David Burston and Alice Photo: David Burston

SOUTHERN EAST ANGLIA AREA QUAKER MEETING February 2021

CONTENTS Writings...... 5 Old Problems and New Beginnings...... 10 Meeting for Sufferings....2 Song of the Free...... 6 AM Clerk's Report...... 10 Editorial...... 2 My Sort of Man...... 7 Friendship and Sport....11 All Things Considered .....3 David and Alice ...... 7 Poster...... 11 Ex-Changes...... 5 Christian or Not?...... 8 Sparrows...... 12 Earls Colne News...... 5 Finding a Home...... 9

RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS) SEAQM Correspondence Clerk: Hazel Jones c/o Colchester Quaker Meeting House 6 Church Street, Colchester CO1 1NF; Web Address: www.essexsuffolkquakers.org email address: [email protected] 1 Meetings for Worship to reopen. The impact on men- a descendant of slaves through CLACTON tal health was deemed more dan- my mother, this was also a mo- gerous than COVID. My son’s ment to witness, celebrate and Harwich mental health must be a priority savour and it was profoundly COLCHESTER as well as my own, but it is hard. moving to me. I have always Who could imagine navigating rejoiced in the role Quakers EARLS COLNE such anxiety and isolation as a took in the abolition movement, mere six-year-old? So I appreciate the photos and SUDBURY poems about from John I do feel, however, that the last Hall. Thankfully, at least now FIRST CONTACT few weeks contain reasons for we have a black American lead- FOR FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS hope and seeds of joy to come. ing the US armed forces and a Charles Bather I took my 91-year-old father to picture of , hero his first inoculation against of the ‘’ COVID and witnessed numer- Editorial who helped countless slaves to ous of our most elderly and frag- escape, is set to grace American Well hello Friends! I’ve never ile uncurl themselves from their $20 bills. written an editorial before buy I cars to take their first steps to- hope this adds some value to wards longed-for normality and Gender politics is a thorny chal- your reading this month. It’s a the joys of human contact. It lenge. I disliked the way JK diverse and interesting newslet- was humbling and moving. In Rowling was rounded upon for ter and notably two late addi- our house, we didn’t let a cause expressing her fears founded on tions, from Ecky and Anne, for joy go unnoticed and we cel- her experience of sexual assault. strike me as important calls to ebrated “Biden Day” with choc- But here too, I hope there is action. olates, gifts and buns (Biden hope. Joe Biden has appointed buns, what else? ). Biden’s inau- Rachel Levine to be the first ever It seems that life is on pause. guration was momentous. It has openly transexual official to be Not only our life as a Meeting, finally ended a dark and danger- confirmed by the US Senate. She but in the myriad ways we oper- ous time for so many, and I be- will be Assistant Health Secre- ate as social human animals. As lieve a good man is finally back tary and the simple fact of her my family enters week three of in charge. It was not certain to appointment says so much more home-schooling lockdown, happen until it did, and then Ph- than any words or ideas can. nerves have become a little ew! Relief, jubilation and all of shredded. Each day, I worry if us can sleep easier. And I do not What did that wonderful poet we lose momentum in doing dai- have to explain to my children Amanda Gorman say at the In- ly schoolwork, all will be lost why the bad man is still in charge. auguration? When day comes, and we will be back doing none, we ask ourselves, where can we as was the case in the first lock 12 years ago, I was in Washing- find light in this never-ending down. But at the same time, I ton with my largely black Amer- shade? And ends: have been reading about how ican family on a pilgrimage to suicides among school children mark another inauguration, that For there is always light, If only we’re brave enough to see it as young as nine in the US, even- of Barack Obama as the first If only we’re brave enough to be it. tually forced schools in one area African American President. As Meeting for 29 young people who uplifted The main business before us us through their contributions was a continuation of Re- Sufferings expressed not only in words, sponding to racism: next steps. 