The Walk in the Woods: A summer labyrinth workshop, Saturday 19 August 2017

 with Jan Sellers

Woods are places for exploration: their beauty, light and shadow can be places of deep quietness and healing. In the pastoral setting of Jordans Quaker Meeting House, we will connect with the natural world and bring our reflections to peaceful labyrinth walks indoors and outdoors. A labyrinth is not a maze: with just one path, it offers quiet, meditative space that can lead to fresh insights.This joint Jordans/Veriditas event is for all who would like to deepen their knowledge and understanding of labyrinths. It also serves as a Qualifying Workshop for those interested in training as a labyrinth facilitator with Veriditas.

Veriditas is an international, non-profit organisation committed to exploration of the labyrinth as a spiritual path, especially through training labyrinth facilitators. More at: www.veriditas.com

Jan Sellers, a Quaker and writer, leads retreats and labyrinth events for Woodbrooke, the Retreat Association, Veriditas and other organisations. Visit www.jansellers.com

9.30am for 10am start, ends 4pm with refreshments. Please bring a packed lunch.

Cost £35 concessions £20

Booking: office@jordansquakercentre.org

Visit www.jordansquakercentre.org

Telephone 01494 875694

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.

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.