meeting points - ll quakers
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Meeting Points September 2013
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Quakers in Milton Keynes
Quaker Centre Warden: Laura Weavers 1 Oakley Gardens Telephone: 01908 604673 Downhead Park Email: [email protected] Milton Keynes MK15 9BH http://www.miltonkeynesquakers.org.uk Clerk: Eva Barton, 2 Amherst Court, Duck Lane, Woburn, Bedfordshire, MK17 9PT Tel: 01525 290436 Email: [email protected] Meeting for Worship Sundays 10.30 – 11.30 am. Children welcome. Also on 1st & 3rd Weds. at 12.45 – 1.30 pm
Newsletter of Milton Keynes Quakers No 29 September 2013
MEETING POINTS
We had an unexpected visitor to the Meeting House garden one Sunday in August.
Trish Marshall was quick to capture the moment. This is a common blue butterfly.
Meeting Points September 2013
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My Faith in Practice Volume 2
Did you miss any of the recent presentations in the 'My
Faith in Practice' series? Would you like to re-read any of
them - or read them for the first time? In this series of
spiritual autobiographies, Friends have shared with us
about their spiritual journeys and the life experiences
that have impinged upon them.
There will be some copies in the library to borrow but
you can have a free electronic copy or purchase a hard
copy for £10. See Don Rowe to order.
Editorial This edition of the newsletter comes out at the end of the summer holiday period and the
beginning of the autumn season. As the temperature drops, the leaves begin to fall and we look
forward to the evenings drawing in, the programme of events at the Meeting House gets under
way once again. Take a look at the dates for the diary section and you will see that there are
discussion meetings, book groups, a fund-raising evening, a retreat and much more. And on top of
that are the activities associated with National Quaker week when we try to break the habit of
centuries and explain something of ourselves to the outside world.
There is a range of activities going on - some inward-facing and some outward-facing. It occurs to
me that these two categories are replicated in ourselves. Some of us are naturally inward-facing
and perhaps we also naturally favour events of a meditative, or contemplative style which help us
in our inward journey. Others of us are possibly more out-going, more personally extrovert. Does
this mean we are likely to favour action-focused Quakerism? This is certainly far too simplistic
and, in any case, I'm sure it's the case that, whichever orientation comes most naturally to us, we
need to strive towards an integration of these different aspects of our true selves. They are
mutually dependent on each other, surely.
Beliefs and values are fundamental to our lives as Quakers. We feel the need to live them out and if
they are truly held, then actions will naturally flow from them. At the same time, our actions need
to be guided by our inner values and convictions - otherwise they will be inconsistent, shallow and
insincere. Ernest's piece in this newsletter, inspired by his reading of some Hindu scriptures,
reflects the fact that whilst we use head, heart and hands to experience the world and make sense
of it, (and individuals differ as to which of these they tend to favour), we will not achieve spiritual
maturity unless these three domains are integrated and mutually enriching.
My thanks as always to those who provided this rich array of news, information, reflection, story
and poetry.
Don Rowe, editor
New w
Don Rowe
Editor
Meeting Points September 2013
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Dear Friends,
This is an opportunity for me to
pass on information about the
Meeting House and share a
glimpse of the day-to-day
happenings. First of all, I
wanted to mention the MK
Food Bank. I received an email
on 1st July from John Marshall,
the Project Manager, which I
would like to share with you.
Dear Laura,
We collected the donations on
Friday and I just wanted to pass on our thanks for an
excellent supply of food items. It is a time of year when
our supply starts to dry up as the summer weather and
school holiday seasons approach. So, we very much
appreciate the supply we get from our regular donors.
Thank you for all your support.
John Marshall.
I’m really pleased with how successful our
collection scheme has been so far. I am aware of
several of the regular hirers making donations on
a weekly basis and it’s particularly rewarding to
see a toddler from the pre-school carefully placing
a contribution in the box. I was also told recently
that a client of the Well Being Therapy Group
decided to volunteer at the Food Bank and it has
turned out to be a very positive experience for that
individual. So it’s not just about donating the food,
as with many things, there can be additional
positive spin- offs.