5thDecember 2020 but in pictures and in song - BYM Trustees cut to the chase. their testimony through music, Racism exists within the Reli- Robert Parkes possibly a first for MfS, deeply gious Society of Friends in Britain. They cited some dis- We were over 130 participants moved and enriched us all. turbing examples. It is some- meeting online. This included thing we must tackle. This was 2 a shocking way to start our dis- helped us reflect on the three easy way forward especially as cernment, but we agreed that stages of an approach to action the Society, ironically, seems to recognising the problem was an on racism – learning, acknowl- have created for itself a veritable important first step to address- edging, and acting. And, cat’s cradle of processes and ing it. There was sombre reflec- grounded in our testimonies, structures. BYM, for example, is tion that it needed to be stated what is going to be our vision for made up of over 70 separate and, sadly, some incredulity. In- this work? Part of the conclud- charities plus recognised bodies. dividually we are all on different ing minute reads: One Friend opined “radical so- stages of this journey. I sensed it lutions should not be off the “Our testimonies to equality was the young Friends present table”. MfS, BYM, Trustees, and truth demand that we en- who were ahead of the curve. central committees and Wood- gage in a drive towards real brooke are working behind the The truth of the matter is that change, turning our declared in- scenes on our behalf to discern a our Yearly Meeting has been tentions into reality. We are way forward. We were directed struggling to engage with issues called to commit to becoming an to the dedicated web pages on of racism for generations. Final- actively anti-racist church. Indi- simplifying meetings - ly, hopefully, now is the time for vidually we are all on different https://www.quaker.org.uk/our us all to unfetter ourselves from stages of this journey, which is -organisation/support-for- the shackles of toxic history. In based on learning, moves meetings/simpler-meetings. a powerful presentation by Ed- through acknowledgment and wina Peart (BYM’s Inclusion on to commitment to action We heard how some meetings and Diversity Co-ordinator) we based on discernment… The have been hit hard by lockdown explored the ways in which the time to act is now, personally with the loss of nearly all their facts of our – Quaker - history and in our area meetings.” income and donations. The Soci- are relayed to succeeding gener- ety faces some uncertainty as we We took heart in that momen- ations and the deep feelings that go into 2021. tum has been building, especial- are created by past injustice. Un- ly over the last year. We heard There will be no physical BYM comfortable truths have been how Friends have been taking gathering in 2021. It was sup- airbrushed away, words that the first steps of this journey, for posed to be a residential at Bath seem innocuous enough still example, through learning about University. It is now likely to be have the capacity to hurt and the darker recesses of our Quak- an event online, over several wounds that go unacknowl- er past, or by holding special weeks in August. edged remain unhealed. meetings to acknowledge the As usual, a full report of the We are all called to commit to truth, or by discerning an alter- meeting and papers can be found becoming an actively anti-racist native to the word “overseer”. on the dedicated MfS pages on church. How can we make that In other business, we heard the Quaker.org website. MfS al- active commitment to disman- more about the moves towards so gets widely reported in The tling institutional racism within simplified structures. There is no Friend. Quakers and society? Edwina

