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+*Meeting for Sufferings*
+
+23--25 November 2018
+
+Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative
+
+All the papers for the meeting are available online at
+
+  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-november-2018-agenda--papers-packagev5
+
+The minutes and other follow-up material are available from
+
+  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2018-11-follow-up-package2
+
+This was a residential meeting, at Woodbrooke, and the opportunity to
+carry discussions forward in the corridors and over meals was very
+valuable, as was the opportunity to get to know people informally.
+Staying at Woodbrooke provides a rare occasion of living in
+"Quaker-time" [1] for much longer than just a Sunday morning: I recommend
+it!
+
+*Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations*
+
+QCCIR have been busy, with a very extensive research effort on "The
+Changing Face of Faith" [1].  The first part of this was discussed at
+a conference in March, there will be another in March 2019 to which
+AMs are invited to send representatives: "Area Meetings are encouraged
+to send representatives to share local experience and learn for
+experience in other parts of the yearly Meeting.":
+
+  http://www.quaker.org.uk/our-organisation/our-structures/quaker-committee-for-christian-and-interfaith-relations
+
+"Quakers just get on and do what they say they're going to do"
+
+Sustainability efforts can drive ecumenical engagement rather than the
+other way around (Bristol AM)
+
+*Quaker Peace and Social Witness*
+
+Promoting a new film, _War School_, "this film from Pow Productions
+takes a closer look at militarisation in Britain":
+
+  https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/peace/challenging-militarism-1#heading-1
+
+*Quaker World Relations Committee:
+
+Promoting a new film, _Quakers and Climate Change around the World_:
+
+  http://fwcc.world/sustainability-resources
+
+*Books of Discipline revision*
+
+We have Co-Clerks for the BoD Revision:
+ Rosie Carnall, Sheffield and Balby AM
+ Catherine Brewer, Northumbria AM, Durham LM
+
+Over 300 Friends have volunteered to serve on the BoD Revision
+Committee, so, it's probably too late to volunteer...
+
+*Trustee's strategic priorities*
+
+"A simple church supported by a simple charity"
+
+Brilliant presentation by Ingrid Greenhow, Clerk to Trustees for just
+a bit longer, and Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, on new strategic
+priorities, BYM Trustees: see the diagram
+
+  http://hst.name/RSoF/Trustees_strategy_2018-11.png
+
+or read the report in the papers linked above.
+
+* Recommendations from the Review of the Committee on Clerks*
+[A bit of a procedural mess, ask me if you are interested in the
+ minutiae of BYM procedures]
+
+"Nominations is the holiest thing we do" [Elsie Dick]
+
+*Sustainabilty Group, again*
+We laid down the Sustainability Group, but Liz Birch did not go
+quietly, in the best possible way.
+
+She raised again the elephant in the room: what does it actually mean
+in concrete practical terms for YM to adopt a concern?  Substitute
+'AM' for 'YM' and you have something we've known we need to address, if
+not how...
+
+"Are [we] ready to be held accountable on how [we] are working towards
+ sustainability?"
+
+*Diversity*
+
+We have a new Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator at Friends House,
+Edwina Peart.  She quite sensibly suggested that we need to know where
+we actually _are_ before we can decide what we need to _do_.  She's
+produced a survey:
+
+  http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/quakersurvey
+
+which I would encourage everyone to fill in, it's quite short.
+
+People might also be interested in Quaker Life Central Committee's new
+statement on gender diversity, which was introduced to us by Jocelyn
+Bell Burnell:
+
+  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/qlcc-gender-diversity-statement-for-discussion-2018-11
+
+Finally we should consider sending a representative to the national
+gathering at Woodbrooke 18th-20 January, ‘Answering that of God in
+everyone’, albeit it's only a few days away:
+
+  https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/item/answering-that-of-god-in-everyone-a-diversity-and-inclusion-national-gathering/
+-----------------
+[1] For more on this concept, and Woodbrooke, Friends may be
+interested in a something I wrote some time ago: _Reflections on
+Woodbrooke_ (http://hst.name/RSoF/woodbrooke_thoughts.html)