--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/EiCE/2022-09-14_notes.txt	Wed Sep 14 20:07:08 2022 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+*Location of children at AAM*
+ Central placement of the table makes a worshipful gathering harder
+   for the adults
+ No complaint wrt CC trying this, but now it's been raised, we should
+ consider it.
+ Motivation was making it possible for a wheelchair user to get to the
+  table.  
+ 2) It is Elders' role to care for the holding of MfW, and we should
+    share our feelings about this and look for an alternative
+    resolution.
+
+ 2) There's a more general issue here, which is that when things
+    overlap with our responsibilities, it would be helpful to involve
+    us in the discussion.
+
+ *Action* Margaret to speak with Madeleine Harding _qua_ Convenor of
+Childrens C'tee about the above two points.
+
+*World Quaker Day*
+ We have some unease about the whole idea.  Being up there with World
+Lawn Bowls day...
+ There is in any case an apparent overlap as to days with the
+ invitation for people to bring a child/newcomer with them.
+
+ We agree not to do anything.
+
+ *Action* Gareth to speak to Marilyn Higgins _qua_ member of the
+ Clerking Team to convey the above.
+
+*Secpnd half of the RESTORE programme*
+ Zoe has offered to do this on request. 
+
+ *Action* HST to ask Zoe to suggest a date, early November, same timing
+  as last time, i.e. after lunch.
+
+*State of Meeting*
+ David shared incidents lately when reading from the Bible resulted in
+ pushback.  There's an asymmetry of tolerance:  tolerance for
+ disinterest in or even dislike for traditional Christian
+ language/belief is required of us, but intolerance of these is common.
+
+ How do we foreground that we are the _religious_ Society of Friends
+ in a way that is encouraging of respect, without feeling like being
+ accusing or sounding like special pleading...
+
+ Individually we are feeling a bit lost spiritually ourselves, and a
+ lack of spiritual witness in the Meeting.
+
+ There's also a lack of channels for service, to the community and to
+ the Meeting.
+
+ Possible things to do: Someone from Woodbrooke, getting house groups
+ going.

--- a/ross_armstrong_report.txt	Sun Jun 12 16:24:17 2022 +0100
+++ /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
@@ -1,81 +0,0 @@
-Report of a meeting held on 23 May 2022 at the home of Ross Armstrong
-
-Ross Armstrong
-Robin Leibman
-Henry S Thompson
-
-Ross welcomed us to his home, and after a period of worship he shared
-the history of his experience of Friends.  His mother was raised a
-Quaker by _her_ mother, a life-long Member.  His father joined Friends
-after his experience in a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II,
-attending Meeting at Leyburn in Yorkshire.
-
-The family had connections with Brummana, where the family spent time
-when he was young when his father was Head there, then lived near
-Jordans when they returned to the UK, where he attended a
-'progressive' school with a Quaker head.
-
-Although his upbringing was in a Christian environment, as a young
-adult Ross was at first not a church-goer.  He was however always
-conscious of a need for a source of guidance in how he should live his
-life, and for a while he looked for help with life decisions from the
-_I Ching_, but that didn't last as responsibilities grew.
-
-During the 1980s Ross became involved in Palestinian issues.  He began
-working as a furniture maker and in the building trades, then
-assistant manager at Hadeel, the Palestian shop on Queen Street.
-
-Ross started observing Ramadan around the time of the 1st Gulf War,
-giving him an active, pervasive engagement with religious practice.
-He began studing Arabic, a life-long project thereafter.  He learned
-the 1st Sura of the Quran, which became the cornerstone of his
-practice.  The nature of this, as a prayer that begins with 'In the
-name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful' [Ross,
-please replace with your preferred translation, this is just the first
-one I found online], is so different from the caricature of Muslims as
-fanatics.
-
-Ross has been coming to Meeting for Worship at Portobello and
-Musselburgh for four or five years.  He's been impressed by the depth
-of some of the Quakers he has met.  He realised recently that he has
-made the transition from a "committed non-Attender" to acknowledging
-he _was_ an Attender.  He has really appreciated the Quaker method of
-decision-making, in contrast to other experiences of committees.
-
-Turning to the question of Membership, Ross recalled that last autumn
-his mother, who was a Trustee of Brummana, asked him to consider
-applying for the Headship.  He applied, and although he was not
-appointed, the experience made him think again about Membership.
-Seeing the achievements, the remarkable work that has been done by
-Quakers, in particular Andrew Clark, a friend of his mother, led him
-to recognition of how awesome can be some people's achievements,
-leaving us a bit ashamed by comparison: how are _we_ working for the
-Kingdom of Heaven.
-
-Ross finished by summarising where this has led him
-  * "Friends of Truth" can be goal and a daunting challenge.
-  * "What I think of God" is not relevant, what matters is what 'he'
-    has to say to me about how to live my life.
-
-And a few other topics we touched on:
-
-Ross's wife is as it were a lay preacher in the Zen temple in
-portobello.  He sees a lot of connections between their practice and
-scriptures and ours.
-
-Ross sometimes gets into trouble for telling the truth.
-
-Meeting for Worship for Business can be an awe-filled experience.
-
-Once as Ross was leaving the Quaker Meeting House in Ramallah, he was
-asked "are Quakers Christians?".  Well, perhaps not as you probably
-mean that:  we have no Christology...
-
-Are the challenges for Ross in becoming a Member: Vietnam, Palestine,
-now Ukraine, and Extinction Rebellion, are difficulties.  Ross worries
-about the apparent need to take sides: being driven by fear is not a
-good starting point for decisions.
-
-As we reached the end of a discussion about the nature of Membership,
-Ross said "I'm ready to be a member of the crew rather than a
-passenger", and Henry and Robin agreed.