping group provide a safeguarding check. [see Authority].
RECOGNISED MEETING
See local meeting.
Quakers in Ireland use the earlier term ‘Allowed meeting’, though
not recognised in their Book of Christian Discipline.
RECORDED MINISTER
[see under Quietist]. From
1723 until 1924, this term referred in
those whose special gifts had been recognised by their Monthly meeting,
identifying them as ‘possessed of prophetic insight, of more than usual powers of persuasive speech,
of clean sober character, and of convincing quality of life’. Recording was abandoned in the hope
of encouraging more ‘ordinary members’ to contribute, as moved, to the spoken ministry.
RECORDING CLERK
In BritainYearly Meeting, the principal full time administrator. In addition to
certain specific duties he or she is responsible for ensuring that decisions taken by the Yearly Meeting or by the Meeting for Sufferings are conveyed to the bodies or individuals involved in their implementation. The Recording Clerk
does not ‘record’ or draft minutes as this is the responsibility of the clerk of each meeting or
committee.
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A member appointed by a monthly meeting to serve as the person responsible £or the proper preparation for, and the right holding of, meetings for worship for the solemnisation of marriage, according to the legal requirements and the usages of the Society.
RELEASED [LIBERATED] FRIEND
The terms sometimes used to describe the position of a member who has been recognised
by the area meeting, or by Meeting for Sufferings,
as having a religiously valid concern to undertake a specific service which will cause her or
him to be absent for a substantial period, or to travel frequently. Originally (and still sometimes
today) such a ‘release’ might involve the financial support of spouse and/or dependants.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS [QUAKERS]
The correct title of Britain Yearly Meeting, and of several other yearly
meetings around the world.
Links & Contacts
REPRESENTATIVE COUNCILS
Formerly both Quaker Life and Quaker Peace and Social Witness had representative councils, but as mentioned under central departments,
these did not
have any executive power, even though in Britain Yearly Meeting they were the only bodies other than Meeting for Sufferings that are
‘representative’ in the sense that the bulk of their members were appointed by the area meetings. Quaker Peace and Social Witness’s council was laid down
in 2007. Quaker Life's council
provides opportunities for important topics
to be explored, and the central committees to bring up matters for wider consideration.
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A specialist, not-for-profit therapeutic centre for mental health in York, founded by William Tuke in 1796 and run by Quakers ever since.
Links & Contacts
RIGHT ORDERING, IN
Carried out in a manner consistent with the accumulated experience and insights of the
Society, and with the relevant guidelines provided Quaker faith and
practice.
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Described in some parts of the Christian Church as "the outward and visible signs of an inward and visible grace", these have never been observed in practice by Quakers, who have maintained that they are not necessary and can lead to meaningless ritual performance. But Quaker practice itself often falls far short of this ideal, for example when asserting that "every meal can be a eucharist”, or “the meeting for worship is sacramental".
SACRED
Quakers have long maintained that no distinction can or should be made between the
‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’, on the grounds that all creation is sacred. This would appear
to many to ignore obtusely the fact that whereas a commercial bank is plainly a secular
institution, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) equally plainly is not. They are on
firmer ground in saying that worship can occur anywhere.
SCHEDULE
The printed form sent out annually to enable members to decide how much of their income
to give to support the work of their local, area, general and yearly meetings. While apparently
helpful to some, it is confusing to many and is daunting to those who are on very low
incomes. Recently it has been seen as needing to be complemented by such well tried
alternatives as the ‘weekly envelope’ method, or in other ways.
SEASONED
A peculiarly apt Quaker term to describe a member with considerable experience of the
faith and practice of the Society, and evidencing through her or his ministry and life a good
measure of spiritual maturity and depth.
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The metaphor used by some early Quakers, most notably Isaac Penington, to denote the "part of God's nature, capable of growth, which was brought into the heart of man". It was that which he had met with, so that he could write "I have met with my God, with my saviour". For him it was "the Inward Light of Christ" as well as what Fox called "that of God", now quoted out-of-context, and so without meaning as a faith statement.
SEEKERS
Small groups of individuals which in the 17th century were dissatisfied with the churches and
sects of the day. They met together, often in silent waiting, seeking for the Truth. Some of
these groups were receptive to the preaching of George Fox [see, for
example, under 1652 Country].
SENSE of the MEETING
Recently described succinctly as “a commitment to faith", in contradistinction to consensus, described as "the product of an intellectual process". In a Quaker meeting for worship for business, ‘sense of the meeting’ is
sought on the assumption that all or most of those present are seeking to cooperate
with God's purpose for the matter in hand.
SILENCE
This word is included here because it is seen as important to stress that silence is the
basis of a Quaker meeting for worship, a means to the end of achieving an inward
stillness, not an end in itself. And this in turn is an experience shared with the whole
Christian tradition, and with other world faiths.
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Often listed as one of the Quaker ‘testimonies’ , this can be applied very narrowly to material possessions, such as apparel and furniture, or more broadly to include both the outward demeanour of an individual and the lack of inner ‘clutter’ which gives rise to that demeanour. Over-attention to the material aspect can be at the expense of spiritual integrity, as several Quaker writers and many others have testified.
SIX WEEKS MEETING
Now a registered charity, the committee, dating from 1671, which oversees and is
responsible for ensuring the proper upkeep
of Quaker meeting houses in London and Middlesex General Meeting.
A
Quaker Committee
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER
An expression likely to be used at times when Quakers are particularly concerned about
some issue on which action, or a change of attitude, on the part of those in authority seems
to be essential: the personal approach adopted a century ago and earlier is seldom possible
at the highest levels these days, but a channel of communication can often be found.
