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April 2024 – Earth Day
April 2024 – Earth Day World Earth Day is on April 22, providing a special day to focus on caring for our planet.
March 2024 – Spring
March 2024 – Spring The daffodils are out! There’s more than a whiff of Spring in the air and with it, new life.
February 2024 – How does love grow?
February 2024 – How does love grow? February is often thought of as the month of love. It’s a time when many people send out cards, flowers, and chocolates to show they care. But love isn’t just for Valentine’s Day – we can celebrate our love for our friends, family members, and even ourselves all…
January 2024 – Caring for our world. Caring for ourselves. Caring for others
January 2024 – Caring for our world. Caring for ourselves. Caring for others “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not…
December 2023 – Living a Full Life
December 2023 – Living a Full Life Perhaps the most neglected of all the advices is that we should live adventurously. If there is one wish I would pray the Spirit to put into our Christmas stockings, it is warmth, openness, passion, a bit of emotion that doesn’t mind making a fool of itself occasionally….
November 2023 – Worship
November 2023 – Worship Worship is the response of the human spirit to the presence of the divine and eternal, to the God who first seeks us. The sense of wonder and awe of the finite before the infinite leads naturally to thanksgiving and adoration.
October 2023 – Black History Month
October 2023 – Black History Month “Black history is OUR history and a steppingstone for our future. We must be connected to our past in order to change our future.” Chandelis R. Duster
September 2023 – Getting Ready for Quaker Week
September 2023 – Getting Ready for Quaker Week Each year Quakers in Britain have a week dedicated to exploring new ways to share their stories and strengthen their faith. In 2023, Quaker Week will run from 23 September to 1 October. This year’s theme is Simple. Radical. Spiritual.
August 2023 – Lights, Camera, Action
August 2023 – Lights, Camera, Action In 2024, the Quaker community will celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of George Fox’s birth. To commemorate this occasion, the Quaker Arts Network, is inviting Quaker schools, summer camps, children’s meetings, and other Quaker groups to create short films that showcase an aspect of George Fox’s life and message. These…
July 2023 – Outdoors
July 2023 – Outdoors All species and the Earth itself have interdependent roles within Creation. Humankind is not the species, to whom all others are subservien to, but one among many. All parts, all issues, are inextricably intertwined. Indeed the web of creation could be described as of three ply thread: wherever we touch it…
June 2023 – Belonging
June 2023 – Belonging How can we make the meeting a community in which each person is accepted and nurtured, and strangers are welcome? Seek to know one another in the things which are eternal, bear the burden of each other’s failings and pray for one another. As we enter with tender sympathy into the…
May 2023 – Truth
May 2023 – Truth Truth, Peace, Simplicity and Equality are values we can all try to live up to in our daily lives. They encourage and challenge us in the choices and decisions we make. For Quakers, these values are especially important.
Yearly Meeting – Truth and Joy
Yearly Meeting – Truth and Joy At Yearly Meeting this year the children will be thinking about Truth and Joy. Part of their exploration will be about being true to ourselves – about believing in who we are, being comfortable with who we are, and being honest about who we are.
April 2023 – What makes my heart sing?
April 2023 – What makes my heart sing? April Fools’ Day, is the first day of April. A day when people share jokes and play tricks. Even the media join in, with the famous spaghetti tree being a memorable BBC prank. The average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old? Only 4. Laughter…
March 2023 – Spring Forward
March 2023 – Spring Forward Spring is a season of new life. The Earth wakes up from its rest, temperatures rise, and daylight increases. Signs of life are everywhere you look. Our Earth is a wonderful place and it’s exciting to see it spring back into life.
February 2023 – All You Need is Love
February 2023 – All You Need is Love Love is in the air this month! Valentines Day cards crowd the shops, heart shaped balloons fill the windows and it’s hard to miss. But what is love and how can we show it all year round?
Climate Crisis – Food and Solidarity
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.
Our Friends and Other Animals and Lessons from Friends against Nuclear Weapons
Jasmine Piercy shares her work on the theme, ‘Our Friends and Other Animals’: how we might extend our Quaker testimony to all species. Adopting a fresh, hopeful and non-judgemental approach, she has been engaging with Friends creatively through her online ‘Museum of Animal Stuff’, artefacts derived from animals, collected and curated into an interactive exhibition:…
Centering Prayer & Giving in Friends Church Africa
Rosemary Field shares her exploration of what the method of ‘centering prayer’ has to offer Friends as personal spiritual practice and as a means of enhancing the experience of Meeting for Worship. Alfred Wasike talks about his research into ways in which the Friends Church can promote the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to help…
January 2023 – Hope
January 2023 – Hope New Year is often a time people make resolutions, changes to their life style or hatch new plans. Sometimes these ideas can take hold and flourish but often plans don’t last beyond mid-January. After the excitement of the Christmas season, this month can feel a bit bleak, with the weather to…
December 2022 – Midwinter
December 2022 – Midwinter Winter is a time of darkness, shorter days and possibly shorter outdoor playtime, and, as John Betjeman’s poem Advent 1955 reads ‘dark at breakfast, dark at tea’. On the face of it, this season can appear gloomy and we look forward to lighter days. However, the darkness of this time of…
November 2022 – Celebrating Difference
November 2022 – Celebrating Difference Each one of us is unique and amazing. We look different, sound different and often, think differently. Our communities are richer for the differences we bring. Sometimes our differences can get in the way – or we think they get in the way.
October 2022 – Black History Month
October 2022 – Black History Month People from African and Caribbean backgrounds have been a fundamental part of British history for centuries. Black History Month celebrates the vast contribution of Black men, women and children to British society; contributions that have been long overlooked. This month-long celebration recognises the events and people who have shaped…
September 2022 – Being Ready for Quaker Week: Welcoming Families
September 2022 – Being Ready for Quaker Week: Welcoming Families Quakers believe there is that of God in everyone. We can think of it as a light shining inside us. The light shows us things that are important. We are all very different and our light will look different to those around us. How do…
March 2020 – Climate Activism
March 2020 – Climate Activism The issue of climate change is important and urgent for all of us but young people have taken up this concern as something they feel passionate about and maybe very worried about.
November 2019 – Children’s Voices – The boy Jesus in the Temple
November 2019 – Children’s Voices – The boy Jesus in the Temple This issue is the first in a series which focus on children’s voices and how they can be heard in their meetings, their communities and our world. It reflects on the story of the boy Jesus in the temple and encourages us to…
2018 Swarthmore Lecture (Video)
The 2018 Swarthmore Lecture: ‘Changing ourselves, changing the world’ was given by life-long Quaker, artist and activist Chris Alton. You can watch a subtitled recording of Chris Alton’s Swarthmore Lecture here:
May 2019 – Room for All – Gardening
May 2019 – Room for All – Gardening This issue looks at how gardens and gardening can be a way of creating hope by reaching out to the wider community around us and by offering spiritual growth and healing.
March 2019 – Room for All – Mental Wellbeing
March 2019 – Room for All – Mental Wellbeing This edition of Journeys in the Spirit continues the theme of ‘Room for All’ and focusses on children’s mental well-being.
January 2019 – Room for All – Hospitality and Welcome
January 2019 – Room for All – Hospitality and Welcome This edition is part of the series “Room for All” and this issue is looking at hospitality and welcome. Advices and Queries 26 Do you recognise the needs and gifts of each member of your family and household, not forgetting your own? Try to make…
November 2018 – Room for All – Diversity
November 2018 – Room for All – Diversity This issue is the first in a series, which focusses on the theme of ‘Room for All’. As Quakers, our table is already rich with good things, but who is missing? How can we let people know that there’s a space for them and a space for…
September 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Quaker stories
September 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Quaker stories This edition is part of the series on ‘Hope in turbulent times’. In this issue we will be looking at stories.
Nigel Newton: Quaker Schools
Nigel Newton talks about his research into Quaker schools, the importance of Meeting for Worship, and how school cultures are developed.
George Richardson Lecture 2018
This lecture, “William Penn after 300 Years: Paradoxes and Legacies of a Boundary-Spanner” was given by Andrew Murphy at Woodbrooke on June 21 2018. 2018 marks the 300th anniversary of the death of William Penn, and thus offers an ideal opportunity to revisit a figure at once both familiar and elusive, with a name recognized…
July 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Dementia explored
July 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Dementia explored Dementia is an issue for us all: we may worry about our own capabilities or that of people we love. We may know people or there may be Friends in your Meeting experiencing dementia.
Quaker Clockmakers
Quaker Clockmakers This chapter first appeared, with additional photographs which cannot be reproduced on the web, in Quakers, Business and Industry edited by Stephen Angell and Pink Dandelion, Long Meadow: FAHE, 2017, pp 37 – 100. This is a reprint of a chapter by Tim Marshall, of his chapter on Quaker clockmakers together with an…
March 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Militarisation in schools
March 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Militarisation in schools This edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on militarisation in schools. It looks at how the influence of the military can permeate children’s thinking even at quite a young age.
