Friday with Friends

We gather during certain Friday evenings of the year in the Garden Room at Friends Meeting House. The aim is to enable us all within the Meeting to get to know each other better, and to share some of our "private passions".

Sessions start promptly at 7:30 and finish by 9:30 p.m. The general plan for a Friday with Friends is this: one person from the Meeting talks about something that he or she is passionate about or deeply engaged in. The talk lasts for about half an hour, followed by some time for questions. Then we break into small groups for discussion.

Topics are suggested by Friends so if you have an issue that you would like included please get in touch.

1 October: Experiment with Light, Kate Joyce
This is a 'guided meditation' which was developed by Rex Ambler, as detailed in his book 'Light to live by — an exploration in Quaker Spirituality'. The meditation has been used and appreciated by many Quaker meetings, and though not appealing to some Quakers, many have found it helpful. It consists of several short passages in which directions for reflection are read out, and these are separated by 6-8 minutes of silence, altogether taking about 50 minutes. Rex believes that it is possible that the process is similar to the earliest Quaker meetings.

5 November: Singing for Joy, Rachel Howell

3 December 2010: Quaker Attitudes To Drugs and Alcohol, Rebecca Mattingly
How does your faith impact on your attitudes and actions on alcohol and drugs?

Usually, events also appear in the calendar on page six of this month's newsletter.

In addition to the above, previous topics have included: mediaeval mystics; medical ethics; being in love with the earth; and rebuilding the financial system. Some recent topics have also been: