Brighton Friends News A Monthly Publication of Brighton Quaker Meeting March 2020 www.brightonquakers.net Issue 304
Ikigai
Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being". The word "ikigai" is usually used to indicate the source of value in one's life or the things that make one's life worthwhile. The word translated to English roughly means "thing that you live for" or "the reason for which you wake up in the morning". Each individual's ikigai is personal to them and specific to their lives, values and beliefs. It reflects the inner self of an individual and expresses that faithfully, while simultaneously creating a mental state in which the individual feels at ease. Activities that allow one to feel ikigai are never forced on an individual; they are often spontaneous, and always undertaken willingly, giving the individual satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life. Wikipedia
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Yearly Meeting Gathering
Yearly Meeting Gathering 2020 is to be held at the University of Bath, Saturday August 1 to Friday August 7.
The theme this year is: Listening, prophecy & reconciliation: allyship in a climate emergency
For more information go to https://www.quaker.org.uk/ym
All Friends are reminded that bursary help is available to attend YMG if needed. Speak to Overseers. No-one should feel unable to attend due to financial constraints.
Are your meetings for church affairs held in a spirit of worship and in dependence on the guidance of God? Remember that we do not seek a majority decision nor even consensus. As we wait patiently for divine guidance our experience is that the right way will open and we shall be led into unity. Quaker Faith & Practice Advices and Queries No. 14
Unitarian Church
On Sunday 25th January we held our Annual General Meeting. This was my last AGM. I will be retiring from my vocation here in September so of course I have been thinking about our church, about Unitarianism in general and about Unitarianism in Brighton.
I said in my report to the Annual Meeting that some part of being a Unitarian and indeed some part of being a member of this church should be hard. It sounds harsh. Many of us come to this church because we don't like what might be called hard-core Christianity. We come here because it's welcoming and open-minded, and because it's affirming and compassionate. And yes, our approach to the spiritual life is unique, empowering and inclusive. But it should always be more than a walk through a progressive sunny meadow. We don't offer easy or magical solutions.
It will always be easy to fill liberal churches with fellow travellers, to make them clubs for progressives and radicals who like a bit of mysticism every now and again. We could stop calling our places of worship churches and forget very happily and very easily the ethos of our founders, which was to bring a rigorous practice of reason together with the heart of faith. They strove to honour, in a democratic spirit, both of these principles equally: faith and reason.
Our founders were surely rebellious. They were opposed to elaborate worship and to church hierarchies. They were democrats who stood against tyranny, slavery and inequality. But they weren't just against things. They believed that a free and respectful church is the most dignifying context for the hard work of the soul
2 and for religious inquiry. They thought hard about the meaning and worth of their lives, about death and suffering and evil. They thought hard about the ultimate truths, about God and about how to live a wholesome and generous life.
Unitarians like to say that we live in the questions but there is a rather convenient effect that can come out of a culture of questioning. For sure the spirit of dissent, of protest, of trying to make real change is woven into our denomination and heaven knows at this moment in human history it's vital. We need to keep saying that money, status and power matter much less than justice, than the earth, than kindness. We need to keep saying that each and every one of us alive right now can realise our divine potential when we are free, when we treat each other with respect, with equity and with compassion.
But there is a potential spiritual trap here. Questioning can get rather comfortable. Questioning the mainstream can be really rather cosy and simply deciding that other people are wrong is not really a spiritual life. Real spiritual depth comes from service, sacrifice, self-examination and spiritual practice. This is the hard stuff and generally we have never shied away from it in this church. We question ourselves in our services, in our small groups and in our workshops. It restores to an honoured place in the spiritual life a habit of doubt, of using our God-given minds to reflect not just on our beliefs but on how we live and on the purpose of our living. This is what I mean when I say that Unitarianism should sometimes be hard. Jef Jones, Lay Leader, Brighton Unitarian Church
Brighton Against the Arms Trade
A workshop to investigate the deadly output of hardware manufactured at the local EDO MBM factory.
Palestinian Solidarity: - Stop Arming Israel Tuesday March 24, 7pm, Cowley Club, 12 London Road, Brighton BN1 4JA
EDO MBM owns the VER-2 (Vertical Ejection Rack), the main bomb rack used on the Israeli F-16. This has been used for decades to bomb Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, causing thousands of deaths and injuries. EDO MBM bomb-release components are installed as standard on new F-35 jets, currently deployed by Israel and used in attacks on Gaza. These are sold to Israel without any apparent UK arms export licence. They are also certified to carry Israel’s nuclear weapons.
Speaker: Huda Ammori, Stop Arming Israel, Palestine Action
FOOD BANK -- Please Remember -- FOOD BANK --- FOOD BANK
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Gambling - a breach of the 8th Commandment?