January 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Living with change
January 2018 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Living with change This issue of Journeys in the Spirit considers coping with change. Change, for some, can be a difficult topic.
November 2017 – Hope in Turbulent Times – The book of Ruth
November 2017 – Hope in Turbulent Times – The book of Ruth This edition is part of the series on ‘Hope in turbulent times’. The Bible is full of stories about people who found hope in turbulent times and one of these is found in the Book of Ruth.
September 2017 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Developing Spiritual Practices
September 2017 – Hope in Turbulent Times – Developing Spiritual Practices This month’s issue is based on the idea that we can find hope, and build resilience and strength through Quaker worship. To do this effectively we need to understand what worship is and how we can practice this well.
July 2017 – QFP – Approaches to God, worship and prayer
July 2017 – QFP – Approaches to God, worship and prayer This edition of Journeys in the Spirit looks at chapter two of Quaker faith & practice – Approaches to God, worship and prayer. It continues this series reflecting on Quaker faith & Practice as adults have been doing in their meetings.
May 2017 – QFP – Close relationships
May 2017 – QFP – Close relationships This issue of Journeys in the Spirit looks at Chapter 22 of Quaker faith & Practice ‘Close Relationships’.
March 2017 – QFP – Unity of creation
March 2017 – QFP – Unity of creation This issue looks at chapter 25 of Quaker faith & practice, which considers the Unity of Creation.
January 2017 – QFP – Reflections
January 2017 – QFP – Reflections This issue of Journeys in the Spirit looks at Chapter 26 of Quaker faith & practice ‘Reflections’. This chapter is a collection of insights, stories and experiences across generations of Friends, as they reflect on the way their experiences in life shaped their relationship with God.
November 2016 – QFP – Personal journey
November 2016 – QFP – Personal journey This issue asks children to consider what they think of as ‘superpowers’ and how they can use their own unique qualities to be heroes in their everyday lives.
September 2016 – QFP – Social responsibility
September 2016 – QFP – Social responsibility This edition is looking at chapter 23 – Social Responsibility. Much of the chapter is about engaging with the politics of the day, raising awareness of important issues, getting involved in helping others who are suffering in some way. The aim is to familiarise children with Quaker faith…
July 2016 – QFP – Faithful lives
July 2016 – QFP – Faithful lives This issue looks at chapter 18 of ‘Quaker faith & practice’. It is made up of a selection of the testimonies to the grace of God in the lives of the ordinary Friends who have made up the previous generations of our Society. They show us that, whatever…
May 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Root and Fruit
May 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Root and Fruit This issue of Journeys in the Spirit looks at the link between how we live out our faith in the world – the fruit of our Quakerism – and what nourishes and inspires it – the root of our Quakerism.
March 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Taking action
March 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Taking action This edition of Journeys in the Spirit is about how we help children consider what leads us to take action. Whether this is going on a demonstration, signing a petition, recycling, or standing up for what we believe to be right, it is important to…
January 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Palestine and Israel
January 2016 – Quakers Around The World – Palestine and Israel As you prepare, it is helpful to reflect on your own knowledge of the current situation in Palestine and Israel and of the long, complex history of the conflict and suffering.
November 2015 – Quakers Around The World – Seeds and senses
November 2015 – Quakers Around The World – Seeds and senses Our spiritual journeys involve paying attention to and sharing with ourselves, other people, the world around us, and God. We can use all our senses to do this.
September 2015 – Quakers Around The World – Global community
September 2015 – Quakers Around The World – Global community In a world of growing globalisation, it is important that children develop an understanding of the issues around diversity and discrimination.
July 2015 – Quakers Around the World – Living adventurously
July 2015 – Quakers Around the World – Living adventurously This issue of Journeys in the Spirit aims to help children see how being a Quaker can be adventurous, challenging and exciting and, also, to think about what they might do or help with during Quaker Week 2015.
May 2015 – Living as a Quaker – the Nobel Prize
May 2015 – Living as a Quaker – the Nobel Prize This issue of Journeys in the Spirit answers that question and explains how the Quakers came to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.
March 2015 – Living as a Quaker – Quakers and the Bible
March 2015 – Living as a Quaker – Quakers and the Bible This issue of Journeys in the spirit offers ways to consider Quaker approaches to the Bible with children. In an historical context, this is easy because early Friends had strong personal connections with the Bible. Now, it is not so.