All Things ers via Zoom on Thursday 3 trying to look up the Swarth- September 2020. Kate Powis more lecture! She asked to join Considered kindly convened it and several because her young relative had By Robbie Spence F/friends attended. just come out as a transwoman.

Thursday 3 September 2020 on Most notably, an Attender in Unfortunately, there was no- gender issues – the follow-up Devon called Norah joined us, one at the All Things Consid- report such is the facility of Zoom ered meeting from among the and the power of the Internet F/friends who had ministered Gender was the topic of a spe- that brought our meeting to about inclusion or cautioned cial ‘All Things Considered’ her attention while she was against prejudice at the Meet- meeting of Colchester Quak- 3 ing for Worship in May that Since that time according to from gender rights activists. had sparked this off. The rea- QGSDC, several meetings son for the All Things Consid- have undertaken discernment Last but not least, F/friends, I ered meeting was mainly to be on transgender and non-bina- have discovered that there are able to give more time and ry inclusion. In the many ex- some other Quakers around space to consider the ministry amples, which are all the country who are as con- at the May Meeting for Wor- well-intentioned and founded cerned as I am about the way ship. I must say that, the more in our testimony to equality, the gender discourse is going. I learn about the gender dis- there is the occasional state- I have also heard that books by course, the less surprised I am ment that betrays the kind of the philosopher and Quaker, about the absence of those misunderstanding and confu- Heather Brunskell Evans, are who support gender ideology. sion that leads me to want to not for sale at Friends House It is the same when I ask them alert F/friends to our testimo- bookshop for ideological rea- what they mean by saying that ny to truth. Here is the North sons. That is a shame because ‘Trans rights are human East Thames Area Meeting her latest book, Transgender rights’. Of course they are, and statement in February 2017: Body Politics (2020), covers of course trans people have identity politics and queer the- human rights and nobody is “[We] want our Local Meet- ings to be safe places where ory and, from what I have seen trying to take them away. and heard of Heather on Hence, the standard response each person can come as their own true self and find a spirit- YouTube, the book sounds from gender ideologists and like just what we need to better their supporters, when ques- ual home. We recognise that there is a growing awareness in understand this strange new tioned, is to disengage from world of gender ideology. conversation. (Some go so far society, and in the Society of as to say that they don’t feel Friends, that the terms ‘man’ Maybe we can get a copy for safe.) and ‘woman’ prove incom- our library? plete when describing the di- Jenny Kay joined us and re- versity of gender identity and membered there had been experience that ex- some important gender-relat- ists.” ed discernment during her time on Meeting for Suffer- The problem is that ings. I looked this up after- ‘man’ and ‘woman’ wards and found a host of are terms that de- information on the pages of scribe sex, not gender the Quaker Gender and Sexual identity, and when Diversity Community you conflate the two, (QGSDC). the result is incoher- ence and confusion, The Meeting for Sufferings which can lead to mi- record shows that, in the con- sogyny. The best sultation that preceded the known example of Gender Recognition Act 2004, this misogyny is they wrote to the Department what happened to JK of Constitutional Affairs (the Rowling when she forerunner of the Ministry of tweeted about how Justice) to “fully support the humans are sexually provision in the [Gender Rec- dimorphic: she has ognition] Bill which entitles since been subjected transsexual people to full legal to gross sexual recognition in their desired threats and insults gender.”

4 Ex-Changes and learning in the 1970s and, more particularly, the influence Antony Johae's collected early of Dostoevsky and Kafka. poetry and prose, Ex-Changes (The High Window, 2020), at Ex-Changes (Swindon, The first returns the reader to the High Window, 2020). 94 pages. author's childhood memory of ISBN: 978-1-913201-18-0 the end of the Second World £10 (plus £2 p&p) War. It then moves forward to his post-war family connection Copies can be purchased directly with Germany in the 1960s, and from the author at to his two-year residence there [email protected] in the next decade. Then comes a sequence of love poems followed by impressions of university life

Earls Colne News under Covid 19 regulations. Meleschko for her service as We took the opportunity to treasurer over the last three Jenny Kay, clear all non-essential and un- years and seek new arrange- Unable to gather in person or claimed articles by donating ments for managing future hir- on Zoom as a Meeting for and recycling them. When re- ings with John Kay as Church Affairs, I drafted the strictions were lifted, Meetings treasurer. report to Area Meeting and for Worship were held from We have each found ways of circulated it by email and post. August until the end of the nurturing our spiritual lives The following is in the process year when by consent Meet- and keeping in touch. All as- of being approved and could ings ceased. Maintenance pects of the life of our meeting be amended before being read work, building checks and are seen to be ‘on hold’. We out in AM on Zoom. cleaning were carried out as required. look forward to a time when We have read Quaker Faith we can get together and act and Practice (Fifth edition) Arrangements for hire by collectively again, to make full 4.33. From March until Au- community groups proved too use of our Meeting House to gust 2020 the Meeting House difficult to manage. A grant of our benefit and to that of the remained closed. When possi- £5,000 through Braintree local community. ble, it was prepared for use Council has mitigated the loss of income. We thank Jayne

Writings If you want to read it full screen don't forget to click on the broken John Kay square in the top left, you can return If you are fairly happy reading from to your original screen by clicking on a computer screen you may possibly the escape key. You'll find the book want to see the latest book I've put by holding down CTRL (or CMD) together from various articles I've and clicking on this URL. You’ll be written over many years. To relieve asked if you feel you can trust this the large amount of text I've also site, please answer yes. reproduced some of my paintings https://en.calameo.com/read/006503 with a few illustrations as well. 32737cc16e0e204

