In her lecture Emily engaged with the challenge of how people can live and cooperate in community, especially when those communities are not ones that we have chosen. Emily presented a testimony of community drawn from books of discipline used across Friends’ theological spectrum and in many parts of our global community. In her lecture … Read more
In the 2024 lecture, Ben Jarman explored the myth and reality of how society responds to serious crimes, charting the uses and abuses of society’s responses to crime: retributive punishment, rehabilitative intervention, public protection, and calls for incremental or radical reform. Drawing on personal and professional experiences, Ben invited Friends to reflect on where current … Read more
Back to the Light: A Fresh Approach by Nigel Smith In this George Richardson Lecture, Nigel Smith looks back to the dynamic period of Quaker activity from the mid-1650s to the early 18th century and explores what we can learn from it today.
How do we keep going when we feel like all is lost? How do we keep talking when we feel no one is listening? We might find the answers in metaphors of fire – in what it takes to keep a fire burning and what it means to tend the flames. In this poetic presentation, … Read more
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted places on Earth, in the face of this our gardens provide a vital sanctuary. This presentation by Caroline Chandler considers how we can use our gardens to support nature and provide a refuge for different members of our community. Drawing on the experiences of three Quaker meeting … Read more
From humble beginnings come gardens for minds to rest in, one thousand trees and places to call home. Find out more about how communities are coming together to protect nature and each other’s wellbeing. When Jo Cremins heard how the residents in her town raised enough money in five weeks to buy a local wood, … Read more
How we can change society by Esther Loukin The 2023 Swarthmore Lecture was given by Esther Loukin, co-founder of the disabled-led organization Reasonable Access. Esther looked at how we can bring about change in broader society, including reflections on what established systems could achieve and what they cannot. She explored where the Spirit is in … Read more
The Seed and the Day of Small Things – finding power and powerlessness in Quaker theology by Rachel Muers How do Quakers confront the apparent power of evil, negotiate their own power and powerlessness, and speak about the experience of being empowered by God? This lecture explores early Quaker theologies of ‘the Seed’ and … Read more
Kate McNally is gathering information on how Quaker meetings in Britain are working on racial justice and Meredith Freeman explores her personal journey to anti-racism.
Ruth Kettle-Frisby looks at how people of faith can accompany women and disabled people in the Global South. Naomi Richards explores sharing food to cultivate belonging to and reverence for life on earth. Naomi produced a booklet as a resource for meetings to continue her project which can be downloaded here: A Meeting for Nourishment.
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