in Europe: Richard Seebohm

The Quaker movement (or Religious Society November 1918 they had to step in when the of Friends) began in the religious turbulence Allies kept the blockade of in place of seventeenth century England. As practised over the winter.) This exposure attracted in this country it has kept its defining attention and adherents. The wider peace features. These include experiential movement also brought us together with Christianity (′the inner light’), silent worship, kindred spirits. freedom from (sorry, I mean absence of) paid clergy, and ′testimonies’ of peace, equality, The attached list shows that no significant simplicity and truth. These features, together European country now lacks a Quaker with a robustly spirit-led business method presence. There are some 16,000 in Britain and a fit-for-purpose organisational structure (plus several thousand more attending ensured its survival but kept it as a minority Meetings for Worship but not in denomination. membership), 1,600 in Ireland (North and South), over 300 in Germany, though fewer in Outside Europe, Quakerism followed the each of the other territories. But the numbers British colonial diaspora, particularly to do not necessarily indicate a lack of visibility. North America. There it met varied versions What is important is that each national group of Christian culture, which led to growth of is autonomous in the sense of not looking to programmed worship, paid pastors and an any central body for validation. However, evangelical approach. Whilst the traditional there is a ′Friends World Committee for form also flourished, the fundamentalist, Consultation’, which is what it says, and this mission-oriented, version was exported to has a Europe and Middle East Section central Africa (not a promising location for (EMES). It is EMES that is the primary silent worship) and Latin America. It has contact with CEC. since flourished in both. Because of its mass, Britain is This is not to say that the early British able to deploy administrative staff who (for Quakers, and in particular those who example) run the World Council of Churches’ travelled in continental Europe, were not Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for missionaries. It was such a group in 1790 Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). It appoints staff who came upon a North German community to the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) that had broken away from the Lutheran in . But its international focus of Church to worship in silence. Its members concern is not specifically European. needed little in the way of convincement; I happen to be a direct descendant. Such For that, there is the Quaker Council for isolated Quaker groups survived but did not European Affairs in . This is spread. It was in relief to the victims of wars independent of other Quaker bodies and is and political turmoil that British Friends (but steered by a Council drawn from nine not only British) were led by their testimonies European Quaker groups. It has two to practice what they preached in many Representatives, three short-term Programme troubled European countries, and over many Assistants and an Office Manager. It has years. (After the first world war ended in programmes in the fields of peace, human rights and economic justice, and a more general monitoring and communication role linked to the future evolution of the European continent. It pays considerable attention to the work of the Council of Europe, where (arguably) faith dimensions have more prominence than in the EU. To see more, visit www.quaker.org/qcea

Quaker Yearly Meetings/Groups in Europe and the Middle East

Austria Quarterly Meeting (of German YM) German Yearly Meeting Belgium and Greece (Athens Christian Friends Meeting) Hungary: Budapest Worship Group Bulgaria Iceland: Kópavogur Worship Group Czech Republic: Prague Worship Group Denmark Yearly Meeting Italy Dubai Latvia East Croatia Worship Group Lithuania: Kaunas Quaker Group Egypt Middle East Yearly Meeting Estonia Yearly Meeting Finland Yearly Meeting Norway Yearly Meeting France Yearly Meeting Russia: Monthly Meeting Georgia Worship Group

Spain: Barcelona Monthly Meeting Sweden Yearly Meeting Switzerland Yearly Meeting