*Meeting for Sufferings*

6 April 2019

Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative

All the papers for the meeting are available online at

  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2019-04-agenda--papers-package

The minutes and other follow-up material are available from

  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2019-04-follow-up-packagev4

Not really much to report from this meeting.

The major item of interest was a summary of the external review of the
Vibrancy project, and Trustees' considerations of whether and if so how
it might be continued.

The goal of the Vibrancy project is to "reinvigorate Quakerism":
   https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-organisation/support-for-meetings/vibrancy-in-meetings

The problem: Median size (wrt Members) of LMs down from 24 -> 18 over
last 10 years

Trustees: How to take forward the benefits:

  "How best [can] the essence of the vibrancy work help us achieve
   the priorities that we have identified towards 'A simple church
   supported by a simple charity to re-invigorate Quakerism'. We have
   to find an affordable, sustainable and spirit-led solution for the
   whole of the yearly meeting and not only in the pilot areas."

Some interest in the idea that not all Central-Managed Work has to be
managed by someone actually in the centre (London or, wrt Woodbrooke,
Birmingham).

*Report from Trustees*

Apparently we have, or rather Trustees have, a Risk Register. Two
entries in it caught my attention:

  * With respect to Britain Yearly Meeting as a whole: the "lack of a
    transmissable Quaker culture";

  * With respect to Woodbrooke: a recent big drop in Quaker attendance
    at Woodbrook events.