Category Archives: 2023 05 May

2023 05 May

Redressing Inequalities

Carol Saker

I was one of the 60 Friends attending the blended meeting at Jordans Meeting House on 25th March, organised as a regional day gathering.

The theme for the day was “Acknowledging the impact of the slave trade, colonialism and economic exploitation on the lives of many today; what should and can, we do?” Several from Oxford attended.

The topic built on the ongoing concern of Friends at Yearly Meeting 2022 and the work of the Quaker Africa Interest Group (QAIG) regarding this subject, which was also considered within Oxford meeting and Area Meeting earlier in 2021 – all emanating out of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement.

Taking our cue from the QAIG and the African Quaker leaders who addressed us on March 25th, a few Oxford Meeting Friends are proposing to look at some of the issues arising from the Jordans regional day.

One of these speakers was the Swarthmore lecturer of 2016, Esther Mombo, who gave us a fine text as a starting point: “…and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6, 8).

Please contact me as soon as you can if you wish to join in, even if you were not at the Jordans day. There is already a small group which was set up at the April Business meeting. During May we will try to meet and see how to proceed – as an action group partnering with our Kenyan fellow Quakers over practical education or climate change work, or as a study and worship group – or both. The emphasis will be Restorative Justice not Reparations.

This Month’s Forty-Three Newsletter Contents

Back to May 2023 Newsletter Main Page

Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 529 • May 2023
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW

newsletter@oxfordquakers.org

2023 05 May

Artweeks Exhibition at the Meeting House

Rebecca Howard

Last year I thought it would be a good idea to have a group Artweeks exhibition at the Meeting House and put out a call for interested Friends to get in touch.

Over a short period of time, a group coalesced, comprising Rebecca Howard, Juliet Henderson, Karima Brooke, Carol Lange, Trio Watson, Anthea Richards and Anthea Clarke.

It so happened that we were all women, so we decided to make a feature of that even though it hadn’t been a deliberate plan.

Our ages range from 40 upwards, and we have a diverse range of artistic media, including painting, printmaking, textiles and 3D work. What unites us is our Quaker spirituality, which informs our artistic practice in different ways.

We are looking forward to a week which will enable us to combine showing our artwork and doing some light touch outreach for the Meeting. We are also looking forward to seeing each other’s artwork in the real world instead of on a screen.

All the information about opening times will be available on the Artweeks website, in the Artweeks catalogue and, nearer the time, in the Notices.

Come and see!

This Month’s Forty-Three Newsletter Contents

Back to May 2023 Newsletter Main Page

Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 529 • May 2023
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW

newsletter@oxfordquakers.org

2023 05 May

Friends’ Fellowship of Healing

Yvonne Dixon

The Friends’ Fellowship of Healing (FFH) meetings used to take place once a month after the Wednesday midweek Meeting for Worship.

My prison chaplaincy work in the past prevented me from attending these meetings but I had hoped to attend them after laying down that work and was sad to see that they no longer seemed to be taking place once meetings gradually started in person again after the disruption caused by COVID-19.

After testing a discernment about the possibility of reviving these meetings and receiving encouragement from Friends at a Meeting for Clearness and at our April business meeting, I now feel a leading to revive something similar. I have been a member of the FFH for about 15 years and have always enjoyed their magazine Towards Wholeness.

I have been trying to form a picture of what the meetings used to be like and have had enjoyable conversations with people about this form of ministry and the healing groups that have existed and still exist within this Area Meeting and others. I realised that there could be some doubt about whether such a meeting would overlap with the work of the Pastoral Care Group (PCG) and have been able to clarify this as I am concerned not to duplicate or compete with what the PCG does.

I envisage something along the lines of a reading from Towards Wholeness or some other passage on healing and then a period of silence followed by prayers for healing, focusing the Light on individuals or situations brought to the group by individuals requesting what is often referred to as absent healing or distant healing. I am clear that this would not be a therapy group for people wanting to talk about their problems or health conditions, and I would not be venturing to offer hands-on healing, for which a special training at the Quaker Retreat Centre Claridge House is required.

I am aware that issues of confidentiality, safeguarding and oversight are important. Ideally it would be good to have a regular group of people so that it need not always be me leading the group, and it would probably be helpful to have a regular time and place.

I now plan to hold this space once a month, whether or not many or indeed any people attend, and just see if it grows organically. Our first meeting will be at 1.30pm on Wednesday 3^rd May and then every first Wednesday of each month. I am grateful to all the Friends who offered me guidance and encouragement as part of this process.

This Month’s Forty-Three Newsletter Contents

Back to May 2023 Newsletter Main Page

Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 529 • May 2023
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW

newsletter@oxfordquakers.org

2023 05 May

Narrated Newsletter

For this month, we are trying an experiment with a narrated version of Forty-Three.

The general idea is to have a version of the newsletter with the same textual content, but read aloud. This would enable the audio to play in the background while someone is busy with other things, but mentally available for multitasking. This version is an initial proof of concept, not a final rendering.

The voices are artificial (AI generated).

If you are interested, try this out, but then please let us know what you think.

Is this a good idea?
Bad idea?
Mixed feelings?

Continue it?
Stop it?
Let it run a bit more?

Thank you for your assistance in this experiment. Please send us a note at newsletter@oxfordquakers.org to let us know what you think.

This Month’s Forty-Three Newsletter Contents

Back to May 2023 Newsletter Main Page

Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 529 • May 2023
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW

newsletter@oxfordquakers.org

2023 05 May

May 2023

Click to Download the May 2023 PDF Version

Click to hear the May 2023 Narrated Version

May 2023 Forty-Three Narrated Version
Newsletter Editors

For this month, we are trying an experiment with a narrated version of Forty-Three.

Friends’ Fellowship of Healing
Yvonne Dixon

A revival of the Friends’ Fellowship of Healing (FFH) meetings.

Artweeks Exhibition at the Meeting House
Rebecca Howard

We are looking forward to a week which will enable us to combine showing our artwork and doing some light touch outreach for the Meeting.

Redressing Inequalities
Carol Saker

Book Review: Passengers: True Stories of the Underground Railroad by William Still Jean Moir

William Still (1821 – 1902) was a leading light in the Underground Railroad which helped runaway slaves reach the Northern States safely and find work and lodgings.

Hope’s Work
David Gee

The Quaker movement has strived from the first to face the world as it is – in care, thoughtfulness, and faith.

Report on St Hilda’s College Chaplaincy
Meryem Kalayci

Background Paper for Meeting for Business for Worship on 3 April 2023

Monthly Appeal May 2023
Charles Worth

Oxford Meeting’s Quaker charity for April is Refugee Resource.

Lately
Stephen Yeo

Jenny Lewis and Stephen Yeo warmly invite you to Oxford Quaker Meeting House to launch Stephen’s first poetry collection: Lately

Epistle – Junior Yearly Meeting 2023
Quakers in Britain

Eve Park and Olwyn Lewis-Bowen, Clerks of Junior Yearly Meeting, read the letter from Junior Yearly Meeting to “all Friends everywhere”.

Connecting to Quaker Faith Through Film
Martin Krafft
QuakerSpeak

I think being a good artist, you never know– whenever you start a project you never know what it’s going to turn out as, and if you do know it’s going to be bad because you’re not engaging in active discovery.