I was moved by this account of of the last days of Jim Palmer, (pictured below, centre) of Australia Yearly Meeting and treasure the memory of visiting his home around this time last year. australianfriend.org/dear-friend-...
Simple. Radical. Spiritual.
@quakers.bsky.social
If you aren’t connected to the Society of Friends, drop in and see why our Local Meetings are growing. Politicians do not have the answers to the world’s needs; let’s follow the Inner Light. Officially connected to the Southern East Anglia Area Meeting.
@quaker.org.uk @quakeroc.bsky.social @quakers.bsky.social check out the BlueSky account of The Westminster Parrot - the Newsletter of Westminster Meeting
Peace campaigners were banned from the national Armed Forces Day event at the last minute this year while the celebration of tanks, helicopters and weapons built to kill went ahead. https://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/news/peace-campaigners-silenced-as-plug-pulled-on-armed-forces-day-stall
Peace campaigners silenced as plug pulled on Armed Forces Day stall
Peace campaigners were banned from the national Armed Forces Day event at the last minute this year while the celebration of tanks, helicopters and weapons built to kill went ahead.
quaker.org.uk
I'm Rhiannon. My current writing project is a nonfiction book about Quakers and what the Quaker tradition might help with today. It's got a fair amount of autobiographical content and I'll also be mentioning lots of other LGBTQ+ Quakers one way or another.
🌈CJ Aralore@cjaralore.bsky.social · last mo.#QueerPrompts July 1: Introduce yourself & your WIP/story/book
Robin Hart, Elder at Sudbury, Suffolk Meeting, passed away last night. A life well lived and worth celebrating.
Benjamin Lay dramatically disrupted Quaker meetings to get people to take the immorality of enslaving people seriously. Susan Seymour reviews the new film Becoming Benjamin Lay https://www.quaker.org.uk/blog/a-disowned-prophet-learning-about-benjamin-lay
A disowned prophet: learning about Benjamin Lay
Susan Seymour reviews the film Becoming Benjamin Lay, as well as other recent work on this radical prophet who was disowned but is now being reclaimed.
quaker.org.uk
Early Quaker meetings may have started in silence, but worship lasted for many hours, and when the Spirit began to move among the gathered people, it prompted ecstatic and emotional responses, reminiscent of the events described at Pentecost… Tangled Roots, pp.72-73.
63 years ago, the Quakers stood up for gay dignity & they’re still fighting for our LGBTQ+ rights flip.it/WzI_Hm
63 years ago, the Quakers stood up for gay dignity & they're still fighting for our LGBTQ+ rights - LGBTQ Nation
The group was contrarian from the start.
flip.it
warned the EHRC against producing guidance that could lead to suspicion and policing of people's gender expression, risking harassment and distress for all. Unfortunately this risk remains in the new draft. We will take some time to fully review the new draft and respond in due course. 2/2
There are many trans and non-binary Friends who be may be feeling sad, angry or scared today. The new draft EHRC guidance does not change our unwavering commitment to upholding and affirming trans and gender diverse Friends. In our consultation submission last year we 1/2
A short blog post published today on the Quakers in Britain website.
Tangled roots: personal reflections on the Swarthmore Lecture
Stuart Masters highlights some personal reflections from his recent Swarthmore lecture, showing how themes from Quaker history continue to appear today.
quaker.org.uk
The rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in this country should trouble us all. As with all of us, Muslims and Jews in Britain should be able to live in freedom and safety. Nobody should be targeted, discriminated against, attacked or hated because of who they are. www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Quaker statement on antisemitism and Islamophobia
We believe that every human being is entitled to a space in the world which enhances their dignity - Australia Yearly Meeting epistle 2003
quaker.org.uk
Found this Max Porter lecture really powerful. 'This is the golden era of peace-washing'. In an era of upheaval and conflict, Porter asks what place the English PEN's Charter’s principles hold in our society, reflecting particularly on its phrase “in time of peace”. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmY5...
The 2026 PEN Lecture with Max Porter
YouTube video by INSIGHTS Public Lectures | Newcastle University
youtube.com
English PEN@englishpen.bsky.social · 3mo ago'Must we invent new laws to lock up our activists, wait twenty years, rewrite history, then erect statues of them?' Max Porter’s 2026 #PENLecture, delivered last night in Newcastle, is now available to read in #PENTransmissions. pentransmissions.com/2026/04/30/p...
We've joined over 100 organisations calling for the release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt imprisoned in Russia for their work defending Indigenous rights and the climate. www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Quakers back jailed Indigenous climate leaders
Quakers in Britain has signed an international statement calling for the release of two women imprisoned in Russia for their work defending Indigenous rights and the climate.
quaker.org.uk
Credit needs to go to what was inspiring the Quakers back then, the teachings of a simple Galilean teacher. Those same teachings got twisted away from equality, truth, peace, etc., towards a male hierarchy used to control people that became the institutional church.