August has been an
interesting contrast of peace
and disruption. Naturally, the
hirings were fewer during
the summer holidays so
things tended to quieten
down. However, it’s also an
opportunity to get jobs done
around the building. This
year the conversion of the old
FGC office took place (which
was the disruptive, but
necessary element). A
partition wall has now
provided the Well Being
Therapy Group with a comfortable space to work
in and it has given our Meeting much needed
storage space, which I am very pleased with. The
pre-school room also got a fresh coat of paint and
a variety of odd jobs involving members of
Finance and Property, electricians and plumbers
were seen to. So, it has been a productive time.
Our new Hirings Policy came into effect on 1st
August. This has meant that a few groups are no
longer able to use our premises. However,
bookings are remaining consistent and healthy
and the purpose of the new policy appears to be
achieving its aims, so far.
Finally, I just wanted to say a big thank you to
those Friends who were able to help with cover
during my leave at the beginning of August. It’s
always a relief when the rota of tasks, from
cleaning to locking and unlocking, gets filled in
and I can go away and not worry about the place
(or at least try not to).
News and Reports
Warden's Waffle Laura Weavers
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For many in our Meeting and in the Area
Meeting, the Summer Camp is an important
time, spiritually and socially. This year's camp
was a particularly poignant experience
following the recent death of one of its regular
members. Here is the camp epistle.
Dear Friends everywhere,
‘ there is a field beyond dark and light; I will
meet you there’
(amended from Rumi, twelth century Sufi
poet)
Over a hundred campers, from four
months to over eighty years, lived
together at Luton and Leighton Area
Meeting Quaker camp this summer, in a
field in the Severn floodplain, close to
Upton on Severn, below the beautiful
Malvern hills.
Many of us came to camp with a heavy
heart, grieving for the loss of our Friend,
Aelfi Morris.
How would camp be?
Our theme of ‘Dark and Light’, chosen at
our early June planning meeting,
promised exploration of deep but tough
themes.
The make-up of the camp community
shifts over the years. This year, we were
again blessed with many young children
(including three babies) although we
missed many of our teenagers. Camp has
been enriched by more young adults,
several returning with partners and
growing families. We were glad to
welcome three of the 2010 Youth
Pilgrims.
Many of us sought and received strength
from our beautiful surroundings: tall
trees, ripening grain fields, the Malvern
hills, and from the ministry of birds,
butterflies, dragonflies and even wasps
(for some). We experienced light-filled
sunny days, scudding clouds, thunder,
lightning and stormy rain – and an
enchanting grey mist moving towards our
camp at sunset one evening, and
enveloping us during the night.
There is always a rhythm to our camp –
this year, the first week laid a very firm
foundation of love and depth of worship
before our Saturday evening Meeting for
Worship to celebrate the grace of God in
the life of our dear Aelfi. About a hundred
of us, including visitors, gathered in the
serene Quiet Space we had created: some
prepared ministry opened the way for
ministries showing the deep love and
respect for Aelfi and his family, and our
collective acknowledgement of the loss of
a member of our ‘tribe’. After Meeting for
Worship, lanterns led a way to a
humunguous blazing bonfire, as a rainbow
appeared in the eastern evening sky.
We acknowledge with gratitude the
immense loving work in preparation for
camp. The deep commitment to our
community upheld us during our twelve
days together. Many offered service in all
sorts of ways to enrich our time together:
music, craft, volleyball, study groups, a
Godly play.... We were nourished by
delicious imaginative meals.
Luton and Leighton Area Meeting Camp
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There was a sense of lightly worn but
disciplined ‘right-ordering’ of tasks: joyful
and willingly offered service. Meetings for
Worship for all ages were gathered and
strong.
We know that our camp this year has
been upheld by many not at camp.
We have felt blessed.
At our last evening Meeting for
Worship, we were reminded of the
African saying: ‘if you want to travel fast, go
alone. If you want to journey far, go with
friends’. We have indeed travelled far
together.
In 1647, George Fox wrote the following
words which retain deep resonance for
our time together, and our life beyond
camp:
‘....in this, I saw the infinite love of God. I saw
also that there was an ocean of darkness and
death, but an infinite ocean of light and love,
which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And
in that also, I saw the great love of God and I
had great openings.’ (Quaker Faith and
Practice, 19.03)
Signed by the Thursday/Friday clerks, Nessa
Grimes and Rhona French
Camp is open to all members and attenders of Luton and Leighton Area Meeting. It is truly all-age
and welcomes everyone from infants with families, to young people, to octogenarian singles.
