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Who Is My Neighbour? the Friend Independent Quaker Journalism Since 1843

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Who Is My Neighbour? the Friend Independent Quaker Journalism Since 1843 13 May 2016 £1.90 the DISCOVER THE CONTEMPORARYFriend QUAKER WAY Who is my neighbour? the Friend INDEPENDENT QUAKER JOURNALISM SINCE 1843 CONTENTS VOL 174 NO 20 3 Thought for the Week: Seeing the person Connie Hazell 4-5 News 6 Pentecost Quakers and Volker Heine the elections 7 Europe: A NUMBER of Quakers Environment and agriculture stood in the recent elections. Martyn Kelly Those elected included Carla 8-9 Letters Denyer of Young Friends General Meeting and Alex 10-11 Children’s Charter of Developmental Cole-Hamilton of Central Rights Edinburgh Local Meeting. A Green Party candidate, Wendy Pattinson Carla held her Bristol City 12-13 Who is my neighbour? Council seat. She represents Pleasaunce Perry and Robert Foulkes Clifton Down ward. Alex is a member of the Liberal 14 From the archive: Democrat Party. He is now Harry Stanton member of the Scottish Compiled by Janet Scott parliament for the Edinburgh Western constituency. 15 Edenderry: Where the fire burns Marjorie Lamb 16 Friends & Meetings Cover image: Bluebells in bloom. Photo: Rob Young / flickr CC. The Friend Subscriptions Advertising Editorial UK £82 per year by all payment Advertisement manager: Editor: types including annual direct debit; George Penaluna Ian Kirk-Smith monthly payment by direct debit [email protected] £7; online only £63 per year. Articles, images, correspondence For details of other rates, Tel 01535 630230 should be emailed to contact Penny Dunn on 54a Main Street, Cononley [email protected] 020 7663 1178 or [email protected] Keighley BD20 8LL or sent to the address below. the Friend 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ Tel: 020 7663 1010 Fax: 020 7663 1182 www.thefriend.org Editor: Ian Kirk-Smith [email protected] • Sub-editor: Trish Carn [email protected] • Production and office manager: Elinor Smallman [email protected] • Journalist: Tara Craig [email protected] • Arts correspondent: Rowena Loverance [email protected] • Environment correspondent: Laurie Michaelis [email protected] • Subscriptions officer: Penny Dunn [email protected] Tel: 020 7663 1178 • Advertisement manager: George Penaluna, Ad department, 54a Main Street, Cononley, Keighley BD20 8LL Tel: 01535 630230 ads@thefriend. org • Clerk of the trustees: Nicholas Sims • ISSN: 0016-1268 • The Friend Publications Limited is a registered charity, number 211649 • Printed by Headley Bros Ltd, Queens Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH 2 the Friend, 13 May 2016 Thought for the Week Seeing the person ur old friend Sam had been in hospital for ten weeks. The hospital was the other side of London from his home. He had spent his birthday in hospital and it looked likely that he would spend Christmas there as Owell. There had been tests, examinations and consultations, and yet more tests, but no diagnosis. His wife, who was far from well, was finding visiting increasingly difficult. His family, who were scattered around London, came in the evenings when Sam was tired. The other men in the ward were gravely ill, so there was none of the chat and banter that can go on when patients are recovering and looking forward to going home. We couldn’t imagine it, but our old friend, who was normally always cheerful and optimistic, was becoming dispirited and even ‘down in the dumps’. Then one day into the next bed came Gary, who had been sent from a hostel for homeless men. He was thin and gaunt but his smile lit up his face as he shook hands with Sam and started to chat. Within a short while they discovered they both had a love of motorcycles and the sixty-year age gap melted away. When Sam’s family next visited they couldn’t believe the change in him. In turn, Gary, having lost touch with his own family long ago, was intrigued with the three generations of Sam’s family when introductions were made. When Christmas came Gary had cards and presents from Sam’s family – the first for many years. Instead of being one of ‘the homeless’, this man had a name. He was a person. In this fast-moving, fast-talking world of ours it is easy and convenient to lump people together: the ‘homeless’, the ‘disabled’, the ‘blind’, the ‘deaf’, the ‘mentally ill’ or ‘immigrants’. It is gratifying, though, to note that many charities are now including ‘people’ or ‘children’ in their titles. For some years now Friends from my Meeting have been taking hot food and clothing to homeless people in a car park in the centre of town. As well as being grateful for food and clothing, the men have appreciated the courtesy, the interest shown to them and being known by their names. In the well-loved gospel story of Zacchaeus, he, being a small man, climbed a tree to get a better look at the itinerant preacher everyone