January 2015 – Living as a Quaker – Exploring A&Q 1:19
January 2015 – Living as a Quaker – Exploring A&Q 1:19 This well known and well used advice and query is one that on the surface feels joyful – how lucky we are to have children and young people in our meetings. But on further examination we are being charged with serious responsibilities in how…
December 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Exploring the Quaker business method
December 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Exploring the Quaker business method The Quaker business method is a way of working together using ways which we don’t commonly link with business, being busy or going about our jobs.
November 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Equipping children for ministry
November 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Equipping children for ministry Woodbrooke has a course for adult Friends called ‘Equipping for Ministry’. This enables Friends to explore and develop what ministry is for them. The writer of this issue wanted to offer ways to explore a similar approach with children.
October 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Looking after each other
October 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Looking after each other In this issue of Journeys in the Spirit we look at the story of Margaret Fell, one of the founders of Quakerism, and how she helped shape the way Quakers look after each other today.
September 2014 – Living as a Quaker – How differently Quakers live
September 2014 – Living as a Quaker – How differently Quakers live This issue of Journeys in the Spirit aims to introduce the matter of difference in lifestyle and values, and explore how children may recognise, understand and stay true to their values while at the same time respecting and interacting with others who may…
August 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Living in the light
August 2014 – Living as a Quaker – Living in the light In this edition of Journeys, there are ways to work with children to look at what it means to live a transformed and transforming life, thinking about how the Light within can change us and at how carrying the Light with us can…
July 2014 – YMG – I matter – I change the world
July 2014 – YMG – I matter – I change the world Children from an early age are sensitive to issues of violence and can be aware of conflict and war. They develop a strong sense for what is utterly wrong if it happens to another human, an animal or their surroundings.
June 2014 – YMG – Quakers Get Together
June 2014 – YMG – Quakers Get Together This issue explores something of how we are all part of the world family of Friends – especially when we have an opportunity of meeting or gathering together and growing in the spirit.
May 2014 – YMG – Being a Quaker and a Child
May 2014 – YMG – Being a Quaker and a Child As the Yearly Meeting prepares to consider the issue of what it means to be a Quaker today, this issue offers some suggestions to help children to explore what it means to them to be a Quaker.
April 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – Farmer to shop owner
April 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – Farmer to shop owner Many early Quakers were small scale farmers owning the land they worked, or husbandmen renting small farms. Tithes, confiscation of animals or goods, and imprisonment for non-payment made it more difficult to continue with farming with its longer term investment. This was why…
March 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – A chocolate maker
March 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – A chocolate maker This series of Journeys in the Spirit offers ways to help children look at the sort of work and businesses that Quakers have done or been involved in. In this issue we look at one particular business, how it started and what Friends did…
February 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – A botanist
February 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – A botanist Early Quakers had testimonies against outward symbols, taking oaths and the payment of tithes, and about peace, temperance, moderation and forms of address. These beliefs sprung from a sense of equality, compassion and seeing the sacred in all life. It was in this Quietism period…
January 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – An introduction
January 2014 – Quakers, Work and Business – An introduction This is the first in a short series about how Quakers think about the work and business they might be involved in. The series has three issues about some historic Quaker businesses and reflections on what children think about work.
December 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about grief
December 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about grief In a worshipful way, this issue of Journeys in the Spirit offers ways to talk and explore with children about the feeling of grief.
November 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about jealousy
November 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about jealousy In this issue of Journeys in the Spirit we use two Bible stories that are about situations in which jealousy arose. ‘Joseph and his brothers’ – in the Old Testament or Jewish Bible Book of Genesis ch.37 – 50 and ‘the lost or prodigal son’ in…
October 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about happiness
October 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about happiness This issue offers a variety of information and background about what has been thought and written about the question of happiness.
September 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about fear
September 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about fear This issue helps children to explore their fears and perhaps understand and accept them a little better. It also looks at how fear affects us. Our worst fears may go back to something that happened to us in the past. It looks at how we can…
August 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about love
August 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about love This issue offers a variety of ways to explore with children what love means.
July 2013 – Some Feelings – talking about anger
July 2013 – Some Feelings – talking about anger Anger is an emotion most of us will experience regularly in our lives. It is said that it is very important that children experience strong emotions whilst growing up in order to learn to live with them and become emotionally competent individuals.