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We are delighted to announce that Tom Bulman
has been appointed as Community Organiser for
Citizens MK. Tom took up his two-days-per-
week position on Monday 2nd September and has
already been very active having one-to-ones with
members of the Organising Committee. He
brings a lot of experience with him to the role
and describes himself as being ‘creative, adaptable
and values-driven'.
We would also like to mention that there are
many planned events for the next six months and
beyond. We start with a Church Leaders lunch
that we are hosting at the Quaker Centre on
Wednesday 11th September between 12pm and
2pm.
The next event will be a training session for the
new listening campaign lead by Matthew Bolton.
This will be held on Wednesday 18th September
between 6pm and 7.45pm at the Quaker Centre.
Please let us know if you would like to attend.
Debbie Wilson
Are you involved as an individual or with
others in taking action regarding the Israel /
Palestine issue? If so, please let me know
what action you are taking.
I will attend Meeting for Sufferings (MfS) at
Friends House on 5 October in my role as
Alternate Representative at MfS for Area
Meeting. (David Connal from Watford Local
Meeting usually attends but I am there to
take his place when he is ‘prevented’). At the
October meeting the Israel / Palestine issue
will be discussed.
MfS wishes to hear of any actions Friends are
involved in. I would like to have an overview of
the involvement of actions being taken in Luton
and Leighton Area Meeting.
In April 2011, MfS suggested that Friends
boycott illegal settlement goods, but not to
boycott Israel. Since then there has been a
deterioration in the living conditions in the
occupied Palestinian Territories, and an increase
in illegal settlement building supported by the
Government of Israel. It is hard to know how
effective the boycott has been. Some Friends
have set up a dialogue with Jewish groups. Is
dialogue bringing change? Does change come
from within – sometimes painfully, over a long
period of time, and indeed is it easily set back by
confrontational action?
Friends have no doubt that wrongs are being
perpetrated against Palestinians, and know that
many Jewish Israelis hold this view too. MfS
wants Quaker actions and words to bring people
together and not drive them further apart.
So far, the Ecumenical Accompaniment
Action concerning the Israel/Palestine Situation
Gloria Dobbin
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Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) has
not been undermined and its principled
impartiality is respected so that its advocacy is
extending. It is ‘speaking truth to power’. Other
examples of the advocacy that Quakers are
involved in include: Quaker Peace & Social
Witness (QPSW), through its Economics Issues
programme has focused on trade justice; the
Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA)
sends out requests called ‘Action Alerts’ for
emails to be sent to Members of the European
Parliament when particular issues are due to
come up for discussion regarding
Palestine/Israel, and which, if passed, could
contravene International Law.
MfS encourages Friends to be active in different
ways, working locally with other groups,
entering into dialogue, visiting the occupied
Palestinian Territories and Israel, and inviting
returned Ecumenical Accompaniers to speak.
So what I am asking you is – is this is an issue
that you yourself are involved in and, if so, in
what way? I welcome your responses by the end
of September via email or a note in my sling.
Many thanks.
Gloria Dobbin
Email: [email protected]
Our Third Age Co-housing (TAC) MK - soon to
be rebranded `Still Green’, continues to gather
momentum and evolve. Its second AGM took
place on 13th July last. There are now 21
members and a potential 15 others will have
participated in an Introductory Day on 14th
September. New members are still sought,
however, as not everyone will be able to move in
when the dwellings are built. Also, because a
good spread of ages is desirable.
Co-housing can be described as an intentional
neighbourhood designed with - rather than for -
its occupants. It is a way of ensuring a secure and
supportive environment for the second half of life.
Our vision is of around 30 sustainable homes for
members aged 50 and upwards, somewhere
within Milton Keynes. It would include units for
rent as well as for sale. The ethos is of doing
things for ourselves rather than allowing them to
be done for us. The aim is to remain in charge of
decision-making while able to do so, without
having to involve large and perhaps expensive
institutions, and to make our decisions in as
Quakerly a way as possible.
