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+*Meeting for Sufferings*
+
+2--4 October 2020
+
+Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative
+
+All the papers for the meeting are available online at
+
+  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2020-10-agendapapersv2-1
+
+The minutes and other follow-up material are available from
+
+  https://quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2020-10-follow-up-package
+
+This would normally have been a weekend-long residential meeting at
+Woodbrooke, and it was very frustrating to miss the opportunity to
+spend _informal_ time together.
+
+We did meet online from Friday evening through early Sunday afternoon.
+My report below covers only some of the sessions, and I refer Friends
+to the links above for topics not covered, marked with an asterisk
+below.  The bracketed string in each case gives the item number which
+can be used to find relevant material in both the papers in advance
+and the follow-up package.
+
+*Session list*
+
+  Sustainability and the Climate Crisis [MfS 2020 10 06]
+
+   - Report from the Sustainability Monitoring Group *
+   - Update on the project: ‘Climate crisis: spiritual nurture and
+     learning’
+   - Preparations for COP26
+
+  BYM Trustees [MfS 2020 10 08]
+
+  Responding to racism [MfS 2020 10 09] *
+
+  Review of Quaker Stewardship Committee [MfS 2020 10 10]
+
+  Quaker Recognised Bodies [MfS 2020 10 11] *
+
+  Annual report from Quaker Committee for [MfS 2020 10 12]
+
+  Update on minutes received by Meeting for Sufferings [MfS 2020 10 13] *
+
+  Report from the Book of Discipline Revision Committee [MfS 2020 10 14]
+
+  Yearly Meeting 2020 MfS [2020 10 15]
+
+*Update on the project: ‘Climate crisis: spiritual nurture and learning’*
+
+Maud Grainger, Woodbrooke's Faith in Action Programme Coordinator,
+introduced the work of this new project.  Its three main aims
+are
+
+  1. Supporting Friends to explore, understand and become more
+     confident in articulating the spiritual underpinning of Quaker
+     commitment to caring for the earth and creation."
+
+  2. Providing advice, guidance support and encouragement to enable
+     Friends to make practical changes to individual lifestyles and to
+     take community-level action, particularly around the use and
+     management of property.
+
+  3. Building community to support and strengthen our individual and
+     corporate response.
+
+Maud described a brilliant set of plans for achieving this goal,
+including a wealth of suggestions for concrete action.
+Woodbrooke's web page for this work is here:
+
+  https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/learn/climate-crisis/
+
+but there's more detail in the papers in advance than there is there
+at the moment.
+
+*Sustainability*
+
+Livvy Hanks, Britain Yearly Meeting’s Programme Manager for Economics and
+Sustainability Project Development and Programmes, reported on plans
+for BYM involvement in COPS 26 in Glasgow.  The QPSW item in the
+papers in advance gives lots of detail on how Friends can get involved
+in our input to COPS 26.
+
+Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW) have also launched the *Build
+Back Better* campaign "for a green and just recovery from the
+pandemic", appointing three people to work on this.
+
+The *Quaker Faith in Action newsletter* (back copies available at 
+https://us7.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=7506c29d95944ba554b4871f8&id=b525b532da)
+contains information about both of the above.
+
+*Review of Quaker Stewardship Committee (QSC)*
+
+A big change is coming: QSC, which was established nearly 20 years ago
+to oversee Trustees' responsibility for compliance with Charity
+regulations, both at Yearly and Area Meeting levels, is to be laid
+down, and their responsiblities transfered to Quaker Life Central
+Committee and Meeting for Sufferings.
+
+Lots of details on how this will work in practice remain to be worked
+out...
+
+Book of Discipline Review Committee interim report*
+
+The co-Clerks, Catherine Brewer andRosie Carnall, gave an encouraging
+report on the committee's work to date.  Although the group is still
+mostly getting to know each other, working out procedures and
+generally laying the foundations for the effort ahead, the co-Clerks
+were able to share some of the early results:
+
+Seven key themes are emerging:
+
+ * Spirituality, worship and discernment
+ * individually and collectively with God 
+ * Quaker community --- life in our meetings 
+ * Testimony and faith in action --- in the world 
+ * Stages of personal life journeys and close relationships 
+ * Church government --- how we organise ourselves 
+ * Our story --- where we have come from and where we are going 
+ * Advices & Queries
+
+Along with five key insights:
+
+1. We can all have direct access to God/Spirit/the Divine. This
+   experience/encounter/relationship can transform us.
+
+2. We live under guidance from God/Spirit/the Light/the promptings
+   of love and truth in our hearts
+
+3. We recognise and seek to address that of God in each human being ---
+   each of us is unique and precious
+
+4. There is a dynamic Spirit bringing continuing revelation
+
+5. We hold the whole of life sacramental and so we do not divide the
+   sacred and the secular
+
+There is a webpage 
+
+https://www.quaker.org.uk/resources/quaker-faith-and-practice/revising-quaker-faith-practice
+
+which gives details of how to be in touch with the committee,
+including a link to the collection tool where ideas (both general and
+specific text) can be offered.
+
+Several vacancies have arisen, and nominations suggestions (of others,
+or oneself) are invited to be sent to nominations@quaker.org.uk
+
+The committee is planning to coordinate an activity at Yearly Meeting
+Gathering in Bath: *Open to New Light - an invitation from BYM's Book
+of Discipline Revision Committee*.  There is a website where
+contributions can already be made: https://padlet.com/bdrc/OpenToNewLight
+