SPEAKING TO ONE'S CONDITION
Means "that is very apt/timely/helpful to me at this moment". It is on record that when one
young Quaker said that something did not speak to his condition another quickly replied
"Perhaps you are not in a condition to be spoken to".
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The term used by George Fox when needing to refer to a building usually called a ‘church’ on the grounds that the real Church was not made by human hands. As he once put it, "The church is the people whom God has purchased with his blood, and not the house".
STOP [IN THE MIND]
A Quaker way of expressing an inward sense of hesitancy about the rightness of some
proposed course of action.
SWANBROOK HOUSE
In Dublin, the former historical library and administrative offices of Ireland
Yearly Meeting.
Links & Contacts
SWARTHMOOR HALL
The home of Judge and Margaret Fell. See 1652 Country.
Links & Contacts
SWARTHMORE LECTURE
Since 1908, a lecture delivered at the time when Britain Yearly Meeting gathers, but not forming part of the proceedings. It is usual for a full version to be
published simultaneously. It serves to ‘bring before the public the spirit, aims and fundamental
principles of friends’; and ‘to interpret further to the members of the Society their message
and mission'.
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The phrase coming at the end of a sentence reporting the identities of those serving as clerks, for example when London Meeting is in session.
TABULAR STATEMENT
A statistical summary published annually as part of the documents available to all those taking
part in the Yearly Meeting [and therefore also included in the printed
records]. Originally listed by general meeting, but now by area meeting, it provides figures for membership; the number of new members during the
year; details about marriages [both according to Quaker usage and
otherwise] and of the numbers of attenders’ listed in the Area
Meeting returns.
TENDER
Rarely used today in the 17th century sense, of "well-disposed, open, ready to receive
and pay attention".
TESTIMONIES
This word is used by Quakers in more than one sense: for example, as in the case of ‘A testimony
to the grace of God in the life of XY’, or differently when referring to ‘our historic peace testimony'.
Attempts to form a generally acceptable list of the latter type prove difficult, mainly because
only the Yearly Meeting could validate it, following due consideration and
some early testimonies still held by Conservative Friends.
The main testimonies.
TESTING
Most frequently met in relation to the ‘testing’ of what is believed to be a religious ‘concern’ an inward sense that God is laying a task upon a person or a group. Most usually the
‘testing’ is carried out by the appropriate area meeting [or by a ‘clearness group’ which it sets up for the purpose].
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A euphemism for ‘definitely not suitable’ with respect to nominations.
THAT OF GOD IN EVERY ONE
A phrase occurring in a letter written by George Fox from prison to
‘Friends in the ministry’. Frequently cited today as the only belief that Quakers in the silence
based tradition have in common, and are likely to assert, its context is unknown to the majority
of those who use it. Without that context, it loses most of its significance and also questions
whether the speaker knows what ‘that’ implies, or what ‘God’ means to her/him.
THE FRIEND
The weekly journal published in London. It celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1993.
Independent of the Religious Society of Friends, it is owned [along with The Friends Quarterly] by a trust. It carries a variety of short submitted articles,
typically headed 'News', 'Opinion' or ‘Comment’; reports on the proceedings of Yearly Meeting, of Meeting for Sufferings, and other events; reviews,
advertisments and a vigorous ‘Letters to the Editor’section.
Links & Contacts
TRAVEL IN THE MINISTRY
An essential feature of the life of the Society from the earliest days, until about a
century ago
most usually involved a ‘recorded minister’ and a companion,
less experienced. In process of being revived with charitable trust support this ministry is
being undertaken by individuals as well as by pairs, but still implies the element of religious
concern as the basis of the work.
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This is issued by an area meeting [or by Meeting for Sufferings] to a Quaker who is setting out on a journey among Quaker meetings, in Britain or abroad, which the meeting has recognised as one carried out under ‘concern’.
TREASURER’S HANDBOOK
A comprehensive manual to guide those who undertake the role of Treasurer. It is updated
periodically, and the 2008 edition makes clear how accounts should be kept to comply with
the recent changes to Charity Commission requirements. It is available from the Quaker Bookshop or as a download from the Support for
Meetings.
TRUSTEE’S HANDBOOK
A concise guide to the ethical and legal requirements of being a Trustee, updated periodically
and available from Quaker Bookshop or as a download from the Quaker Stewardship Committee.
Links & Contacts
TRUTH, FRIENDS IN THE
The name by which early Quakers called their movement [following the first title ‘Children of the Light’]. They were
quite clear that the Truth to which this referred was what they believed Christ had
"come to teach his people himself", revealed through the Inward Light of his Spirit.
The modern tendency to attribute ‘Friends’ to the Johannine reported words of Jesus,
"I have called you friends" is not well founded.
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A group set up by Britain Yearly Meeting "to unite with the concern for standards in public life which exercises many Friends" and laid down in 2006.
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Newcomers among British Quakers are likely to encounter references to this concept, most probably in relation to ‘diversity’. Since the latter is very obvious across the spectrum of personal belief, from deep conviction based on personal experience right across to none at all, it can sometimes be difficult to reach unity. The other [loose] use of ‘unity’ takes the form "I can unite with that” which means "I probably agree."
UNIVERSALIST
In the Quaker context, exemplified by the position of a group which believes "that spiritual
awareness is accessible to men and women of any religion or none and that no one Faith
can claim to be a final revelation or to have a monopoly of truth". Most Quaker-Christians
[as distinct from most other Christians] will accept this, though some would say that "one can
only truly respect another's faith when rooted and grounded in one's own".
