Newbury

Quakers have Christian roots, but a fully inclusive ethos. Bridging this tension is a challenge, which Newbury Friend Howard Grace addresses in the centre page spread article of the 17 September issue of ‘the Friend’. You can read it here.

Are you concerned about over population of the planet? The fact that global population grows by a billion people every 12 years, makes this quote from David Attenborough really worth pondering. Seventeen Quakers from our Area recently met on Zoom, to view a new Powerpoint production created by QCOP (Quaker Concern Over Population), followed by…

‘Be honest with yourself. What unpalatable truths might you be evading? When you recognise your shortcomings, do not let that discourage you. In worship together we can find the assurance of God’s love and the strength to go on with renewed courage.’ This passage from ‘Advices and Queries’, the booklet of guidance and reflection for…

Brummana High School in Lebanon is a co-educational, boarding and day school and provides education from infant to secondary school. It’s emphasis is on individuality, respect for others, tolerance and peaceful resolution. The school, owned by British Quaker charities, has a stunning campus in the hills overlooking Beirut and the eastern end of the Mediterranean.…

On Sunday May 30th, Newbury Quakers had our first Blended Meeting. About five of us were on Zoom and ten Friends in the Meeting House. It worked well and we were grateful for those who installed the equipment that was needed. Of course it was quite a mile stone for Friends to meet in person…

One of our Newbury Quaker members is Ruth Saunders, who is 104 years old. During Covid lockdown she was getting fed up with being locked in and decided to do some walks near her home. Her son encouraged her to go a bit further each day. Then, inspired by Captain Tom, she decided to walk…

In ‘the Friend’  of 10 July 2020 there is a review of my new booklet: ‘To thine own self be true’ A leading Sri Lankan educator describes this production as, “Extremely interesting and extra-ordinary. The effort on one side to be honest and true to yourself, and on the other, to be rightly related to people…

Newbury Meeting has successfully met now for several Sundays on Zoom since the lockdown. It is not the same as meeting in our circle, but we enjoy the shared worship and the connection that it allows us to make. Please join us if you would like to.

Quaker membership means being part of a worldwide community of welcoming, caring and thoughtful people. Helen Addison from Newbury Meeting recently enjoyed the chance to join Quakers in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, in retreats to consider the Quaker testimony to simplicity. What does simplicity mean to us today? Many participants already knew the…