5 Song of the Free A poem by the escaping slave two leaders of the Underground Joshua Simpson. The references Railway who passed escaping John Hall to Ohio are relevant to us as slaves through Ohio to freedom. Vestal and were the 6 Winter Shadows Photo: David Lawrence

My Sort of Man John Hall

The following is part of a poem called My Sort ‘O Man by Paul Laurence Dunbar who, son of two former slaves, was the first African American to gain wide renown for litera- ture in the United States:

But I jedge no man by his clothes, - Nor gentleman nor tramp; The man that wears the finest suit May be the biggest scamp, An’ he whose limbs air clad in rags That make a mournful sight, In life’s great battle may have proved A hero in the fight. (jedge and air are the original spelling)

David and Alice Rod and I were good friends Alice and I are both well… As with him, and Alice, when he a nurse she received h e r vacci- I wrote to David Burston, was over here some years ago, nation first shot three weeks partly as part of ensuring we working with a number of ago and so that’s a relief we are are in touch with all Friends in British football clubs’ Youth nearly there with her… As a our 2018 book, and on the sections. healthcare worker over here I Lists……. do actually qualify for the vac- Teaching them values! He and Alice live in Santa cine so that will begin next Monica, Florida, where they This is just lovely…………. Sunday for me… We are both are members of the local Meet- doing well and have main- ing! Julia, how lovely to hear from tained contact with the local you! Santa Monica meeting here… 7 We are selling our house at the both and so appreciate the in- I worked with the young moment so it’s been very busy fluence you have been over me Nicks rather a lot so his new- , what with clinical commit- and the friendship we have found notoriety is very pleas- ments and all of that to deal had and have now… ing! He scored a marvellous with but we are nearly there… goal for them… And I’m sure We had an apartment on the At this point I’m booked to Rod knows about it side of the house which we come back in mid March for used to rent out for Airbnb the football. Despite the Cov- We are currently in Palm but they changed the ruling so id there has in fact been more Springs out in the desert… It’s we were no longer able to do work for me to do as online very quiet out here at the mo- that and rather than get a sessions and education re- ment so it felt the best idea long-term renter we decided quirements have become more while we could to get away to sell the house and move to important and not less… I from the city… land a little way if we can… have just written another piece for a book called ‘Holy I will be getting to the meet- I want you to know that I do Ground Holy Game’ Which ing in April and I will be look- often think of you both and the authors tell me my second ing forward to seeing you send you my love and best book inspired! then… wishes. I know there may be It’s funny but I was very hap- Love and best wishes David protracted times when I’m not and Alice in touch but I do think of you py that Crawley Town beat Leeds United the other day…

Christian or Not? that the insights of the past Seed in everyone) can minister must not lightly be thrown to the church at large. Or it Can we settle the question, ‘Is away. It may be valuable to may be that a synthesis is pos- the Society of Friends Chris- live for a while in the tension sible, once we can agree on tian or not?’ In the historical between the universal and the what is essential to being a sense the answer is Yes: but specific; and if so, there may be Christian. that does not preclude the pos- a special vocation here through sibility that we may now be which our Society (with its tra- John Lampen, 1985 QFP 27.03 called to a new and wider per- dition of respect for the divine ception of the Truth. We have the witness of the Soci- ety itself, as well as the example of Jesus, against turning yester- day’s inspiration into today’s dogma. To- day’s world-wide knowledge of people and their religions does present a challenge which our universalists are right to try to meet – just as our Christians are right to remind us