UNPROGRAMMED MEETING [FOR WORSHIP]
As contrasted with the ‘programmed’, this is the silence-based
mode of corporate worship, with no planned programme, out of which spoken ministry may arise from anyone present.
UPHOLDING the TABLE
When the clerk is concentrating on the framing of the minute, during a meeting for business, those present are expected
to provide supportive worship (or at least to maintain a deep silence).
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The two Friends appointed by the area meeting to visit an applicant for membership. Usually one of the visitors will be known to the applicant and the other will belong to a different meeting.[see Membership].
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An adjective applied to an individual Quaker who is perceived by the person using it as being either very experienced/spiritually mature/etc., or as one who is influential [whose words ‘carry weight’] in the affairs of the Society or sometimes as both.
WOODBROOKE QUAKER STUDY CENTRE
Originally Woodbrooke College, the first of the ecumenical group known as the
Selly Oak Colleges, affiliated to the
University of Birmingham, it was founded in 1903 when George Cadbury gave his house and extensive grounds for the purpose of what
he called ‘a Quaker settlement’. His purpose was to meet the need for training in a
religious society without a clergy. Greatly diversified, it is now also a ‘study centre’
with many non academic short courses.
Links & Contacts
WORSHIP SHARING
A form of discussion, structured for a specific occasion, intended for members of all ages.
One person speaks at a time, without interruption and time must pass before the next person
speaks. It encourages listening to what others say, rather than making one’s own views heard.
See Quaker faith and practice 2.80-81.
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Early Quakers, convinced of the relevance of Matthew 5:33-37 and of James 5:12 to everyday life, refused to take oaths in courts of law (for which many went to prison), or in many other places, thus precluding them from many professional and public positions. They also saw the need to keep to ‘Yea’ and ‘Nay’ to promote strict standards of integrity in personal and business life, thus achieving a reputation for dependability.
YEARLY MEETING'S COMMITTEE
The name of the body which in Ireland Yearly Meeting holds the same
relative position as ‘Meeting for Sufferings’ in Britain
Yearly Meeting.
YORKSHIRE FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
An old name for Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire.
YORKSHIRE GENERAL MEETING
See Quakers in Yorkshire
YORKSHIRE QUARTERLY MEETING
See Quakers in Yorkshire
YOUNG FRIENDS GENERAL MEETING
Until 1993 known as the Young Friends Central Committee,
it is an active body open to
both members and attenders from the age of 18 years to a notional 35. Its meetings take
place over weekends three times annually, plus a yearly gathering, in larger meeting houses
around Britain. With two representatives on Meeting for Sufferings, it
can put forward matters for consideration both to that body and to the Yearly Meeting.
YOUNG QUAKER
The periodical published by Young Friends General Meeting.
Links & Contacts
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An area in northwest England, bounded by Brigflatts, Ulverston, Kendal and Lancaster, where Fox met [wrote Penn] "a large group of seeking and religiously inclined people", many of whom joined him as he fulfilled a vision of "a great people to be gathered". Swarthmoor Hall near Ulverston became the nerve centre of the Quaker movement, through the generous spirit of Judge Fell, whose wife Margaret and most of his household were convinced, though he did not become a Quaker himself.
1905 COMMITTEE
See QOY.
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IV BIOGRAPHIES
ROBERT BARCLAY (1648 - 1690)
He had experienced the extreme narrowness and bitterness of both Protestant and Catholic in the religious
disputes of his time. He was the son of David Barclay, a distinguished cavalry officer who turned Quaker,
and of Catherine Gordon, granddaughter of the Earl of Sutherland. With the advantage of an education
part Scottish Presbyterian and part Catholic at the Scottish College in Paris, Barclay was able at twenty-seven
to write the famous 'Apology', which for the first time formulated Quakerism in a way which compelled the
attention of the theologians of Europe; the first edition (in Latin) appeared in 1676. In form it was a direct
challenge to much of the Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism (1646-1648). It forcibly
attacked 'school divinity', for Barclay felt that, in his own time, God had 'chosen a few despicable and unlearned
instruments, as He did fishermen of old, to publish His pure and naked Truth, and to free it of these mists
and fogs wherewith the clergy had clouded it', At the first meeting of Friends which Barclay attended, he
was 'reached in the time of silence' but impressed, too, with the words of an unknown minister: 'In stillness
there is fullness, in fullness there is nothingness, in nothingness there are all things'.
CFP
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GEORGE CADBURY (1839 - 1922)
George Cadbury was born into a Quaker family of tea and coffee merchants in Edgbaston. In 1861
he, with his brother Richard, took over the family business and in 1866 started selling cocoa
as a powder with which to make a drink. It was this which was to establish the family fortune
and by 1879 the business had so outgrown its premises that a 15 acre site at Bourneville was
purchased on which both a new factory and a new village were built. Despite the effort required
to run a large company, George was a regular teacher for much of his life at the Birmingham
Adult School on Sunday mornings. He supported Gladstone politically but later opposed the
Boer and 1914-18 wars, co-founding the Union of Democratic Control party which was the leading
political opposition to these wars.
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JUDGE THOMAS FELL (1598 - 1658)
Born into a well known family at Hawkshead, Thomas studied law and became a barrister, an
MP in the Long Parliament, an Assize Court Judge and eventually the Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster. He married Margaret Askew in 1632 when a barrister and built Swarthmore Hall, near
Ulverston, as his home. Initially he supported Cromwell, but later disapproved of Cromwell's
assumption of authority. Although never becoming a Quaker, he supported both his wife Margaret
and the many early Friends whom she brought to his home in this, and was able to protect them
to some degree from the effects of the civil war.