Rob Paton, Denise Rowe or Ines Russell would
be happy to hear from anyone wanting to find out
more. Another Introductory Day will be held at
The Quaker Centre on Saturday 16th November.
Ines Russell
Still Green - the new name for the MK Quaker
Co-housing project
Sue and Colin George have been on the move...
The new address for Sue and Colin George: 5 Ford House, 149 Leicester Road,
Barnet. London EN5 5DY. email addresses remain the same.
Meeting Points September 2013
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For the diary
Fancy a Good Read? Book Group meets on the third Thursday of each month to discuss a range of fiction and non-fiction titles. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you've read the book! We have no confirmed books yet so come along to the first session and help choose which books we read. All meetings begin at 7.30 pm.
Thursday September 19 - Setting the programme Thursday October 17 Thursday November 21 Thursday December 12
Alternative Book Group
On Tuesday, 24th September at 7.30 pm the
Alternative Book Group will be reading
Falling Upwards by Richard Rohr
Everyone is welcome.
Bible Book Group
After the summer break, the Bible Book will meet again after the summer on:
20th September; 18th October; 15th November; 20th December
Meetings take place at 5.00 pm . All are very welcome
Area Meeting Link and 'Little Link' Groups
Big Link ...
The date for the next Link Group is 26-29th October. Link is for all those of secondary school age in our
Area Meeting, and it is likely that we will be staying in London.
Little Link ...
The next Little Link will be held on Sunday 17th November. 'Little Link' or 'Junior Link' is for pre- and
primary school children and parents in our area meeting and it is an opportunity for families to meet and
worship together on a Sunday morning. The next Junior link will be held at MK meeting. We begin with
breakfast from 9.00 - 10.00 of coffee and croissants (this is purely optional). There will be enjoyable all-age
activities from 10 am, including a short all-age meeting for worship. There will be a bring and share lunch
afterwards if you wish to stay. For more details contact Lee Taylor.
DO WE NEED TO REVISE OUR BOOK OF DISCIPLINE?
Please come along to a meeting to discuss a possible
revision of Quaker Faith and Practice. Britain Yearly
Meeting needs to know what Friends think.
Thursday 26th September, 7.30 pm
Quaker Annual Winter Retreat
Friday 29th November (7.30-9.00 pm) and
Saturday 30th November (10.00-4.30pm).
Held at the meeting house.
Fund-raising evening
for the Children of Samathonga School
at Hlekweni
MEAL AND AUCTION OF PROMISES
Sat 23rd November 7.00 for 7.30pm
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MILTON KEYNES IS VISITING 1652 COUNTRY IN MAY 2014
1652 Country is where Quakerism first had its roots and
we’re planning a visit to the area to visit some of the
historically important places between 19 May and 24 May
2014. We’ll be giving more information about our visit, the
speakers we hope to have and our ‘base accommodation’
after Meeting on September 22nd September. We
anticipate that many of us will want to book local Bed and
Breakfast accommodation and we hope to be able to
provide details of nearby accommodation together with
some indication of costs. Please note that this is intended
as an information session and you’re not being asked to
make any firm commitment at this stage.
If you’re not able to make 22nd September, then please see
Michael Grabowski or Denise Rowe who are involved in
the planning and who have been on previous visits. There
are photograph albums of our two previous visits in the
library for you to look at. Pictured below is our last visit to
Briggflats Meeting House, one of the earliest built.
Bring a Friend to Meeting for Quaker Week 2014 This year our Quaker outreach takes the form of a specially visitor-friendly Meeting for Worship
followed by an opportunity to talk and ask questions.
Quaker Quiet Day at The Well
On Saturday 5th October, 10.00am - 4.00 pm, there will be a day of guided meditation on sources of
spiritual growth, drawing on Quaker, Buddhist and Hindu texts which have universal application.
£15 for the day including lunch. To book please go to www.thewellatwillen.org.uk
All-age worship SUNDAY 13th OCTOBER
Meeting will take place as normal and after
11.00am we shall be joined by the children to think
about creation, our responsibility to it and the
duty to share it more equitably
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And other stuff...
