Wednesday 28 June 2017

Amersham: July/August 2017

Our Mid-Week Meeting for Worship is at 12:30 on the first Tuesday of every month, in the small meeting room at the Meeting House, to be followed by a soup lunch. Everyone welcome. Next ones: Tuesday 4th July / Tuesday 1st August.

High Wycombe Summer 2017

Everyone is most welcome to join us at any of the events listed. Please note all Monday evening meetings are now 7.15 pm for tea/coffee for 7.30 pm start.

Experiment with Light Group: 1st Monday of the month. 7.15 pm tea/coffee for a 7:30pm start.

Discussion Group: 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month: 7.15 pm for tea/coffee for a 7:30pm start. Finish 9.00 pm.

Circle of Light: 3rd Monday of the month. Guided healing, meditation and self nurture. 7:15pm tea/coffee for 7.30 pm start.

Q Writers: writing for pleasure and publication: 3rd Tuesday of the month 10.00 am – 12.30 pm.

Tuesday 27 June 2017

Chorleywood: July/August 2017

Saturday 8th July: Friends will, as usual, be manning a Quaker stall at the annual Chorleywood Village Day from 12 noon to 4pm on the Common.

Jordans: July/August 2017

Experiment with Light Group meetings will be held on 2nd and 4th Thursdays. PLEASE NOTE that as we are currently on British Summer Time, all EwL meetings will start at 6:30pm.

Tuesday 4th July: Poetry that Pleases: 11.00 – 12.15. Subject: American Sociability All Welcome.

Sunday 9th July: A shared lunch followed by a talk by Simon Bond about QCEA - the Quaker Council for European Affairs - a very topical and important subject. Finish about 2 pm.

Thursday 13th July: Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Weds 26th July: Several Friends from Friends House will be staying at the meeting house overnight on their way to Britain Yearly Meeting. We plan to have a shared supper and a chance for fellowship with them, details to follow. For catering purposes, please let the clerk know if you expect to be present.

Thursday 27th July: Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Tuesday 1st August:Poetry that Pleases: 11.00 – 12.15. Subject: TBA All Welcome.

Friday 11th August: Retreat day, led by Jennifer Kavanagh: “Oneness: our interconnectedness”. 10am-4pm. Cost £35, or what you can afford. ’Bring & Share’ lunch. Call 01494 876594 or email office@jordansquakercentre.org.

Aylesbury: July/August 2017

Midweek meeting for worship is held on the 4th Wednesday only, from 7-7:30pm, in the library. Next meetings, Weds 26th July / Weds 23rd August

Sunday 2nd July: Business Meeting after Meeting for Worship, starting at 12 noon.

Sunday 9th July: Experiment with Light, 9:30 am in Library

Sunday 13th August: Experiment with Light, 9:30 am in Library

Appeal For Books

For the past few years Wycombe LM have been supporting HiCEP (Hiran Community Education Project) which operates in Somalia. This small charity was started by Daud Ali, the brother-in-law of our Friend, Norma Straiton. Although Daud lived in the UK for most of his adult life he longed to do what he could to help the people in Somalia where he had been born and raised. In 1998 he gathered a group of supporters to work with him to do whatever they could to advance the provision of education in Somalia. In the following years despite prevailing insecurity Hiran Public Library was established in purpose built premises in his home town of Beled Weyne.

In 2004 Daud retired from his work as an Education Psychologist in Birmingham. During visits to Somalia he ran English proficiency classes for adults and established the English School for primary aged children. At the time of his death the school was providing education to over 100 children. He organised the purchase of a plot of land on the outskirts of Beled Weyne and during 2008 he supervised the construction of new school premises. Sadly those buildings have stood empty since then and the school ceased to function because Daud and the 3 other teachers were murdered. In 2010 there were further attacks on those who were guarding the new school premises and running the library. It was clear that it was not safe for anyone associated with HiCEP to remain in Beled Weyne.

Despite being unable to operate in the Hiran Region, ways were found to take the work forward in Northern Somalia where the security situation was much better. Between 2008 and 2014 HiCEP sponsored 5 people from the Hiran Region to study at Amoud University and complete a 2-year teacher training course. In 2011 a library was opened in Hargeisa which is the administrative capital of northern Somalia. The library provides a much needed service to the local people providing books free of charge. It is open 6 days a week and is particularly popular with students as it provides books to help them with their studies.

In January 2012 a new school opened in Hargeisa. It is called the Rehana Hersi Ahmed School; being named after the young British teacher who was killed alongside Daud. Rehana had a heart for the underprivileged so she would be pleased to know that the school which bears her name serves children from poor families. The school provides primary education for 72 youngsters. Most of their families are described as 'internally displaced people' or IDPs – families who have been displaced by years of conflict.