Sunset Photo: David Lawrence 8 Finding a Home ested enough to get involved with ‘trying to herd cats’. with a Quaker Summer School. John Kay All of this seemed to offer a This involved a meeting of the secure environment to me In the many years between at- organisers at Sutton Meeting. where I was able to feel at one tending a Methodist Church as At my first Meeting for Wor- with the whole ethos of a teenager and getting estab- ship I was struck by the sincer- Friends and belong to a loving lished into Secondary teaching ity and devotion shown by the and supportive community. I could best describe myself as silence. a ‘seeker’ . Thankfully there were no arti- As I learned more about the cles or rules that I felt I had to I had struggled with the con- Society I began to feel a grow- comply with yet I was able to cepts of ‘God in three per- ing sympathy with them and look to other Quakers for ex- sons’, ‘virgin birth’ ,‘original the principles that seemed to amples of good practice. sin’ and ‘life after death’ and guide them. I was impressed Quaker Faith and Practice found them all completely un- by the respect and love that proved a useful help in this. acceptable. they felt, not just for fellow Being able to take full respon- The whole idea of making Je- Friends but also for all people. sibility for myself. Although sus Christ a divine person The more I learned of Quak- giving my full attention to in- seemed to make a mockery of ers, the more I realised that corporating my own ideas, it his example. How could any- being part of them, I could be was up to me how I should one use his life as a pattern to confident that there was noth- behave as a good person. This follow if he were anything but ing in their history that I need made me very aware of the human? That applied to the to feel ashamed of. difficulty of self-judgement, fact of his conception as well. with the assurance that, being Other factors also became ap- I had reflected on how we es- human I would often fall short parent to me, other religions tablished the concepts of good of my ideal. were given full respect and and evil during childhood and there were no ‘us afterwards and came to the and them divisions’ conclusion that the only way adopted, judgement was through the sole experi- of others was not ex- ence of those qualities in the pressed and every- people we met, not in the ideas one was able to feel that were constantly fed into valued. us by church and school. A real plus was that So I muddled along, thankful at all times due con- for the wonderful example of sideration was given goodness given me by an ex- to the opinions and cellent mother, not only how the self-respect of she treated us but also how she others. Votes were nurtured anyone she met as a never taken. primary schoolteacher or so- cially. Very soon it became apparent that When teaching I was lucky Friends were all enough to meet up with one or rather awkward two teachers who earned my characters with their respect and only later found own set of values. out that they were Quakers. I Trying to organise was recently separated from Friends was equated my first wife and became inter-

9 Old Problems and Some stalwarts are neverthe- mark of Quakerism, contrib- less trying to keep our Local uting to Quakers still existing New Beginnings and Area Meetings going, but and – in places – even going Ecky Prolingheuer they are relatively few, and strongly. many of them are getting wea- One of the wonderful quali- ry of their commitments and Our Area Meeting is not alone ties of the Quaker ‘family’ is the time they have to sacrifice in having to deal with these that we don’t have priests who for the tasks, and there’s a problems; Friends’ House is tell us what to believe in, nor constant turnaround of the aware that many Meetings ex- do we have to pay staff who same Friends trying to cover perience the very same pres- do the work of running this the necessary ‘jobs’. But we sures. They have therefore set ‘family’ for us and make us can’t find anyone to take over up 4 new Development Offic- stay within the family rules from them, or at least support ers for England who will dis- (well, with the exception of them, and so our Nomina- cuss these issues with and apologies to Melanie). tions ‘Committee’ consists of individual Meetings and help finding workable solutions. But one of the problems of one person; clerks to LM and AM are octogenarians, albeit But we have to set our own living in the Quaker family is minds to it, too! Trying to that we have to find and live active ones; we are sorely in need of overseers and trustees; find a way out of our Old our belief individually, and Problem is something which furthermore that we have to nor do we have a designated Contributions Secretary, our next Area Meeting will do ourselves the work of start to discern, so please give keeping our family going… Membership Clerk, Archivist or other posts. That’s the it some thought, try ‘blue sky However, our Quaker family ‘Old Problems’ of the title! thinking’, and shine the Light is getting older, and smaller, on this important matter. We but the tasks required to run We cannot and must not hope must consider simplifying the family are not! And so we that it all will somehow go Meetings (but how?), maybe try and muddle along, with away – with time it will only employing more people to do ever shrinking Committees get worse, and our SEAQM some of the work (can we af- and finances but increasing ‘family’ may have to give up ford it?), or work together work and responsibilities. and disperse altogether. So we with neighbouring Meetings And that is entirely under- have to search for ‘New Be- in joining certain Committees, standable: we are all busy ginnings’, ways to do things tasks and working groups. differently but more success- keeping up with an increas- For once, let us all work to- ingly complex life, fully. That might even mean breaking with parts of our gether for a better future of (grand)children, work de- our own, in addition to striv- mands, financial needs, the ur- Quaker tradition, but moving with the times and accepting ing for a better future for oth- gent need to support ers! deserving causes, and so on. the Zeitgeist has always been a