We all have our periods of feeling down, sometimes trapped. So we look for ways out. I fell into the habit of dealing with these feelings with indulgences which, of course is not a solution to a problem, just a way of feeling better in the short term.
Chocolate would usually be my first port of call, but over indulgence can easily lead to the point of feeling worse. This was where I discovered the lottery (next to the chocolate counter). This seemed to have a similar effect on my state of mind until the draw, without the digestive side effects. Luckily, I don’t have an addictive personality so when I lost I’d shrug and carry on with life.
On reading Quaker Faith and Practice 20.63 I started to wonder if this behaviour was not just an innocent indulgence but contrary to everything I have spent my life fighting for as a Trades Unionist. I have long thought a political economy based on gambling the Nation’s wealth (the Stock Exchange) has created a sort of pirate capitalism with Global Corporations behaving as private fiefdoms recreating the sort of feudal tyranny that Thomas Paine and Adam Smith railed against 230 years ago.
With these thoughts going through my head I decided to be the solution I strive for, so I renounced gambling as a form of theft from the others indulging. Something strange happened, my sloughs of despondency diminished, my indulgence in chocolate diminished and my joy in each day and wonder at the world increased. I’m not claiming any spiritual awakening or anything similar. I only claim a change of mind that adjusted my view of the World. In the past I’ve long wondered at the Zen paradox of existence i.e. the World is not what we are seeing yet we still exist. Now I think it could simply be our minds need to change to appreciate the World in all its glory.
This is a human problem. We are a small species, dominating the planet, probing into every corner and missing the point because we are so wrapped up in ourselves. So, I have decided to stop, look and listen, not for anything specific but the rhythm of existence.
So, what of gambling? Is it theft from your compatriots? Is it a breach of the 8th Commandment, Thou shalt not steal? Well in certain circumstances that can be argued, like the Stock Exchange or any other form of gambling resources you’ve not earned. Would I criticise someone buying a lottery ticket on the same basis? I don’t think so, but I would say it’s not the answer to anything. Jerry Gould Gambling disregards our belief that possessions are a trust. The persistent appeal to covetousness evident, for example, in football pool propaganda is fundamentally opposed to the unselfishness which was taught by Jesus Christ and by the New Testament as a whole. The attempt, which is inseparable from gambling, to make a profit out of the inevitable loss and possible suffering of others is the antithesis of that love of one’s neighbour on which Jesus insisted. Quaker Faith & Practice 20.61, 1959; 1994
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350+ years of Quaker faith in action
1647 George Fox declares that God’s light is in all people
1661 Charles II is told the spirit will never move us to fight
1666 Margaret Fell publishes Women’s Speaking Justified
1758 Belatedly, our campaign to end the slave trade begins
1763 John Woolman urges people to live a simple life, with the careful use of the earth’s resources
1796 Humane mental health care pioneered at The Retreat
1798 Samuel Fox initiates the adult education movement
1813 Elizabeth Fry starts her prison reform work
1847 William Bennett generates famine relief for Ireland
1890s Barclays and Lloyds develop a reputation for fair banking. (They’re not Quaker any more…)
1914 Quaker MPs draft a bill for conscientious objectors
1938 Kindertransport evacuates children from Germany
1942 Edith Pye’s famine relief committee spawns Oxfam
1947 Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for post-war relief work
1950 CND and (1961) Amnesty International are founded
1963 Bayard Rustin is lead organiser of the civil rights movement March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
1974 Campaign Against Arms Trade is founded
1997 Work at the UN results in a landmine ban treaty
2013 Same-sex Quaker marriage is legally recognised
2014 Britain Yearly Meeting disinvests from fossil fuels Seen on the back of a Quakers for Peace T-shirt
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Tuppence worth of Quakers
Two Pennies at Brighton Quaker Meeting.
On the left is Penny Holtam, born 5th January 2020 weighing in at 9 lb 6 oz.
On the right is Penny Cloutte, born sometime in the previous century, weight unknown!
Both blessings to our Meeting.
Photo taken by proud Dad Phil.
80th Birthday Celebrations Dear Friends, During 2020 we will both have our 80th birthdays. We’d all be very happy if you’d join us along with Barbara Barber, Mary McCullough, Claire and Martin Edmunds, who have also turned 80, for a shared lunch after Meeting for Worship on Sunday March 22, and celebrate with us. We’ll bring a dish, a cake and some music. Please let us know if you are able to join us. Chris and Stella East
Do you cherish your friendships, so that they grow in depth and understanding and mutual respect? In close relationships we may risk pain as well as finding joy. When experiencing great happiness or great hurt we may be more open to the working of the Spirit. Quaker Faith & Practice Advices and Queries No. 14
FOOD BANK -- Please Remember -- FOOD BANK --- FOOD BANK
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Inter Faith Contact Group
Interfaith Prayers – April 7
Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, 6 Lansdowne Road, will host the prayer sessions until July 2020. The sessions will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8 pm.
