Message from the Pastoral Care and Eldership Team (PaCET) for Sunday Meeting 12th February 2023

Dear Friends,

In 2015, three years before I discovered Quakers, a hope for the future was painted by Quakers in Britain, named “Our faith in the future”.  Six themes were chosen, the last of which was the hope for “a future where Quakers are well known and widely understood”.
Frustratingly, I was 43 before I found out about Quakers and I’m white, middle class and educated!  In ministry last week, we were challenged by a Friend who noted the class and education level bias that may be perceived from reading the notice on our Meeting House door.  In discussing the future décor of our Meeting House, a different Friend has highlighted the need to be more multicultural so that diversity is overtly welcomed. 
Organisms and organisations must evolve or risk extinction.  For us, the risks are clearly seen in the age range and skin colour of the majority of our members and attenders.  So what can we do, both at the organisation and the individual level?  At a recent workshop led by Ruth Audus, we were challenged to think about how accessible our Meeting is to others.  She asked about the extent to which we are open within our jobs and social circles about our Quaker faith.  I realised that although my Friends know about my Quakerism, I have been reticent about sharing this at work.  Perhaps I fear that using a label that is poorly understood may put me in a box.  But if I don’t even try to share some of my experiences, I am preventing potential growth.   
This week on Twitter, I saw a tweet that asked “What massively improved your mental health?”  I decided the time had come to be brave and I replied, “Discovering Quakers, both the Society of Friends and the porridge kind”.  It was one of over a thousand replies and raised no online response, but perhaps it was noticed by someone who may start their own journey of exploration into what Quakers may bring to their life.  Perhaps that person is of a different ethnicity and/or social class to me.  I just hope that should that person venture into a Meeting, they feel just as welcome and at home as I did. 
In Friendship

Theresa

On behalf of the Pastoral Care and Eldership Team (David Hitchin, Chris Lawson, Tim Pitt-Payne, Theresa Samms, Nancy Wall)