The insurgent group whose members murdered Daud and his colleagues and many others thereafter has been steadily losing ground. The security situation has improved sufficiently for HiCEP to begin to plan to re-establish their work in Beled Weyne. The hope is that, starting in 2017, the premises of Hiran Public Library will be repaired, refurbished and restocked. Their appeal is for books. The following list provides some guidance as to the types of books which are most likely to prove useful but it is not exhaustive:

·                     All kinds of factual books such as school text books. [Maths and science books are the least ‘culture bound’ but books on all subjects help to broaden readers’ horizons.]
·                     Books on English grammar.
·                     Easy reading books to help with mastering English.
·                     Dictionaries.
·                     Up to date atlases.
·                     Medical text books [in this case books which are regarded as ‘out of date’ in the UK are still useful as medical practitioners do not have access to all the modern technology which are to be found in UK hospitals].
·                     Individual reference books.
·                     Sets of encyclopaedias for children.

 [A set of the 2002 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and one of the 2008 edition of the World Book Encyclopaedia have already been donated.]

If you have books to donate please email Wycombe Friends as soon as possible (subject line: Book Appeal), and we will arrange for collection and storage. Arrangements will then be made for them to be transported to Somalia.

Aylesbury Secret Gardens

On Saturday 18th June, we opened our Meeting House and its garden for the annual ‘Secret Garden’ event. This is always popular, and it offers us a chance to show off our lovely garden and also to answer questions about Quakerism, thus providing an excellent opportunity for outreach. This year, the humidity and heat of what has proved to be a real ‘flaming June’ was perhaps a little off-putting and it may have discouraged a few from venturing out, but about fifty people came and enjoyed both our garden and the refreshments. We thank all those friends and Attenders who helped.

A Tale of Two Concerts

International cellist Pal Banda and Zsuzsa Berenyi, pianist, presented a delightful programme to a well filled Jordans Meeting House on 21st May. Pal commented on the warm acoustic and intimate atmosphere - well suited to the deep resonance of a cello. Pal and Zsuzsa began with a Boccherini sonata, followed by a Bach cello suite. A show of effortless virtuosity followed in the light hearted ‘Concert Polonaise’ by cellist and composer Popper. The programme ended with Casals’ ‘The Song of Birds’.

This was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, experiencing live music, and raising funds for Oxfam’s Syrian Crisis Appeal. A number of the audience were new to Jordans. Come to the next concert on Sunday 17th September with a neighbour or friend. This is an excellent way to achieve some outreach!

Then on Saturday 24th May, two Amersham Friends hosted 'Music for a Summer Evening' at their home. This was a concert by a wind quintet in aid of Anti-Slavery International. A capacity audience of 75 (including Friends from Jordans, High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Amersham) enjoyed a delightful and varied programme of music including Bach, Taffanel, Gershwin and the Beatles. Thanks to their efforts, Anti-Slavery International will receive a donation of £5k.

Swarthmore Care Home 70th Birthday Celebrations: Saturday 12th August

Swarthmore Care Home in Gerrards Cross will celebrate its 70th birthday with a special Open Day on Saturday 12th August from 2:30pm. Friends are particularly welcome to join the festivities. More details to follow.

Swarthmore was originally established in 1947 to provide accommodation for elderly London Friends who had been displaced as a result of the Second World War. Much has changed since then and today only around 20% of residents are Quakers. But the home remains in the care of Chilterns Area Meeting and Meeting for Worship is held there every Sunday.

Towards a Common Humanity: Oxford Meeting House, Friday 30th June

Friends are invited to Oxford Meeting House for a conversation with Letlapa Mphahlele, former South African liberation army commander, and protagonist in the award-winning film Beyond Forgiving, a powerful documentary about tragedy, reconciliation and hope in post-apartheid South Africa. There will be a screening of the film during the course of the evening. 7pm for a 7:30pm start. For more details, email office@oxfordquakers.org or call 01865 513077/01865 557373.

Monday 5 June 2017

Jordans - away day to Blue Idol Meeting

Our Away Day on Saturday 18th April was an inspiring day. Ten of us travelled by minibus to the Blue Idol Meeting House in Sussex and six others made their own way there. We were greeted warmly and after coffee and biscuits we settled down to hear about the Blue Idol and about William Penn’s connections with that area. A picnic lunch followed, with time to walk round the lovely garden, then we formed three groups for worship-sharing or discussion. When we reconvened, this was drawn together by the three scribes, one from each group, who outlined the thoughts that had been offered. We then settled into a deep meeting for worship before a cup of tea and the bus home.

We learnt that the cottage next door had been a farmhouse and the current meeting house was then a barn. When meetings for worship were permitted the barn was turned into a meeting house. A few years ago the condition of the roof deteriorated and it has been completely renewed. Other structural repairs were made at the same time and the building is now in a good condition.

The Clerk of Blue Idol Meeting spoke about William Penn’s life, from his childhood and the social ambitions his father Admiral Penn had for William through the time he spent in France, his studies in England and the establishment of the state of Pennsylvania and the town of Philadelphia as its capital. The seventeenth century was a turbulent time and it was all too easy to lose one’s life as a result of speaking against current thought. William Penn and other early Quakers did so at consider­able risk to themselves.