June 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about sadness
June 2013 – Some Feelings – Talking about sadness This issue of Journeys in the Spirit offers some suggestions of how we might offer children the opportunity to talk about what makes them sad and to explore the importance of acknowledging and talking about it.
May 2013 – Difficult Questions – Using animals in science
May 2013 – Difficult Questions – Using animals in science This issue raises the question of how we react to the use of animals for scientific research that is aimed at improving the lives of humans and other animals.
April 2013 – Difficult Questions – How can I talk about being a Quaker?
April 2013 – Difficult Questions – How can I talk about being a Quaker? In this issue we will explore how we might encourage children to speak about their own experience of worship and of living by Quaker values, looking at what is important to them, what they cherish and what they sometimes find difficult.
March 2013 – Difficult Questions – When is it right to break the rules?
March 2013 – Difficult Questions – When is it right to break the rules? This topic offers children an opportunity to discuss in a safe place whether rules are always good, what to do when they, or someone else, breaks the rule, and when it is right to break a rule.
February 2013 – Difficult Questions – Other Religions
February 2013 – Difficult Questions – Other Religions This issue of Journey in Spirit invites those preparing to work with children or in all-age settings to embark on an exciting journey of discovery with people of all ages, to uncover some of the beauty in other religions, explore shades of faiths and find out what…
January 2013 – Difficult Questions – What about violence?
January 2013 – Difficult Questions – What about violence? This issue looks at our understanding and feelings about violence. We cope with peace, pacifism and the gentle side of our nature. We have many thoughts and ideas of how to explore this with children but looking at violence is more problematic. Yet we live in…
December 2012 – The Five Senses – Sight
December 2012 – The Five Senses – Sight The human eye is the organ which gives us the sense of sight, allowing us to learn more about the surrounding world than we do with any of the other four senses.
November 2012 – The Five Senses – Taste
November 2012 – The Five Senses – Taste The senses play a vital role in a child’s overall development. They act together to give interesting and vital experiences which stimulate the brain. The sense of taste is linked with that of smell and and sight, especially colour.
October 2012 – The Five Senses – Hearing
October 2012 – The Five Senses – Hearing Hearing or listening is active or passive. We do it passively all the time and only sometimes do we do it actively.
September 2012 – The Five Senses – Smell
September 2012 – The Five Senses – Smell In this issue of Journey’s in the Spirit we are going to look at smell and danger, smell and pleasure and smell and memory.
August 2012 – The Five Senses – Touch
August 2012 – The Five Senses – Touch The next five issues look at the five senses of touch, smell, hearing, taste and sight. The senses play a vital role in a child’s overall development. A baby is stimulated by sights and sounds around, by new tastes and smells. A baby responds to touch and…
July 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Jesus and the children
July 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Jesus and the children Having shared many Quaker and bible stories with children in my meeting, the one that brings out the most wonder and excitement is Jesus welcomes the children: Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13; and Luke 18:15-17. There is awe, too, that such a revered person would…
June 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Moses
June 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Moses Read Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament. You may have children’s bibles in your meeting house. These are worth looking at as they will often have sections of the story, summarized into bite size chunks.
May 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Jesus and the great picnic
May 2012 – Some Bible Stories – Jesus and the great picnic This issue tells the story of a boy who meets Jesus, who brings his gift and becomes part of a moment of extraordinary transformation.
April 2012 – Some Bible Stories – David and Goliath
April 2012 – Some Bible Stories – David and Goliath The story of David and Goliath is written in the Bible in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 17. The stories in the Old Testament are part of a violent history of the land that stretched from Egypt, through Canaan, Mesopotamia and Babylonia.
March 2012 – Some Bible Stories – The lost sheep and the lost son
March 2012 – Some Bible Stories – The lost sheep and the lost son This issue gives suggestions and ideas to explore with children their understanding of two parables from the New Testament in the Bible. There are two stories which have similar themes – The Lost Sheep and the Lost (Prodigal) son. The Lost…
February 2012 – Some Bible Stories – The story of creation
February 2012 – Some Bible Stories – The story of creation The creation story can be a difficult and controversial one both for adults as well as children. Few believe in the literal seven day Creation but it can be a good basis for starting to look at where we all come from.
January 2012 – Some Bible Stories – An introduction
January 2012 – Some Bible Stories – An introduction This issue is the first in Journeys in the Spirit children’s work edition series 7 – ‘Some Bible stories’. The Bible is a Big Book. It’s full of stories, poetry, parables and song.