The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 3mo agoSomehow, 375 years ago, the Quakers developed a religion whose core principles align well with the pillars of modern parenting research. In 2025, Gail Cornwall wrote about what parents of any faith—or none—can learn from them:
Somehow, 375 years ago, the Quakers developed a religion whose core principles align well with the pillars of modern parenting research. In 2025, Gail Cornwall wrote about what parents of any faith—or none—can learn from them:
Quaker Parents Were Ahead of Their Time
The nearly 375-year-old religion’s principles line up surprisingly well with modern parenting research.
bit.ly
Hope is everywhere! Up and down the country there are people building and enriching communities through kindness, love and compassion. Quaker Voluntary Action have gathered some of these stories here. 💛 https://qva.org.uk/million-acts-of-hope/
A Million Acts of Hope: Quaker Volunteering Stories
Our Act of Hope: sharing your volunteering stories Quaker Voluntary Action (QVA) is an official partner of A Million Acts Of Hope and this blog post […]
qva.org.uk
"You that deny Women's Speaking, answer: Doth it not consist of Women, as well as Men? Is not the Bride compared to the whole Church? And doth not the Bride say, Come? …And doth not the false Church go about to stop the Bride's Mouth?" Margaret Fell - Women's Speaking Justified (1666)
Quakerism originally rejected all holy days, why do modern Christian Quakers celebrate the Nativity and Easter but not the Ascension? The answer is cultural drift & money, not theology. Christmas & Easter have massive cultural, finalncial and social pull. The Ascension, lacks commercial viability.
Quake It Up@quakeitup.bsky.social · 3mo agoChristian Quakers, why don’t we make as much of a deal about the Ascension as we do Easter and the Nativity? Or am I missing a whole lot of Quaker theology on this? If so, pointers would be amazing! 🕯️
I guess Pentecost is a key moment for Quaker theology and the Ascension occurs as a precursor to this. The Risen Christ ascends in his particularity in order to be present universally. He ascends in his resurrected Jewish flesh in order to be poured out on all flesh.
You are observing the logical outcome of early Quakerism’s complete deconstruction of traditional Church mechanics. Quaker theology is built on the opposite mechanism, not the disappearance of Jesus, but the immediate, continuous, unmediated presence of Christ within the individual the Inward Light.
Quake It Up@quakeitup.bsky.social · 3mo agoChristian Quakers, why don’t we make as much of a deal about the Ascension as we do Easter and the Nativity? Or am I missing a whole lot of Quaker theology on this? If so, pointers would be amazing! 🕯️
As Britain Yearly Meeting moves to continuing Yearly Meeting sessions, the way we gather to make decisions together is changing. This session offers a helpful introduction for Friends who want to understand what these changes will mean in practice. Find out more: https://ow.ly/CnWY50YYHuO
A Quaker researcher has helped expose an illegal arms shipment from the UK to Israel, which has been seized by Belgian authorities and is now the subject of a criminal investigation >>> www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Quaker research helps trigger seizure of UK arms bound for Israel
A Quaker researcher has helped expose an illegal arms shipment from the UK to Israel, which has been seized by Belgian authorities and is now the subject of a criminal investigation.
quaker.org.uk
The national Silent Quaker Walking Vigil for Peace will take place in London on Saturday 19 September 2026, the weekend closest to the United Nations International Day of Peace. Information taken from the Ipswich Quaker Meeting House Facebook Page. More in the picture ALT text.
The national Silent Quaker Walking Vigil for Peace will take place in London on Saturday 19 September 2026, the weekend closest to the United Nations International Day of Peace. Information taken from the Ipswich Quaker Meeting House Facebook Page. More in the picture ALT text.
"I can describe who Quakers are: their history, important figures, different types of worship, and even their principles," Lola Ruiz Castañeda writes. "But what does it really mean to be a Quaker? What does it mean for me to be a Quaker? That’s the question I find difficult to answer."
Making My Life a Testimony
Reflections from a young Mexican Friend in Canada.
friendsjournal.org
Honoured to deliver the Quaker's Salter lecture this year. It was about the moral catastrophe in Gaza and catastrophes across the Middle East and you can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Awa...
The Middle East: a moral catastrophe? – Rachel Shabi | Salter Lecture 2026
YouTube video by Quakers in Britain
youtube.com
Anything you can give will support women like Fridah in Nairobi, as she cultivates crops for her family. So please give, act and pray this week. Whether in your churches, your families or your communities. We’ve got seven days. Let’s make each one count. caw.christianaid.org.uk
Christian Aid Week 2026 - 7 days to make a difference | Christian Aid Week
Join Christian Aid Week 2026. Fundraise, donate and take action to create lasting change for people living in poverty worldwide.
caw.christianaid.org.uk