AM Clerk's Report problem of Friends to do things, we are custodians of things for our meetings is not four meeting houses and two Anne Watkinson new and very much exacerbat- burial grounds. Three of these I took over as AM Clerk for ed by the pandemic. However, are listed properties and all 2021 in November, largely be- we are really reaching crisis need attention from time to cause no one else would or point. time with Colchester needing could. I have just read Ecky’s considerable attention. And no While our overall finances piece about problems and hiring income of significance look healthy and we are not would like to add a few things for a year – or more? collapsing as many charities, for you to think about. This worried about that side of 10 Actually being active in help- ing area meetings to consider wider community and out- ing those outside our fellow- amalgamating – is this an an- reach.’ But we need to know ship, let alone supporting swer? Would you like a few of where and what we need help those in need in our commu- us to pursue this? with, he/she will not be there nity as we should, is beyond to tell us what to do. us – how can we witness to Britain Yearly Meeting recog- others and grow spiritually if nise we are nationally a Even if you can’t be active you we can’t even run ourselves? shrinking organisation yet are can still think of ways to en- funding development officers sure Quakers continue in But we are not daft, or defeat- after the success of the three- Southern East Anglia AM. Se- ed. We can certainly simplify year Vibrancy project. One riously – we are struggling to things but it means individual will start in our eastern region continue as we are and need people doubling up on roles – in April. But we are the only some creative thinking and will this work? Sharing out AM in the area not to have your discernment as the way the work and employing peo- anyone on the appointments forward. Ideas to or further ple is how we manage Col- set-up although I do attend information from me and then chester Meeting premises. the meetings about the try to come to the AM meet- progress of it. The job de- ing on February 14th. There are other ideas afoot in scription includes supporting our region – we are not alone. ‘worship, community, organi- [email protected] 07947 We have had a modest ap- sational management, social 059279 proach from our neighbour- action, collaboration in the

Poster John Hall

Part of a pro-slavery poster which sought to show that Quaker anti-slavery campaign- ers were deceiving the public.

Friendship and Sunday morning, January ed by England with Sri 24th, in the Zoom Meeting Lanka. Sport for Worship, a Friend la- Teamwork or mented the current political Cricket teams of course are Winning Challenge battles in the US and UK of each desperate to win. Each side develops powerful rela- Julia Usher recent weeks, which have ex- posed lying, slander, corrup- tionships of respect and sup- Rod has been explaining a tion, and even insurrection. port within the team. This great deal to me about the requires unswerving practice intricacies of the sport of I was suddenly struck by an and full commitment, build- cricket; we have watched alternative model of human ing up to each contest. Na- parts of several matches this achievement and approach to tional pride runs very strong; season. teamwork: the Test Match se- and supporters are fierce in ries, currently being contest- their loyalty.

11 But alongside the Friendly key role; just as Zoom now truth, was brought to a halt….. rivalry, there is equal respect does for us. …by a prehistoric creature of of differences. Teams are mul- another age, from survival on- ticultural; cricket is a common A final incident inspired the ly of the fittest and most ag- language of rules and practice, analogy of Quaker Faith and gressive, willing to attack and shared by all who take part. Practice with cricket. This destroy to live. There are fierce demands of morning, the entire match was energy, of giving your all, and brought to a halt, when a very This vividly illustrated to me, putting highly refined skills large Komodo dragon wan- how our best practices and civ- to use. dered onto the pitch. This alli- ilised relationships are fragile, gator - like creature is a relic of and vulnerable to leaders and Defeat must be accepted, even the dinosaurs. It is dangerous politicians who cast aside when there is disagreement - to mammals, small and large - truthfulness and cooperation and the dispassionate video including humans. It brought when their power is threat- eye of the mechanical “third the entire match to a halt, until ened; and dissent exposes their Umpire” is the one that re- it could be lured away safely. shallowness. solves appeals - was it out? was it in? No juggling of the Thus in one moment, an entire truth for your own gain. international encounter, its Technology therefore plays a cultural sophistication, long accepted values of fair play, respect for right ordering and

Sparrows

John Hall How many sparrows can you see?

12