December 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Three Quaker Scientists
December 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Three Quaker Scientists This issue looks at the work of three Quaker scientists: Priscilla Wakefield, Kathleen Lonsdale, and Jocelyn Burnell. Priscilla was a botanist, who wrote books for children and young people. Kathleen was an expert in crystallography (the science of examining crystals). Jocelyn is an astronomer, renowned for her…
November 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Bertha Bracey
November 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Bertha Bracey This issue tells the story of one Quaker woman who helped with the Kindertransport, Bertha Bracey. This issue shares the story of what happened to some of those children, 70 years ago. Many people alive today owe their lives to Bertha Bracey.
October 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Lucretia Mott
October 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott was an American Quaker (1793 -1880) who was committed to living her faith in action and was very important in campaigns about the slave trade, the rights of Native Americans, education, and women’s rights.
September 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Waldo Williams
September 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Waldo Williams Although Waldo is little-known outside Wales, both his life and his poetry are truly inspirational, with messages which are particularly poignant for Quakers of all ages.
August 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Benjamin Lay
August 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Benjamin Lay In Burlington Meeting in 1738, Benjamin Lay came in clothed as a soldier with a sword. He detailed the evils of slavery and then pierced a bible with the sword. Concealed in it was a bladder filled with red juice that splattered onto Friends sitting near him,…
July 2011 – More Quaker Stories – George Fox
July 2011 – More Quaker Stories – George Fox This issue looks at the life and teachings of George Fox. This issue tries to encapsulate the story of George’s life, the essence of what he believed, and how his beliefs became the foundation of Quakerism.
June 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Jack Hoyland, Quaker and bear maker
June 2011 – More Quaker Stories – Jack Hoyland, Quaker and bear maker This issue tells the story of a remarkable Quaker called John Hoyland, Jack to his friends, whose whole life was spent helping people. He was a parent, teacher, sportsman, poet, author of sixty books, and he made bears! The bear making came much…
May 2011 – Advices and Queries – Kindness and Justice
May 2011 – Advices and Queries – Kindness and Justice Advices and queries 33 is extremely wide-ranging. It is about discrimination, social responsibility, tolerance, compassion, taking stands, being an active Quaker, and much more. This issue helps children explore what is most relevant or important to them.
April 2011 – Advices and Queries – Dealing with Conflict
April 2011 – Advices and Queries – Dealing with Conflict These are challenging advices, dealing with concepts such as prejudice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and empathy. They look at our approach to conflict, both as individuals and as Quakers. Working with conflict is both reflective and active. It takes us deeply inside ourselves in the silence, recognising that…
March 2011 – Advices and Queries – Death and Dying
March 2011 – Advices and Queries – Death and Dying This issue reflects on Advices and Queries 30, the only one that mentions death. While the idea of contemplating death may seem unrealistic for children, unless they are ill, all children need to know that it is acceptable to speak openly about death.
February 2011 – Advices and Queries – The Simple Life
February 2011 – Advices and Queries – The Simple Life In a culture that values having ‘things’ almost more than anything, this issue offers ways to help children think about their views, behaviour, and what Quakers say.
January 2011 – Advices and Queries – Quaker Marriages and Partnerships
January 2011 – Advices and Queries – Quaker Marriages and Partnerships A wedding is a joyous occasion held in the presence of family and friends who witness the couples’ intention to cherish each other for life. This issue gives ways to talk about marriage, and partnership, and how Quakers celebrate both.
December 2010 – Advices and Queries – What Makes us Happy?
December 2010 – Advices and Queries – What Makes us Happy? These are tough issues to raise with children because, as adults, we have to be careful not to moralise and create guilt. This advice fits very nicely with the Testimony to Simplicity.
November 2010 – Advices and Queries – Honesty, Truth and Integrity
November 2010 – Advices and Queries – Honesty, Truth and Integrity These principles relate to deep-seated Quaker beliefs. If we believe there is that of God in every person then we cannot take advantage of others by acting dishonestly. As Quakers, we see ourselves as stewards of our possessions, so that we have to act…
October 2010 – Advices and Queries – Stillness and Opening
October 2010 – Advices and Queries – Stillness and Opening This issue of Journeys in the Spirit looks at Advices and Queries 3, which is about silence, stillness, and listening inwardly. It also introduces this series.
