195
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1 *Meeting for Sufferings*
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2
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3 2--4 October 2020
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4
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5 Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative
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6
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7 All the papers for the meeting are available online at
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8
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9 https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2020-10-agendapapersv2-1
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10
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11 The minutes and other follow-up material are available from
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12
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13 https://quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2020-10-follow-up-package
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14
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15 This would normally have been a weekend-long residential meeting at
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16 Woodbrooke, and it was very frustrating to miss the opportunity to
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17 spend _informal_ time together.
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18
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19 We did meet online from Friday evening through early Sunday afternoon.
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20 My report below covers only some of the sessions, and I refer Friends
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21 to the links above for topics not covered, marked with an asterisk
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22 below. The bracketed string in each case gives the item number which
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23 can be used to find relevant material in both the papers in advance
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24 and the follow-up package.
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25
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26 *Session list*
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27
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28 Sustainability and the Climate Crisis [MfS 2020 10 06]
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29
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30 - Report from the Sustainability Monitoring Group *
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31 - Update on the project: ‘Climate crisis: spiritual nurture and
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32 learning’
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33 - Preparations for COP26
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34
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35 BYM Trustees [MfS 2020 10 08]
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36
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37 Responding to racism [MfS 2020 10 09] *
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38
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39 Review of Quaker Stewardship Committee [MfS 2020 10 10]
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40
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41 Quaker Recognised Bodies [MfS 2020 10 11] *
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42
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43 Annual report from Quaker Committee for [MfS 2020 10 12]
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44
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45 Update on minutes received by Meeting for Sufferings [MfS 2020 10 13] *
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46
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47 Report from the Book of Discipline Revision Committee [MfS 2020 10 14]
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48
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49 Yearly Meeting 2020 MfS [2020 10 15]
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50
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51 *Update on the project: ‘Climate crisis: spiritual nurture and learning’*
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52
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53 Maud Grainger, Woodbrooke's Faith in Action Programme Coordinator,
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54 introduced the work of this new project. Its three main aims
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55 are
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56
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57 1. Supporting Friends to explore, understand and become more
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58 confident in articulating the spiritual underpinning of Quaker
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59 commitment to caring for the earth and creation."
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60
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61 2. Providing advice, guidance support and encouragement to enable
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62 Friends to make practical changes to individual lifestyles and to
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63 take community-level action, particularly around the use and
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64 management of property.
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65
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66 3. Building community to support and strengthen our individual and
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67 corporate response.
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68
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69 Maud described a brilliant set of plans for achieving this goal,
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70 including a wealth of suggestions for concrete action.
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71 Woodbrooke's web page for this work is here:
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72
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73 https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/learn/climate-crisis/
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74
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75 but there's more detail in the papers in advance than there is there
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76 at the moment.
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77
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78 *Sustainability*
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79
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80 Livvy Hanks, Britain Yearly Meeting’s Programme Manager for Economics and
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81 Sustainability Project Development and Programmes, reported on plans
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82 for BYM involvement in COPS 26 in Glasgow. The QPSW item in the
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83 papers in advance gives lots of detail on how Friends can get involved
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84 in our input to COPS 26.
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85
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86 Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW) have also launched the *Build
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87 Back Better* campaign "for a green and just recovery from the
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88 pandemic", appointing three people to work on this.
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89
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90 The *Quaker Faith in Action newsletter* (back copies available at
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91 https://us7.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=7506c29d95944ba554b4871f8&id=b525b532da)
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92 contains information about both of the above.
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93
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94 *Review of Quaker Stewardship Committee (QSC)*
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95
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96 A big change is coming: QSC, which was established nearly 20 years ago
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97 to oversee Trustees' responsibility for compliance with Charity
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98 regulations, both at Yearly and Area Meeting levels, is to be laid
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99 down, and their responsiblities transfered to Quaker Life Central
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100 Committee and Meeting for Sufferings.
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101
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102 Lots of details on how this will work in practice remain to be worked
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103 out...
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104
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105 Book of Discipline Review Committee interim report*
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106
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107 The co-Clerks, Catherine Brewer andRosie Carnall, gave an encouraging
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108 report on the committee's work to date. Although the group is still
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109 mostly getting to know each other, working out procedures and
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110 generally laying the foundations for the effort ahead, the co-Clerks
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111 were able to share some of the early results:
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112
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113 Seven key themes are emerging:
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114
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115 * Spirituality, worship and discernment
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116 * individually and collectively with God
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117 * Quaker community --- life in our meetings
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118 * Testimony and faith in action --- in the world
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119 * Stages of personal life journeys and close relationships
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120 * Church government --- how we organise ourselves
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121 * Our story --- where we have come from and where we are going
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122 * Advices & Queries
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123
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124 Along with five key insights:
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125
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126 1. We can all have direct access to God/Spirit/the Divine. This
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127 experience/encounter/relationship can transform us.
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128
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129 2. We live under guidance from God/Spirit/the Light/the promptings
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130 of love and truth in our hearts
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131
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132 3. We recognise and seek to address that of God in each human being ---
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133 each of us is unique and precious
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134
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135 4. There is a dynamic Spirit bringing continuing revelation
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136
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137 5. We hold the whole of life sacramental and so we do not divide the
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138 sacred and the secular
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139
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140 There is a webpage
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141
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142 https://www.quaker.org.uk/resources/quaker-faith-and-practice/revising-quaker-faith-practice
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143
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144 which gives details of how to be in touch with the committee,
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145 including a link to the collection tool where ideas (both general and
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146 specific text) can be offered.
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147
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148 Several vacancies have arisen, and nominations suggestions (of others,
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149 or oneself) are invited to be sent to nominations@quaker.org.uk
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150
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151 The committee is planning to coordinate an activity at Yearly Meeting
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152 Gathering in Bath: *Open to New Light - an invitation from BYM's Book
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153 of Discipline Revision Committee*. There is a website where
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154 contributions can already be made: https://padlet.com/bdrc/OpenToNewLight
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155
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