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MARGARET FELL (1614 - 1702)
Born Margaret Askew at Dalton-in-Furness, she married Thomas Fell, a barrister in 1632 and bore
him nine children. In 1652 she heard George Fox preach and became convinced. She, with her
husband's agreement, turned their family home, Swarthmore Hall, into the early centre of
Quakerism, providing hospitality to many early Friends. She was arrested in 1664 for refusing
to take an oath, and for holding Meetings for Worship in her home, and eventually sentenced
to life imprisonment at Lancaster Gaol. Pardoned by Charles II in 1668, she married George
Fox in 1669, 11 years after the death of Thomas Fell, and outlived him also. An upright and
determined woman, she is quite rightly looked on as the 'mother of Quakerism'.
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GEORGE FOX (1624 - 1691)
The charismatic preacher from the Midlands of England, who from 1648 was mainly responsible
for the rise and establishment of the Quaker movement. He shared the leadership with many
others, which helps to explain why the movement has never been called ‘Foxism’.
He was the son of a Leicestershire weaver, and he described his mother as 'of the stock of the martyrs'. His Journal
was first published in 1694, extensively edited by Thomas Ellwood, and has been many times reprinted. In 1643,
when he was nineteen, and apprenticed to a shoe-maker and wool dealer, he was shocked by the failure
of 'professors', i.e. professing Christians, to live up to their Christian standards. This disillusionment drove him from
his home in search of spiritual help. He reached his own first-hand experience of Christ amid the religious confusion
of the Civil War. When this experience came to him he spent himself thereafter drawing others into it, and in knitting
them into an enduring fellowship. Years of his life were spent in travel, and he suffered eight imprisonments for
conscience' sake. He 'settled the Monthly Meetings in the Lord's everlasting power' and his organizing ability gave
our Society a structure which stands to this day.
CFP
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ALASTAIR HERON (1915 - )
Alastair Heron was born in Edinburgh in 1915, but like many Scots has spent most of his life
abroad (in Canada, Africa and Australia) and in England since 1975. A member of Balby
Monthly Meeting and attending Sheffield Central Meeting it is now more than sixty years
since he became a Quaker. In 1986 he spent nine weeks travelling in the ministry in
Australia and three years later did the same coast-to-coast in Canada. His first Quaker
book, Caring, conviction, commitment. published in 1992, resulted from the survey
he carried out in Yorkshire to learn at first hand of the experiences of attenders from
the time of their first entry into a Quaker meeting. The present little handbook was one
of his first responses to the needs they expressed. In 1996 his major work Quakers
in Britain; a century of change was the only book to mark the centenary of the
Manchester Conference that had opened the way for what later became known as the 'liberal
stage' in British Quaker history. Abstracted from it came The British Quakers: 1647
to 1997, still the only short modern introduction available to inform newcomers,
attenders - and quite a few members! In addition to two other books and an essay The future of British Quakers (2001), his autobiography Only one life -
a Quaker's voyage was published in 1998.
For thirty years Alastair Heron was a
research psychologist working mainly in the fields of human development through the
lifespan, and in cross-cultural studies. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he was professor
and head of department of psychology in the University of Melbourne, Australia. He
and his wife Margaret reached their sixtieth wedding anniversary in November 2000,
less than a year before her death at 88. Their son and daughter Keith and Joy live in
England and the USA respectively, and Alastair is a great-grandfather.
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WILLIAM PENN (1644 - 1718)
His life of high adventure, which has left its mark on the history of England and America, was that of a man of
commanding gifts and eager spirit vowed to "follow the Christ, the King'. When he threw in his lot with Friends
in 1667, he preferred 'the reproach of Christ' to the career at Court open before him, and he never flinched from
his decision. For his inner spirit, we can turn to his writings, especially to 'No Cross, No Crown', and the two little
books, called 'Fruits of solitude', written when he was under the ban of the authorities owing to his friendship with
the exiled James II. Penn's other writings include his 'Essay towards the present and future peace of Europe',
written in 1693 and foreshadowing a League of States.
William Charles Braithwaite wrote of him: 'Life to Penn was an arena for adventurous service. His eagerness of
mind and universal spirit made him leap from the seats of the spectators with which so many are content into the
thick of action. Rapt in great designs and careless of self he was often buffeted and baffled, deceived or mistaken,
but his courage was never defeated, nor the fineness of his temper marred. ... We go to others for flawless thought
and deeds of passive patience, but for the kindled vision compacted into glowing act, out of which the famous
deeds of history are wrought, what other Englishman of that age can rank with the hero of our religious freedom,
and of the Holy Experiment of Pennsylvania?
CFP
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ISAAC PENNINGTON (1616 - 1679)
The son of a prominent Parliamentarian leader, was already a man of forty two and a practised author when he
joined the Quakers in 1658. He suffered five imprisonments at Aylesbury and one at Reading - some five years
confinement in all, often in cold, damp and unhealthy rooms that nearly cost him his life. He was much occupied
in writing, and in travail of soul, 'being retired in spirit and mourning to my God, for the powerful bringing forth
of his pure life yet more perfectly both in myself and others'. His writings, though diffuse, are often strangely
beautiful, and reflect his own depth of experience and tenderness of spirit.
CFP
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JOHN STEPHENSON ROWNTREE (1834 - 1907)
Born into the Rowntree family of York, he had a strong influence on the reform of the Quaker
movement, writing, in 1859, "Quakerism past and present". As well as being involved in running
the family business he felt a strong civic duty and was elected Lord Mayor of York in 1880.