In early April I arrived at St. Petersburg airport
to a very small arrivals room. No one held a sign
marked “Camphill”, so I collected my luggage and
waited. After a little while Sarah – who looks
very much like her parents whom I had met
almost 20 years ago in the Gloucester area –
came up and welcomed me warmly. I asked how
she knew “it was me”, and she chuckled and said
it was obvious. I was in rural Camphill style of
walking boots and scarf and most everyone else
had departed, so I guess it was obvious!
Two villagers had come with her, stopping to ice
skate at IKEA earlier, so we all got in the farm
van and set off on the 2 hour drive to Svetlana.
Snow and ice were by the roadside and the
temperature below zero. When we were about ¾
of the way home, the switch which controls the
headlights came off. Sarah seized pliers which
were obviously on hand for repairing whatever
went wrong with the van and tried to move the
switch but the plastic nib snapped off. As we sat
pondering what to do a policeman stopped and
advised us to drive to the next service station
holding on the high beams manually. As we set
off Sarah repeated several times that that was the
only time the police have been helpful in her
experience. After leaving the main road between
St. Petersburg and Marmunsk, my teeth nearly
clacked together as the van rattled over the many
potholes created by the extremes of cold and
melting water. Sarah pointed out the huge
mounds of earth and gravel which would be used
to repair the road after the snow melted. As we
turned into the outskirts of the village near
Svetlana, policemen stopped us to see if anyone
had been driving after drinking. Finally we
turned onto the snow packed - and therefore
smoother - dirt road to Svetlana.
Seraphim House was my home for the next 2
weeks, one of the 2 smaller houses of the total of
4. The immediate impression on arriving inside
the house was of a Waldorf environment –
colourful geometric paper stars on the windows, a
candle, shells and stones on the round dining
table, an upright piano, a basket of recorders,
sheet music, a fireplace built into a brick
surround, a sofa and comfortable, wide chairs
around the room. The warmth of wood is present
in all the houses. Colourful and quite attractive
hand painted copies of ikons of saints and angels,
a project which had been done with community
members during a festival time, were on the wall
near the dining table.
I was very glad to be led immediately to my room
and bed as I had started out at 3:20 am by taxi
and bus to Heathrow to fly to Moscow and then
St. Petersburg and on to Svetlana. It was a very
comfortable bed in the room of one of the
villagers who was on an extended home stay.
One of the first things, though, was figuring out
how the toilet worked. A shower and toilet were
located right next to my room. As I gazed down
a black hole, I realized it was a bit like having an
outhouse in the house – no water flush. Great for
water preservation, I thought! And there was a
refreshing steady stream of air from a ventilator
at seating level to help matters. Later when I
asked how it worked, I was informed that the
long drop pipe went down to the cellars into bins
Russian Impressions Joan Harris
Meeting Points September 2013
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which were periodically taken by tractor and
dumped in the woods. With no municipal
collection there really is no other option, and
over the years it becomes composted.
Fortunately, there are wide fields and forests
about, and the community has its own deep well
of delicious water. Later I heard that these are
composting toilets installed with help from
Norway.
The first few days there seemed to be a problem,
and the bathroom had a quite strong ammonia
haze especially since an electric heater was right
next to the toilet, but eventually this was cleared
up. I felt for the co-worker - who I later realized
was always so quiet, shy, and working in realms
of administration and practical things – as he
came in with red and scraped hands from the
subzero weather as he tried to fix the system.
That is generally how things work there – if
something goes wrong, the people who live there
generally find a way to fix it.
Sveta – whose name means “light” – the
housemother, was in St. Petersburg attending a
course but returned soon to her household which
included her 12-year-old daughter (Alisa), a
villager (Ochsana), a Romanian co-worker (Vlad),
and myself. Sveta’s 13 or 14 year-old son (Nikita)
slept in another house, but came in now and then
to eat and visit. Everyone loves Sveta who is
slender and gentle but a strong soul who is
“Mama” for various villagers, too. A widow with
2 children, she has a bit of income from having, in
another town, an apartment which she rents out –
which seemingly is what quite a few people do in
Russia after people were allowed to apply for
private housing. One of her chief concerns,
though, is for the further education of her
children. For the last 5 years they have been
home-schooled with another boy by Irina, a state-
and Waldorf-trained teacher, who is one of the
co-workers in Svetlana. She is currently doing a
painting therapy training course in monthly
sessions in St. Petersburg. Sveta and another co-
worker have done a 2-year Bothmer gymnastics
training. Nikita was currently in the local village
school, though, and after I left I heard the good
news that he had passed the first exam to attend a
school for gifted children in Moscow. If he
passed the second exam, the state would pay for
his education there. (He passed.)