All welcome of any faith or none. www.interfaithcontactgroup.com
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – MARCH 15
THE TREE OF LIFE
Fait h & t he Environment A Superb Short Film, Talks &
Discussion wit h Speakers from
The Quakers, Pagans & Jewish
Communities, plus M embers of
the Extinction Rebellion
Join us... meet and
talk at the Annual The Friendsg
Meetin General Mg eetin House,
of The Interfaith Ship Street
Contact Group of Brighton
BN1 1AF Brighton & Hove, with music and a Sunday March 15 delicious tea. You will 2020 be warmly w elcomed. 2.30pm to 5pm
www.interfaithcontactgroup.com
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Nontheist Friends Network
Dimensions of spirituality Weekend Conference, 28 and 29 March 2020, Friends House, London Keynote speakers: • Gill Pennington, former Spirituality Tutor, Woodbrooke Study Centre • Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK • Dinah Livingstone, editor of Sofia (Sea of Faith magazine) £50 including dinner on the Saturday night and lunch on Sunday. For details and booking see www.nontheist-quakers.org.uk Organised by the Nontheist Friends Network.
Community in Action
Sunday Community Afternoon We are organizing activities for the community to get together every other month at 12 noon, after Sunday Meeting. We hope to have a mix of serious events and fun times, events for both older and younger friends, with some activities in the Meeting House and some out and about. March 8- We will show the film "War School" at 2pm, after a shared lunch. (the 3rd Sunday is booked for an Interfaith meeting) May 17 - Bluebell walk followed by going to a cafe July 19 - Visit Knepp Castle rewilding estate followed by a visit to their cafe. September 19 - Foraging at Stanmer Park followed by a visit to the café
Third Sunday Workshop – April 19 A talk from Kahina Bouhassane, Head of Communications for Brighton Peace and Environment Centre. Brighton Meeting Elders Tapestry Our tapestry will be available to work on at 12 noon on the second and fourth Sundays. All are welcome to come and put in a few stitches. This makes it OUR tapestry, a community tapestry. When finished, it will hang in the café. All are welcome to join in.
Brighton Young Quakers Brighton Young Quakers meet every first and third Tuesday of the month at 19:00 for 19:15 in the Quiet Room of Brighton Meeting House. If there is a fifth Tuesday we do something adventurous! We meet together for tea and biscuits, worship, and an activity.
We welcome all those who identify as young adults, although for safeguarding reasons the lower age is 18. Those who are Quakers, Quaker-ish and Quaker- interested are all welcome. For more information please contact me at [email protected]
Matt Alton
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Appeals
Our March Appeal is for funds to support Young Friends General Meeting - a national community of young adult Quakers in Britain. For more information go to - http://yfgm.quaker.org.uk
Brighton Meeting diary
Meetings for Worship
Regular Meetings for Worship Sundays 9.30–10.15am Quiet Room 10.30–11.30am main Meeting Room 5.00–5.45pm main Meeting Room Wednesdays 12.30–1.00pm Quiet Room
All Age Worship March 8 June 14 September 6 December 6
Children’s Meeting Meet twice a month on the dates below. Each month there will be planned activities and a crèche will also be available on those days for the very young children. March 8 & 22 April 5 & 19 May 3 & 17 June 14 & 28 July 12 & 19 August - No Children’s Meetings September 6 & 20 October 4 & 18 November 1 & 15 December 6 & 20
Welcoming The rota for welcoming people arriving at the 10.30am Meeting for Worship is organised by Sian Jasper. Welcoming is an opportunity to serve Meeting and a good way of getting to know people. If you would like to help, please contact Sian at [email protected]
FOOD BANK -- Please Remember -- FOOD BANK --- FOOD BANK
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Workshops and community events
Open Meeting is held every Sunday except the first and third Sundays of the month, at 12 noon, and is open to everyone – visitors, attenders and members. It is a chance to share how Meeting was for us and to discuss our Quaker faith in an open and informal way.
Sunday Community Afternoon March 8- The film "War School" at 2pm, after a shared lunch. (The 3rd Sunday is booked for an Interfaith meeting) May 17 - Bluebell walk followed by going to a cafe July 19 - Visit to Knepp Castle and go to their cafe September 19 - Foraging at Stanmer Park followed by going to the café.