He married Elizabeth Hotham in 1858 and had nine children by her. After her death he married
Helen Doncaster in 1878, who survived him.
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SEEBOHM ROWNTREE (1871 - 1954)
Born into the Rowntree family of York, he entered the family business as research chemist
and also became a dedicated teacher at York Adult School.
In 1895, he visited Newcastle where he encountered poverty at first hand. This was to set
him on a course of investigating the causes and effects of poverty with three major
reports, in 1901, 1936 and 1951, about poverty in York. He married in 1897, and had five
children.
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WILLIAM TUKE (1732 - 1822)
Born into a Quaker family of tea and coffee merchants in York, he was able to devote some
of his early years to philanthropy. In 1792 he became aware of the conditions of the
insane asylums of the time when a Friend died in one, and by 1796 he has collected enough
funds to start "The Retreat", an insane asylum where patients were treated humanely in a
clean and pleasant environment with good food and where the benefits of therapeutic work
were pioneered.
VI ORGANISATION
CENTRAL COMMITTEES
Quaker Communications
Quaker Life
Quaker Peace & Social Witness
Quaker Employment and Service Central Committee
Quaker Finance & Property
Quaker Committee for Christian & Interfaith Relations
Quaker Housing Trust
Quaker World Relations Committee
Friends Trusts Ltd
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OTHER QUAKER COMMITTEES
Friends Housing Bursary Trust
Northern Friends Peace Board
Quaker Council for European Affairs
Quaker Scheme for befriending Overseas Prisoners
Six Weeks Meeting
West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project
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LISTED INFORMAL GROUPS
A Quaker Personal Exploration Group
Appleseed
Cape Town Quaker Peace Centre Committee of Wensleydale & Swaledale MM
China Interest Group
Christian Quaker Renewal Fellowship
Dabane Support Fund of Mid-Somerset MM
Friends Africa Interest Group
Friends Fellowship of Healing
Friends Historical Society
Friends House Moscow
Give Peace a Chance
Glebe House
HomeStore
The James Nayler Foundation
Leap Confronting Conflict
The Leaveners
Money for Madagascar
New Foundation fellowship
Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs
Quaker Arts network
Quaker Asylum Network
Quaker Bolivia Link
Quaker Campers
Quaker Concern for Animals
Quaker Disability Equality Group
Quaker Esperanto Society
Quaker Green Action
Quaker Homeless Action
Quaker Land Value Group
Quaker Lesbian and Gay Fellowship
Quaker Medical Society
Quaker Peace Studies Trust
Quaker Retreat group
Quaker Social Action
Quaker Social Action Homelink
Quaker Socialist Society
Quaker South Asia Interest Group
The Quaker Tapestry at Kendal
Quaker Theology Seminar
Quaker Universalist Group
Quaker Voluntary Action
Quaker Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Quaker Womans Group
The Quakers and Business Group
Quakers in Criminal Justice
Talking Friends
The Seeker Movement
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QUAKER SCHOOLS
Ackworth, Pontefract, Yorkshire, WF7 7LT tel: 01977 611 401 fax: 01977 616 225 www.ackworthschool.com Co-educational day and boarding. Bootham, York, YO30 7BU tel: 01904 623 261 fax: 01904 652 106 www.bootham.york.sch.uk Co-educational day and boarding. Breckenbrough, Thirsk, Yorkshire, YO4 7EN tel: 01845 587 238 www.breckenbrough.org.uk A special school for boys. Leighton Park, Reading, Berks, RG2 7ED tel: 0118 987 9600 fax: 0118 987 9625 www.leightonpark.reading.sch.uk Co-educational day and boarding. The Mount, York, YO24 4DD tel: 01904 667 500 fax: 01904 667 5241 www.mountschoolyork.co.uk Girls day and boarding. Saffron Walden, Saffron Walden CB11 3EB tel: 01799 525 351 fax: 01799 523 808 www.friends.org.uk Co-educational day and boarding. Sibford, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 5QL tel: 01295 781 200 fax: 01295 781 204 www.sibford.oxon.sch.uk Co-educational day and boarding. Sidcot, Winscombe, Somerset, BS25 1PD tel: 01934 843 102 www.sidcot.org.uk Co-educational day and boarding. Lisburn, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, BT28 3BH tel: 02892 662 156 fax: 02892 672 134 www.friendsschoollisburn.org.uk Co-educational Newton, Waterford, Ireland. tel: 353 51 860 200 fax: 385 51 860 201 www.newtownschool.ie Co-educational
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V TESTIMONIES
The following quotations are taken from the 1994 and 1959 editions of Christian Faith & Practice,
to demonstrate the wide range of Testimonies developed over the years. Some Friends consider
that there should be only one testimony: but on analysis, it will be found to contain
seeds from all the testimonies below, and probably more.
Some of those below are more of an historical interest than others.
Betting and gambling
In our 'Advices' we are warned against commercial speculations of a gambling character,
and we are told to 'remember how widespread and diverse are the temptations to grow rich at
the expense of others'. The faithful observance of this advice points the way to an issue
greater than personal rectitude with regard to gambling. It should lead to an examination
of the system which permits or encourages these abuses, and to a demand for drastic changes.
S.N.Brayhaw (1933)
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Capital Punishment
The real security for human life is to be found in a reverence for it. If the law regarded
it as inviolable, then the people would begin also so to regard it. A deep reverence for
human life is worth more than a thousand executions in the prevention of murder; and is,
in fact, the great security for human life. The law of capital punishment while pretending
to support this reverence, does in fact tend to destroy it.