was talking about. He was one of the despised tax-gatherers. What a stir it must have caused in the crowd when Jesus called to him by name. He had become a person. Sadly, our friend Sam is no longer with us, but now when the family look back with gratitude to the expertise and kindness of the hospital staff, they also remember Gary, one of the ‘homeless’ who, for a short time, shone a light in the darkness. Connie Hazell Bournemouth and Fordingbridge Meeting the Friend, 13 May 2016 3 News Friends witness at AGM of BAE Systems Two QUAKERS were physically the front of the room during the per cent of the questions asked removed from the annual general chairman’s speech. They then by shareholders were based on: meeting (AGM) of weapons manu- stood before the audience holding ‘Why are you selling arms to Saudi facturer BAE Systems last week. posters that said: ‘900 children Arabia?’ She added that there Hannah Brock told the Friend killed in Yemen.’ Hannah said that were more BAE staff and CAAT that a number of Quakers were when they sat down she ‘felt very activists at the AGM than ‘regular’ involved in actions at the AGM. calm, and very worshipful’. Shortly shareholders. These were organised by Campaign afterwards the pair were removed CAAT is a BAE shareholder, Against Arms Trade (CAAT) from the AGM by security staff. which enabled its activists to attend and were aimed at disrupting Hannah was lifted and carried out, the AGM as proxy shareholders. proceedings and making investors singing the Taizé chant ‘Bless the The protests at the AGM were part aware of how their money is being Lord, my Soul’. Andrew was also of a larger campaign that has seen spent. dragged out of the room. the organisation launch legal action Hannah and fellow Friend Actions, many involving Friends, against the government in a bid to Andrew Dey took part in one continued throughout the AGM. stop the UK selling arms to Saudi of the first actions. They sat at Hannah said that around ninety Arabia. Leaveners look to 2020 THE BiRMINgham-basED Leaveners also looked at plans programmes.’ Quaker arts group Leaveners held for the future, which will see it The three-year plan will see its annual general meeting on ‘working in new and exciting ways’, Leaveners moving in a new Saturday 7 May. said director José Forrest-Tennant. direction, creating youth theatres The focus of the meeting was She explained: ‘Vision 2020 in Meeting houses to engage with twofold. The group discussed will include partnerships with young Quakers and working with its new mission statement in Birmingham Repertory Theatre ethnically diverse communities preparation for winning Charitable and Ironbridge Museum to in partnership with Birmingham Incorporated Organisation status. create new artistic and learning Repertory Theatre. Central & Southern Africa Yearly Meeting BRitish FRIEND Jennifer Kavanagh gave the Richard Gush lecture at Central & Southern Africa Yearly Meeting, which took place in Modderpoort, South Africa from 27 April to 3 May. Jennifer was one of eight British Friends who attended the event. The subject of the Yearly Meeting was ‘Spiritual promptings to a just, shared and sustainable future’. Jennifer took as her subject ‘something that underlies any consideration of justice and sustainability, the subject of our underlying interconnectedness – “oneness” – in our relations with each other, with the rest of the Photo: Taylor. Lee created world, in religion and with God’. Left: Helen Holleman (co-clerk of Central & Southern Africa YM) with Jennifer Kavanagh. Friends share refugee news Two FRIENDS have shared their experiences of the Friend that Louise had described ‘a man from working with refugees in Calais, Dunkirk and on the Iraq whose five children had witnessed their mother border between Macedonia and Greece. having her throat slit, a girl who never smiled but The Friends spoke to an audience of fifty at just walked in circles and a twenty-five-day-old baby Birmingham’s Priory Rooms on 26 April. Bewdley who had been born in the camp’. Steve Gilbert of Meeting’s Louise Billet has made regular visits over the Sutton Coldfield Meeting has been running a pop-up last six months to Dunkirk and Calais and returned podiatry clinic in Calais. He explained to Friends that from the Greece/Macedonia border on 23 April. along with foot care, he found himself treating knee Barbara Forbes of Central England Area Meeting told injuries and wounds. 4 the Friend, 13 May 2016 reported by Tara Craig [email protected] Friends witness at AGM of BAE Systems JRCT responds to report findings THE JOSEph RowNTREE Charitable Trust (JRCT) has issued a response to the Charity Commission’s regulatory case report on the trust’s funding of the advocacy organisation Cage. The report, which was issued on 6 May, concluded that JRCT’s trustees ‘acted in good faith’ when they made awards to Cage in 2007, 2008 and 2011.
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