Third Sunday Workshop – April 19 A talk from Kahina Bouhasssane, Head of Communications for Brighton Peace and Environment Centre.
Brighton Young Quakers Young adults, 18+, meet every first and third Tuesday of the month at 19:00 for 19:15 in the Quiet Room of Brighton Meeting House. If there is a fifth Tuesday we do something adventurous! For more information please contact Matt Alton at [email protected]
Being Friends Together Groups Being Friends Together Groups are a sociable way to find out more about Quakerism and to participate in discussions within the confines of a small group. They generally meet in each other’s homes one evening per month. There are two groups covering the Brighton area.
East Group - Please contact Alan Stratford for more information. Hove Group - meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Next two meetings are on March 10 and April 14 at 7.30 pm at Helen Ledger’s home
Meetings for Quaker business
The next Meeting for Worship for Business (MWB) is on Sunday April 5 at 12 noon. Items for MWB must be sent to the Clerk at least one week before the meeting, i.e. March 29. The only exceptions are emergencies that arise during the week before MWB. Please email [email protected] or write to clerks c/o The Meeting House. If you are a newcomer or attender and would like to join us, please speak to the Clerk, who will be able to explain the procedures.
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Area Meetings for Worship for Business in 2020 Saturday March 21 at Chichester Saturday May 16 at Worthing Saturday July 18 at Ditchling Saturday September 19 at Bognor Regis
Saturday November 21 at Brighton
All Area Meetings start at 10.30 am and include a bring and share lunch.
Sussex and Surrey Regional Meetings in 2020 Saturday March 28 at Eastbourne ‘Simpler Meetings’ with Jonathan Carmichael and Carrie Comfort See back page for more details Saturday June 27 at Littlehampton ‘Reaching out to Russia’ with Moscow British Committee with Friends House Saturday September 26 at Guildford ‘Holding Difficult Conversations in Meetings’ with Ivan Hutnik and Restoring Relations Team Saturday November 28 at Dorking ‘Money and Tax Justice for the Common Good’ with Justin Thacker and a speaker from GIMMS
All meetings start at 10.30 for 11.00. There will be a bring and share lunch.
Information Copies of MWB and Area Meeting minutes, as well as other reports on Quaker affairs and concerns, are available on the information table in the corridor.
Notices Notices to be read out after Meeting for Worship should be sent to [email protected]. The deadline for notices is Friday evening.
Newsletter Contributions
The editor wants the newsletter to reflect the diversity of thinking and experience of members and attenders. If this is to be your newsletter, we need your input: thoughts on the meeting, a passage that has inspired you, a book review, a drawing, something to share with others that might help us grow in community and spirit. Please send your contributions to the editor, Jackie Robinson at [email protected]
The deadline for the April newsletter is Friday April 3. The editor has the right to edit contributions or hold them over until the next issue, particularly where this is necessary in order to avoid blank pages.
It is the responsibility of contributors to decide how much of their personal details should be given. To receive the newsletter by email or post, please contact the editor.
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Regional Meeting – Simpler Meetings Programme for Saturday 28 March 2020 at Eastbourne Friends Meeting House
10.00am Meeting of RM Nominations (Arrangements) Committee and Trustees 10.30am Welcome coffee & tea at Eastbourne FMH, 17 Wish Road, Eastbourne, 11am Opening Worship followed by Sharing of learning and ideas with Jonathan Carmichael: Simpler Meetings Project Manager for BYM. There are a lot of ways we can make meetings simpler. Please click on this link to tell us what areas feel most important to you: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SX87F3H 12.30pm - 1.30 pm Bring and share lunch with Eastbourne Friends 1.30 -1.45 pm Business Meeting for S&S R M 1.45 pm-3.30 pm Opportunities to explore in groups how the learning Jonathan has shared might be used or adapted for our own LMs and AMs 3.30pm - 4pm Close and farewell tea. You can learn more about simpler meetings on the BYM website as follows: www.quaker.org.uk/simplermeetings
LOCATION - Friends Meeting House 17 Wish Road Eastbourne BN21 4NX
N.B. Parking in the narrow lane outside the Meeting House is ONLY for disabled people with blue badges.
Simpler meetings Workshop – Brighton
The Area Meeting group working on Simpler Meetings has sent a questionnaire on the matter for us to complete as a Meeting. The papers have been circulated.
A working group has been planned to consider this – probably only one meeting will be needed. We will meet to consider the matter on Sunday March 29 at 12 noon, with sandwiches Any interested Friend is warmly invited to join us.
Published by Brighton Quaker Meeting www.brightonquakers.net Registered as a charity in England: 1147831
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