LYM (1818)
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Conscription
Compulsory military service is sometimes claimed as a duty attaching to citizenship. But it
is not true social service. On the one hand it is part of the attempt to maintain peace by
force, and on the other it is training in methods that are contrary to the highest moral
standards recognised by man... The training of men to kill each other is a violation of the
sacredness of personality for it is a crime against that of God in every man. It requires
an inhumanity and a blind obedience that is a negation of responsible service to our fellow
men. It demands much that in private life is recognised as anti-social and criminal...
Christ bids us love our enemies; governments bid us kill them...The conscript is, in effect,
required to endorse war in advance.
MfS (1945)
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Hat honour
A knot of my old acquaintance (at Oxford), espying me, came to me. One of these was a
scholar in his gown, another a surgeon of that city... When they were come up to me, they
all saluted me, after the usual manner, putting of their hats and bowing, and saying, 'Your
humble Servant, Sir', expecting no doubt the same from me. But when they saw me stand still,
not moving my cap, nor bowing my knee, in a way of congee to them, they were amazed, and looked
first one upon another, then upon me, and then one upon another again for a while, without
a word speaking. At length, the surgeon... clapping his hand, in a familiar way, upon my
shoulder, and smiling on me, said, 'What, Tom, a Quaker!' To which I readily, and cheerfully
answered, 'Yes, a Quaker.' And as the words passed out of my mouth I felt joy spring in my
heart, for I rejoyced that I had not been drawn out by them into a compliance with them, and
that I had strength and boldness given me to confess myself to be one of that despised people.
(1659)
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Integrity
Integrity is one of the virtues for which Quakers in the past have been praised. It is a
quality worth having, but it is doubtful if it can be reached by self-conscious effort or by
adherence to a principle... Integrity is a condition in which a person's response to a total
situation can be trusted: the opposite of a condition in which he would be moved by
opportunist or self-seeking impulses breaking up his unity as a whole being. This condition
of trust is different from the recognition that he will always be kind or always tell the
truth. The integrity of some Dutch Friends I have met showed itself during the war in their
willingness to tell lies to save their Jewish friends from the Gestapo or from starvation.
K.C.Barnes (1972)
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Oaths
The law permits all those who object to the taking of an oath on religious grounds, or because
they have no religious faith, to affirm. We encourage Friends to spread a knowledge of the
law so that all those who share either of these objections may take advantage of its
provisions. We regard the taking of oaths as contrary to the teaching of Christ, and as
setting up a double standard of truthfulness, wherein sincerity and truth should be practised
in all dealings of life.
(1911; 1959)
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We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world. The spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move into it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ, which leads us to all Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.
Declaration to Charles II, 1661
In considering the character and basis of our testimony for peace we have felt strongly that its deepest
foundation lies in the nature of God, and that its character must be inclusive of the whole of life. There is
urgent need for a fuller recognition that God's essential nature is love, that the Cross of Jesus represents
the highest point in the revelation of the character of God, and that there is a seed of God in every man,
that spiritual forces are the mightiest, and that we must be prepared to rely upon them and to give
expression to them in daily work and character as well as in what we call the great crises of life. We must
set before us the highest ideal, that which ought to be, rather than that which is, believing that God is not
alone the God of things as they are but the God of things as they are meant to be.
All Friends Conference, 1920
The Quaker testimony concerning war does not set up as its standard of value the attainment of individual or
national safety, neither is it based primarily on the iniquity of taking human life, profoundly important as that
aspect of the question is. It is based ultimately on the conception of 'that of God in every man' to which the
Christian in the presence of evil is called on to make appeal, following out a line of thought and conduct
which, involving suffering as it may do, is, in the long run, the most likely to reach to the inward witness
and so change the evil mind into the right mind. This result is not achieved by war.
Neal Brayshaw (1921)
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Penal Reform
The terrible sufferings of our forebears in the prisons of the seventeenth century have given us as a people a
special interest in the management of prisons and the treatment of crime. George Fox protested to the judges
of his day 'concerning their putting men to death for cattle and money and small matters'; and laid before them
'what a hurtful thing it was that prisoners should lie so long in jail'; showing how 'they learned wickedness from
one another in talking of their bad deeds'.
There is, however, much work still to be done, in creating a
right understanding of the nature and causes of crime, and in emphasising the need for redemptive treatment
rather than retributive punishment. Society is in measure responsible for the criminal, a fact which emphasises
the duty of meeting moral failure by redemptive care. Evil can only be finally overcome by good.
(1911; 1925; 1959; 1994)
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Plain Language
Towards any form of pretence, hypocrisy, shallow or muddled thinking, he was merciless. He had a shattering
way of evoking the memory of George Fox at the most inconvenient moment... Gatherings of Friends were
often put upon their mettle by a summing up from Joseph Southall, and many were the sharp encounters which
reminded us of simple but vital principles in danger of being smothered by more material concern. And then,
the battle over, who has not seen him shaking hands with his late adversary over a cup of tea, beaming through
his half-moon spectacles with the world's most celestial twinkle in his eyes, the clear parchment pallor of his face
broken into what would have been the smile of a benevolent old gentleman had it not somehow been pointed
with the wit of a Joseph Southall.