Jordans May-June 2017

Experiment with Light Group meetings will be held on 2nd and 4th Thursdays. PLEASE NOTE that as we are now on British Summer Time, all EwL meetings will start at 6:30pm.

Thursday 11th May
Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Sunday 21st May
Concert 3-5pm. Pál Banda, Cello & Zsuzsa Berényi, violin and piano. Solo Bach Suite and pieces by Popper, Boccerini and Schuman.

Thursday 25th May
Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Tuesday 6th June
Poetry that Pleases: 11.00 – 12.15. Contact Jane Edmonds: 01494 672459 Subject: TBA. All Welcome.

Thursday 8th June
Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Friday 9th June
Retreat day, led by Diana Lampen: “Inner Quiet in a Restless World”. 10am-4pm. Cost £35, or what you can afford. ’Bring & Share’ lunch. Call 01494 876594 or email office@jordansquakercentre.org.

Thursday 22nd June
Experiment with Light group, a guided meditation based on early Quaker practice. 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

Aylesbury May-June 2017

Sunday 21st May
Sharing and Learning meeting at 12 noon, focused on spiritual preparation for Yearly Meeting Gathering.

Sunday 28th May
Discussion in the cottages at 12 noon on the current political situation and how to respond to it.

Sunday 4th June
Business Meeting after Meeting for Worship, starting at 12 noon.

Sunday 11th June
Experiment with Light, 9:30 am in Library

High Wycombe: Learning about being a Quaker

On Sunday 21st May, following Meeting for Worship and a shared lunch, High Wycombe Friends will be holding an informal session entitled 'Learning about Being Quaker,' primarily intended for Attenders and newly joined Friends. They would like to invite Friends and Attenders from all Local Meetings to join them. If you would like to ask a question or participate in the discussion, it would be helpful if questions could be sent to Jen Jackson, High Wycombe Clerk, by 30th April so that we can plan the session effectively. The timetable for the day will be:

10.30am Meeting for worship

11.30am Notices and coffee/tea

12.15pm Bring and share lunch

1.15pm Informal discussion with questions and responses

3.00pm Approx departure.

High Wycombe Friends look forward to welcoming our Attenders and newly joined Friends on that

Jordans Quaker Centre Retreat Programme and Concerts 2017


Sunday, 21st May
Concert 3-5pm. Pál Banda, Cello & Zsuzsa Berényi, violin and piano. Solo Bach Suite and pieces by Popper, Boccerini and Schuman.

Friday 9th June
Retreat with Diana Lampen, a regular retreat leader, on “Inner Quiet in a restless world.”

Friday 11th August
Retreat with Jennifer Kavanagh, another regular, on “Oneness: our interconnectedness.”

Sunday, 17th September
Concert with Pál Banda, international solo cellist. 3-5 pm.

Friday 13th October
Retreat with Alex Wildwood on “A spiritual basis for sustainable living,” a follow-on from last year's workshops

To book or for more information, please contact Nina Liebenberg on 01494 876594 or at office@jordansquakercentre.org . The day retreats start at 10am and finish at 4pm, and cost £35 or what you can afford. Please bring a light lunch to share.

Bucks and Oxon Regional Meeting - 28th October 2017

The next gathering of Berks & Oxon Regional Meeting (CAQM is linked in with BORM) will be held at Amersham Meeting House on Saturday 28 October on the important topic of 'Supporting young adults in the Society of Friends'.
To ensure the programme will benefit from input from local meetings in our Region, the arrangements committee would like to hear from meetings who have a lively attendance of young adults and enable their full involvement. Any ideas for sharing will be welcomed by the arrangements committee's convener. Contact details via local clerks..

HIgh Wycombe: Criminal Justice Workship

At 11am on Saturday 25th November at High Wycombe MH (before Area Meeting) we will be having a workshop to consider the topic of Criminal Justice and Prison reform. The workshop will focus on what Friends in our Area are involved with by having brief talks about: Prison Chaplaincy, Official Prison Visitors, New Leaf Community Chaplaincy, restorative justice, and Circles of Support and Accountability. There will be a time for questions, and hopefully we will have feedback about CAQM's response to the draft Vision for a Criminal Justice System sent to Quaker Peace & Social Witness Crime, Community & Justice Sub-Committee. The workshop will be facilitated by Tim Newell, and followed by a shared lunch before Area Meeting.

Amersham: May - June 2017

Our Mid-Week Meeting for Worship is at 12:30 on the first Tuesday of every month, in the small meeting room at the Meeting House, to be followed by a soup lunch. Everyone welcome. Next ones: Tuesday 6th June / Tuesday 4th July.

15th – 19th May
Christian Aid Soup and Cheese lunches, 12 noon to 2pm. Good Parking and easy access.

Thurs 25th May
Book Group to meet at 10 am to discuss The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George.

Sat 27th May
Christian Aid Fair at St Michael’s Church, Amersham. 9:30am – 3pm

Sun 4th June
Discussion Group before Meeting for Worship at 09:30

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