September 2010 – Our Quaker Stories
September 2010 – Our Quaker Stories This is the last issue in this series on ‘Our Quaker Stories’. Here we look back over the sixteen issues and also offer some simple ways for children to think about, and record, their personal stories.
August 2010 – Quaker Stories – Bayard Rustin
August 2010 – Quaker Stories – Bayard Rustin This issue is about Bayard Rustin, an African-American Quaker, who expressed his faith in action, challenging inequalities, and responding to racism and prejudice non-violently. He worked closely with Martin Luther King in the organisation of the huge rally where King gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech. This story…
July 2010 – Quaker Stories – Pilgrimage
July 2010 – Quaker Stories – Pilgrimage Pilgrimages are journeys: they are special journeys, to special places. Where you are going and often how your travel is important. This issue focuses on pilgrimage, both for Quakers and for other faiths.
June 2010 – Quaker Stories – Luke Howard
June 2010 – Quaker Stories – Luke Howard Imagine a time when you laid on some soft grass, looking up at the clouds, and watched the white wisps drift into identifiable shapes which then disintegrated to reform or scatter.
May 2010 – Quaker Stories – The Quaker Tapestry
May 2010 – Quaker Stories – The Quaker Tapestry The Quaker Tapestry is a visual chronicle of Quaker life through the centuries, contained within 77 large embroidered panels. Illustrated by 4000 children, women, and men, from fifteen countries between 1981 and 1996, it is now housed at the Friends Meeting House in Kendal. But how…
April 2010 – Quaker Stories – Luke Cock
April 2010 – Quaker Stories – Luke Cock Luke was a butcher. He was born in 1657. He was not from a Quaker family; he wasn’t a merchant, a landowner, or middle class. He was a noted singer of irreverent songs. He was a Quaker by convincement – not an easy thing in the late…
March 2010 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman II
March 2010 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman II John Woolman is often talked about as a Quaker “hero”. If we label people as heroic it reduces what they have done, or been, to some kind of personal magic or power that the rest of us don’t have or can’t get. It can deny the struggle…
February 2010 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman I
February 2010 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman I John Woolman was a Quaker born in America in 1720. Woolman has had a great influence on Quakers and American society. His Journal is a classic in American literature and documents many of his adventures.
January 2010 – Quaker Stories – Betsy Gurney, Elizabeth Fry
January 2010 – Quaker Stories – Betsy Gurney, Elizabeth Fry In stories about Quakers, we can often become lost in their accomplishments and no longer see the individual with personal strengths and weaknesses, joys, and sorrows, doing their best to live their faith in action.
December 2009 – Quaker Stories – Bolivia
December 2009 – Quaker Stories – Bolivia This issue looks at the work of one small, Quaker-led, international non-governmental organisation (referred to as an INGO) and its work in the remote Aymara communities of North West Bolivia.
November 2009 – Quaker Stories – Inner Stories
November 2009 – Quaker Stories – Inner Stories How do we explore the Quaker idea that there is “that of God within‟? That ofGod … inside me? … inside you? … inside them? Is it inside our own self, in our body? Can we live it physically, in reality, in our lives? What does “Inner light‟ really mean?…
October 2009 – Quaker Stories – The Rodwell Family
October 2009 – Quaker Stories – The Rodwell Family This issue focuses on one Quaker family’s experience of missionary work. The Rodwell family went to China 100 years ago, with the Friends Foreign Mission in China. How Quakers organised things was very different then, although when you read some of the stories the heart of what they…
September 2009 – Quaker Stories – Burundi
September 2009 – Quaker Stories – Burundi The theme in this issue grows out of Quaker work in Burundi – a country the size of Belgium in the middle of Africa.
August 2009 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman and Animals
August 2009 – Quaker Stories – John Woolman and Animals Quakers such as John Woolman showed respect for other beings, treating the animals he farmed with dignity and respect. Nowadays, a concern for our fellow sentient beings is expressed among Quakers.
July 2009 – Quaker Stories – Russia
July 2009 – Quaker Stories – Russia In this issue, we are going to take you on a journey that starts by introducing you to a girl in Moscow called Marfa. We then learn about the theatre project called Krug (‘Circle’) that has supported Marfa to live a fuller life.
June 2009 – Quaker Stories – The Kindertransport
June 2009 – Quaker Stories – The Kindertransport This edition of Journeys seeks to mark the Quaker role in the Kindertransport, and to tell a largely untold story of courage, generosity, and a welcome to strangers in difficult times.