Vlad was a delightful and much needed translator
as no one else in the house spoke much English.
A young generation Eastern European, very
computer literate, interested in human rights and
knowing very well how to hitch, couchsurf, and
work the system for getting about where he set
his goal. He was a lively conversationalist who
had the interesting perspective that Putin was
actually acting positively in trying to keep Russia
from being swamped by Western commercialism
and culture.
Breakfasts usually entailed a cooked grain –
semolina, polenta, rice, or buckwheat with milk
straight from the cows, homemade butter and
sour cream, Svetlana’s own herb tea mixture or
English black tea, homemade jams and always the
community’s bakery bread (at every meal). Not a
boxed cereal in sight! Every meal began with a
lighted candle and a short time to collect
ourselves and then the Lord’s prayer or a grace.
The next day, a Sunday there was a gathering at
11am where Sarah played, from memory, tenor
recorder pieces, a Camphill reading selection of
the Bible was read, and (I think) part of the
Foundation Stone. Since the Russian Orthodox
Easter was May 5th, the readings were arranged
to reflect that.
A regular Sunday event is the traditional
banya/sauna. I managed to miss that both
Sundays, but all those who go value it as one of
the highlights of the week.
Later in the day I was invited for a walk, found a
pair of suitable boots I could borrow, set off with
some co-workers and villagers across the snowy
fields, plunged, occasionally, nearly up to my
knees in the snow, marched over the frozen Neva
River, was given a hand up the bank and then
watched as people swayed on a rope swing and
had a snowball fight. There were houses nearby
– some wooden and plank-clad on the outside and
Meeting Points September 2013
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some with the logs notched and set together. I
later saw that many houses have double windows
– instead of double glazing.
Sarah and I met to discuss what my schedule
could be and give information about the
individuals and groups with whom it was hoped
I would work with eurythmy, music, and dance.
It was determined that I work daily with 3 of the
villagers, one of the children (13 years old), and
one of the co-workers in individual eurythmy
sessions in the morning. Then at 3-3:40pm to
meet with a group of villagers from the craft (felt
and slipper making) group, at 3:45-4:30pm a
group from farming, and, some days at 5pm, a
group wanting to do folk dancing and singing.
This all happened and, in addition, co-workers
singing was popular – lots of good voices - and
we met in houses in the evenings 3 times. It was a
full and busy and rewarding time!
One night we sat out under the stars in an area
outside near the houses in a clearing in the snow.
Mats and blankets were placed on the hip high
snow so people could sit around a fire singing to
the accompaniment of a guitar which was passed
around – everything from Beatles to Russian and
American pop and folk and then more
contemplative songs.
Within those 2 weeks Spring began to arrive in
rapid fashion, any sun instantly starting to melt
ice on the pathways, turning them to mud and
snow, melting perceptibly daily into meandering
rivulets down the driveways. Green shoots began
to appear and the temperatures warmed so that
the daily morning circle of the community
members could be outside. The seasonal change
in a single day was what would take a week in
England! The accustomed house shoes at the
entrance of all houses were even more necessary
to avoid tracking mud throughout the houses.
Three piglets arrived, the (delicious) cheese-
making continued with milk from 11 cows (one
bull). Plans were made for the chickens' arrival
(which since has happened), and the seedlings
growing on the window ledges could begin to be
put in the greenhouses.
There were various governmental inspections
while I was there – also reflecting the concern by
the government that NGOs receiving funds from
outside the country might be “foreign agents”.
However, also the Russian Forbes magazine staff
were there, taking pictures and writing about this
unique community and asking what monetary
needs they have. There are frequent visitors
interested and a bit unbelieving that some people
actually live and work with people with learning
difficulties and special needs. Meanwhile, a new
mini-bus has arrived for use.
In contrast to the friendly faces in the Camphill
Community, I noted (especially when after
departing Svetlana I stayed several days in St.
