Henry Thompson was present, representing SE Scotland on Sufferings for the first time at a normal working meeting.
The draft from the Long Term Framework Working Group was presented and discussed. This single-page draft, which focusses on how we go forward, rather that on what we will do, has no dates associated, unlike the existing A Framework for Action, which it replaces. These changes are worth noting, and is to some extent in my view a recognition that the very idea of Long Term Frameworks has been effectively rethought.
Some parts of A Framework for Action will continue to be useful/relevant, but we weren't given sight of an additional document which is expected to detail these.
A national Quaker initiative to facilitate the creation of AM-level Credit Unions? We endorsed in principle, with NWAM encouraged to produce a detailed/costed proposal.
A proposal to add a memorial to the National Memorial Arboretum, close by the recently erected one for the FAU/FRS one, has been well-received by the curators there. Despite some continuing concerns about the phrase "innocent victims", we encouraged SMAM to take this forward.
Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relationships (QCCIR) presented a re-draft of our proposed response to the World Council of Churches consultation paper with the above title. In the spirit of To Lima with Love ([Quaker] Committee on Christian Relations, 1987), it is an excellent statement of our understanding of what it means to be a Church. It's accompanied by a study guide. I'll let Friends know when these are available in their final form.
Woodbrooke and YM Trustees will shortly review and most likely approve a pilot scheme, involving new staff specifically hired and locally situated in four or five 'regions', to enable our meetings to become vibrant.
A draft public statement on the refugee crisis was presented, and judged to be insufficiently robust. By the time of this report, a revised version will presumably have been widely circulated.
Reports from YM Trustees, QPS&W Central Committee were received and briefly reviewed, and various procedural/structural bits of official business were taken care of.