Testimony concerning Joseph E Southall (1861-1944):
Warwickshire Monthly Meeting (1945)
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Relief of suffering
There are no harriers of race, national feeling, custom, climate or culture which cannot be broken down by the
method of Woolman and St Francis - the method of self-identification with the need of the poorest, even in
distant lands, by means of hard manual work done at his side for his benefit. It remains to apply this method,
and this idealism, to the international situation in Europe to-day...The influence of such work will no doubt be
entirely negligible as regards the international situation, as the influence of Woolman seemed to be in his own
lifetime, or as the influence of Francis seemed to be in his lifetime...But failure does not matter. All that matters
is that the right way should be tried; and if the Christian religion means anything at all, the right way is the way
of self-identification with the poorest, the way of appeal to the friendliness in others by means of active and
practical friendliness in ourselves, the way of unostentatious service... The original international fellowship of
Christianity was founded in this way, as barriers of every kind - language, nationality, race, sex, class - were
broken down through the literal following of the command for this august sacrament of menial service, as
instituted by Christ at his last supper with his disciples.
J.S.Hoyland (1936)
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Slavery
A deep concern was laid upon the minds of Friends of a past generation for the abolition of the slave trade
and slavery. In that cause they laboured faithfully, and in the end with much success. These great evils still
prevail under various names. In Africa and elsewhere indentured labour is secured and maintained by
professedly Christian nations, under conditions similar to those of the slave trade and slavery; whilst slavery
itself with its cruelty and immorality still exists in various parts of the world. We desire that the interest of
Friends in the cause of the helpless and oppressed may be maintained, and that they may still labour and
pray for the removal of these great iniquities.
LYM (1875)
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Simplicity
It is our tender and Christian advice that Friends take care to keep to truth and plainness, in language, habit,
deportment and behaviour; that the simplicity of truth in these things may not wear out nor be lost in our days,
nor in our posterity's; and to avoid pride and immodesty in apparel, and all vain and superfluous fashions of the
world.
Yearly Meeting, (1691)
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The war of 1914-18 made Friends more vividly aware of the close connection between war and the social order. Nine months after the outbreak of war Yearly Meeting was impressed by the words of John Woolman, 'May we look upon our treasures, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions'. After three years' exercise of mind eight Foundations of a True Social Order were adopted, which were 'not intended as rules of life but <as> an attempt to set forth ideals that are aspects of eternal Truth and the direct outcome of our Quaker testimony to the individual worth of the human soul.'
1. The Fatherhood of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, should lead toward a brotherhood which knows no restriction of race, sex or social class.
2. This brotherhood should express itself in a social order which is directed, beyond all material ends, to the growth of personality truly related to God and man.
3. The opportunity of full development, physical, moral and spiritual, should be assured to every member of the community, man, woman and child. The development of man's full personality should not be hampered by unjust conditions nor crushed by economic pressure.
4. We should seek for a way of living that will free us from the bondage of material things and mere conventions, that will raise no barrier between man and man, and will put no excessive burden of labour upon any by reason of our superfluous demands.
5. The spiritual force of righteousness, loving-kindness and trust is mighty because of the appeal it makes to the best in every man, and when applied to industrial relations achieves great things.
6. Our rejection of the methods of outward domination, and of the appeal to force, applies not only to international affairs, but to the whole problem of industrial control. Not through antagonism but through co-operation and good-will can the best be attained for each and all.
7. Mutual service should be the principle upon which life is organised. Service, not private gain, should be the motive of all work.
8. The ownership of material things, such as land and capital, should be so regulated as best to minister to the need and development of man.
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Sunday observance
We ask Friends to be very considerate as to the extent to which they make use of the labour of others on the first
day of the week. The general cessation of ordinary business gives opportunities for refreshment of body and mind,
for united family life, for religious service and for public worship. Friends highly value these privileges for themselves,
and we urge them so to regulate their conduct as not needlessly to hinder others from the enjoyment of the same
privileges.
(1911; 1925)
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Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength. Do not be persuaded into buying what you do not need or cannot afford. Do you keep yourself informed about the effects your style of living is having on the global economy and environment?
Advices & Queries 41
The use and misuse of the earth's resources must be considered in our everyday life if we, the human race, are to continue living on earth. Some of the resources are finite: land, coal, oil and uranium in particular; some can be infinite if properly husbanded: sunlight, water, agricultural products and the wind and tides. The finite resources will not last forever, although some reserves are far greater than others. The use and husbanding of the infinite resources must therefore become the foundation of our lifestyle. We are but stewards of this planet and must aim to pass it on to future generations in as good a condition as we received it.
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Temperance and moderation
Every degree of luxury of what kind soever, and every demand for money inconsistent with Divine order, hath some
connection with unnecessary labour... To labour too hard or cause others to do so that we may live conformably to
customs which Christ our Redeemer contradicted by His example in the days of His flesh, and which are contrary to
Divine order, is to manure a soil for propagating an evil seed in the earth. Such who enter deep into these
considerations and live under the weight of them, will feel these things so heavy and their ill effects so extensive, that
the necessity of attending singly to Divine wisdom will be evident, thereby to be directed and supported in the right
use of things in opposition to the customs of the times, and supported to bear patiently the reproaches attending
singularity. To conform a little to a wrong way strengthens the hands of such who carry wrong customs to their utmost
extent; and the more a person appears to be virtuous and heavenly-minded, the more powerfully does his conformity
operate in favour of evil-doers...While we profess in all cases to live in consent opposition to that which is contrary
to universal righteousness... what language is sufficient to set forth the strength of those obligations we are under to
beware lest by our example we lead others wrong?
John Woolman (1763)
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Many of the testimonies and practices established by early Friends have survived only in part. One which has almost died out in Britain is the naming of days and months by number instead of by names of pagan origin. It is rare now to hear 'first day" instead of 'Sunday' or 'third month' instead of 'March', though the practice is still acceptable.