May 2009 – Quaker Stories – Benjamin West
May 2009 – Quaker Stories – Benjamin West A single story can present many themes and have different meanings for each person. As you read the story, particular memories or challenges in your own life may surface in your thoughts. Children may identify with similar or different themes.
April 2009 – Belonging and Joining – Part 2
April 2009 – Belonging and Joining – Part 2 The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers…
March 2009 – Belonging and Joining – Part 1
March 2009 – Belonging and Joining – Part 1 The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers…
February 2009 – Quaker Work in South Asia – Part 2
February 2009 – Quaker Work in South Asia – Part 2 The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about…
January 2009 – Turning the Tide – Nonviolence Training and Children
January 2009 – Turning the Tide – Nonviolence Training and Children The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about…
December 2008 – Quaker Work in South Asia – Part 1
December 2008 – Quaker Work in South Asia – Part 1 The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about…
November 2008 – Advices and Queries
November 2008 – Advices and Queries The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing in…
October 2008 – Stop Bullying – some Quaker ways
October 2008 – Stop Bullying – some Quaker ways The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers…
September 2008 – Quaker Work in Post-Yugoslavia Countries
September 2008 – Quaker Work in Post-Yugoslavia Countries The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are…
August 2008 – Listen, Hear and Act
August 2008 – Listen, Hear and Act The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing…
July 2008 – Israel/Palestine
July 2008 – Israel/Palestine The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing in the world….
June 2008 – Prayer
June 2008 – Prayer The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing in the world….
May 2008 – Peace Work in South Africa
May 2008 – Peace Work in South Africa The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are…
April 2008 – What is Meeting for Worship?
April 2008 – What is Meeting for Worship? The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are…
March 2008 – Peace Work in the UK
March 2008 – Peace Work in the UK The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are…
February 2008 – Stilling, Centring and Listening Inwardly
February 2008 – Stilling, Centring and Listening Inwardly The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are…
January 2008 – Quaker United Nations Office
January 2008 – Quake United Nations Office The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing…
December 2007 – Walk Cheerfully
December 2007 – Walk Cheerfully The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing in the…
November 2007 – A People of God
November 2007 – A People of God The third series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring the concept of Quakers, a people of God. The issues alternate between offering ways for children to learn about, and explore, Quaker spirituality and ways to find out about what Quakers are doing…
October 2007 – Peace
October 2007 – Peace The second series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring Quaker testimonies with children. A commitment to peace is important to Quakers. It is felt to be the right, and only way, to affirm the humanity in every person, even people we don’t like, or…
September 2007 – Truth
September 2007 – Truth The second series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring Quaker testimonies with children. This issue uses a mixture of Bible, Quaker, and other stories to help children consider what this testimony means, both in general and personally. How do you listen for what is true? There are…
August 2007 – Sustainability
August 2007 – Sustainability The second series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring Quaker testimonies with children. Early Quakers had a strong sense of unity with nature, and modern Quakers have responded to the increasing threats to the natural world with a growing sense of love and care…
July 2007 – Equality
July 2007 – Equality The second series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring Quaker testimonies with children. The Quaker testimony to equality is grounded in our own experience of being loved and valued by God for who we are. This issue has all sorts of different ways to…
June 2007 – Simplicity
June 2007 – Simplicity The second series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring Quaker testimonies with children. This offers ways to work with children on finding out howto think about simplicity, and how to make time and space in our lives for what is really important.
May 2007 – The Downwards
May 2007 – The Downwards The first series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring spirituality with children. There are four directions to our spiritual journey: inwards to ourselves; outwards to others; upwards or further inwards towards God, the deeper mystery; downwards to the world we live in. Children often…
April 2007 – The Upwards
April 2007 – The Upwards The first series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring spirituality with children. There are four directions to our spiritual journey: inwards to ourselves; outwards to others; upwards or further inwards towards God, the deeper mystery; downwards to the world we live in. This focuses…
March 2007 – The Outwards
March 2007 – The Outwards The first series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring spirituality with children. There are four directions to our spiritual journey: inwards to ourselves; outwards to others; upwards or further inwards towards God, the deeper mystery; downwards to the world we live in. This offers…
January 2007 – The Inwards
January 2007 – The Inwards The first series of the Children’s Work edition of Journeys in the Spirit focuses on exploring spirituality with children. There are four directions to our spiritual journey: inwards to ourselves; outwards to others; upwards or further inwards towards God, the deeper mystery; downwards to the world we live in. This issue…