Another testimony held by early Friends was that against the keeping of 'times and seasons'. We might understand this as part of the conviction that all of life is sacramental; that since all times are therefore holy, no time should be marked out as more holy; that what God has done for us should always be remembered and not only on the occasions named Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
This is a testimony which seems to be dying of
neglect. Many Friends, involved with family and the wider society, keep Christmas in some meetings, Easter
and its meaning is neglected, not only at the calendar time but throughout the year. What I would hope for is
neither that we let the testimony die, nor that we keep it mechanically. I hope for a rediscovery of its truth, that
we should remember and celebrate the work of God in us and for us whenever God by the Spirit calls us to
this remembrance and this joy.
Janet Scott (1994)
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Tithes
He suffered imprisonment and spoiling of goods with much patience, which proved to be his lot pretty early,
by wicked men who became informers, seeking his ruin, with many others; yet the Lord preserved him in
faithfulness, and brought him clean through all these exercises. He stood firm in his testimony against the
anti-christian yoke of tithes, that none might be unfaithful therein, either in paying or in receiving them. And,
having a gift beyond many in the government of church affairs, he exercised the same in much wisdom and
prudence, and laboured diligently for the peace of the church, and to keep out everything that might appear
to cause strife and debate. He had an excellent gift of healing and making up of breaches.
Testimony
concerning Christopher Story (1648-1720): Carlisle Monthly Meeting (1721)
VII LINKS AND CONTACTS
American Friends Service Committee www.afsc.org Secretary: Mary Ellen McNish Tel (1) 215 241 7000
Charney Manor www.charneymanor.org.uk Charney Bassett Wantage Oxon OX12 0EJ tel: (44) 01235 868206
Claridge House www.claridgehouse.quaker.eu.org Dorman Road Lingfield Surrey RH7 6QH tel: (44) 01342 832150
Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1000 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Friends in UK generally www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1000 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Friends in USA and Canada generally www.quaker.org
Friends Quarterly www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1030 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Friends Trusts Ltd Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1112 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Friends United Meeting www.fum.org 101 Quaker Hill Centre Richmond IN 47374 1926 tel: (1) 765 462 7573 Fax: (1) 765 966 1293
Friends World Committee for Consultation www.fwccworld.org 173 Euston Road London NW1 2AX tel: (44) 020 7663 1199
Glenthorne Guest House www.glenthorne.org Easedale Road Grasmere Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9QH tel:(44) 01539 435389
Holiday School www.yfhs.org.uk
Ireland Yearly Meeting www.quakers-in-ireland.org Quaker House Stocking lane Rathfurnham Dublin 16 tel: 353 1 495 6888 fax: 353 1 495 6889
Quaker Council for European Affairs www.quaker.org Square Ambrionix 50 1000 Brussels Belgium tel: (32) 2 230 49 35 fax: (32) 2 230 63 70
Quaker Faith and Practice on-line version: www.quakerweb.org.uk/qfp/
Quaker Housing Trust www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1036 fax: (44) 020 7663 1049
Quaker Life www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1021 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Quaker Monthly www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 8446 4772 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Quaker News Friends House 173 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1162 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001 e-mail: qnews@quaker.org.uk
Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire For Easter Settlement Enquirer, Newcomer and Attender days Under 19's Co-ordinating Group Yorkshire Link Group Junior Holidays etc see www.quakersinyorkshire.org.uk Holiday School www.yfhs.org.uk e-mail: secretary@yfhs.org.uk QuakerSpeak On-Line Chris Petrie tel: (44) 01729 882677 e-mail: qsol@quakersinyorkshire.org.uk
Quaker Quest www.quakerquest.org
Quaker Social Action www.quakersocialaction.org 18 Victoria Park Square Bethnal Green London E2 9PF tel: (44) 020 8983 9199
Quaker Stewardship Committee www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1000 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
Quaker Tapestry www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk Friends Meeting House Kendal Cumbria tel: (44) 01539 722975
Quaker United Nations Offices www.quno.org In New York: 777 United Nations Plaza #5 New York NY 10017 United States of America tel: (1) 212 682 2745 fax: (1) 212 983 0034 In Geneva: 13 Avenue du Mervelet 1209 Geneva Switzerland tel: (41) 22 748 4800 fax: (41) 22 748 4819
Quaker Universalist Group www.qug.org.uk
Quakers in Scotland www.quakerscotland.org
Quakers In Yorkshire www.quakersinyorkshire.org.uk
Swarthmoor Hall www.swarthmrhall.co.uk Ulverston Cumbria LA12 0JQ tel: (44) 01229 583204
The Friend www.thefriend.org 173 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1010 fax: (44) 020 7663 1182
The Friends Bookshop www.quaker.org.uk Friends House 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ tel: (44) 020 7663 1030 fax: (44) 020 7663 1001
The Friendly Word www.quakers-in-ireland.ie
The Penn Club www.pennclub.co.uk 21-23 Bedford Place London WC1B 5JJ tel: (44) 020 7636 4718
The Retreat, York www.retreat-hosptal.org Heslington Road York Y01 5BN tel: (44) 01904 412551 e-mail: info@retreat-hospital.org
Woodbrooke College, Birmingham www.woodbrooke.org.uk 1046 Bristol Road Birmingham B29 6LJ tel: (44) 0121 472 5171
Young Quaker www.yfgm.quaker.org.uk YFGM Office 1046 Bristol Road Birmingham B29 6LJ