Petersburg with someone who works with the
Waldorf Teacher Training program) that people
do not readily smile at strangers. In conversation
with some people I began to realize that the many
state regulations and archaic laws can drive
people into deception and living by one’s wits. I
felt many people have a sense of acute frustration
with politics and yet a deep love for their country.
I was included on walks to a local village where
two chapels stood nearly side by side, one looking
like a plain wooden shed until you opened the
door and saw a lovingly maintained altar, icons,
and clothes, and plastic flowers. This was what
was hidden in the woods during the communist
era. Next to this was a modern wooden
gingerbread looking chapel which also had a
lovingly maintained interior. It had been built,
Sarah explained, by a local businessman who
thought every village is supposed to have a
chapel. Boris, Sarah’s husband, is, on request,
making an onion dome and cross to be placed on
a chapel in a neighbouring village.
We went one Sunday on an outing to an old
monastery and fortress. It was interesting that
one of the beautiful co-worker voices in the
community belonged to Yuri who had sung in an
Orthodox church choir for years in earlier years,
but had then withdrawn because he felt the
church was now too aligned with the
government.
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One of my abiding memories will be the dancing
at the party we had after the festive sharing of the
work our groups had been doing over the two
weeks. Such high energy, grace, and wild joy in
dancing – not much disco, actually, but folk and
inclusive group dancing!
Bible Evenings are held each Saturday evening,
gatherings each Sunday. The festivals are
celebrated, workshops are busy, households are
keeping going, and there is a piano in every
house! But only two vacuums in the entire
community. When I asked for one to clean my
room, I was pointed in the direction of a
traditional broom of a round bundle of straws.
It was a fascinating experience to be in such a
different environment and language. I have the
impression of a courageous group of people
working towards finding a way to “do the good”
in these challenging times on their particular spot
on the earth – which is what connects us all!
They are welcoming and appreciative of any who
are willing to come and teach/share talents and
experience with them. They would be glad for
example for an experienced bio-dynamic
farmer/gardener to come – even if briefly - to
work with them. Any offers?!
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) This passage then goes on to exhort that these words should be treasured in the heart, taught to the children, spoken of in the house, thought of when about our daily business, thought of when we lie down and also when we rise up. They should be bound as a reminder on our hands and worn as frontlets between the eyes, also as a reminder. They should be written on the posts of our house and also on the gates. These words scream out: ‘cultivate the love of God.’ In the Hindu scripture ‘The Bhagavad Gita,’ three practices of yoga are presented. Each yoga (popularly defined as "union with the divine")1 appeals to a different human temperament. For the ‘active' temperament there is Karma Yoga. The ‘emotional’ temperament practises Bhakti Yoga, and the ‘intellectual’ has Jnana Yoga.
The busy, busy practitioner of Karma Yoga offers all actions as a sacrifice to God and forsakes the fruits of his/her actions. This is a form of mindfulness in which the practitioner is constantly reminded of God’s presence and all action must pass the test of being worthy of offering to God. As the bible puts it “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” The practitioner of Bhakti Yoga is constantly in praise of God driven by a devotional nature. His/her thoughts are effortlessly drawn to God by that invisible magnet we call Grace. In the bible, when the ‘active’ (Karma) Martha complains to Jesus about her (Bhakti) sister Mary, Jesus replies: “Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”2 The rational, scientifically minded, intellectual seeker after the knowledge of God follows the path of Jnana Yoga. This is the empirical path of investigation and experience.
The love of God Ernest Clinton
Meeting Points September 2013
14
What is common to all three paths is the focus on God. Although presented as three separate paths, any one of which will lead ultimately to the experience of God’s presence, they are in fact different stages of one path and together they are referred to as Raja Yoga, the Royal Way. Starting out in the busy, busy world, too busy and preoccupied to concern oneself with spiritual matters, Karma Yoga presents a way to cultivate an acquaintance with and then a love for a personal sense of God by being mindful of a broader context in which our actions take place. A context which introduces God as the reason and the measure of our actions. So we find ourselves ‘Practising the Presence,’ ‘acknowledging Him in all our ways.’ This is the difficult bit that requires work on our part. The human personality will resist being superseded by another in our affection for fear of ‘dying daily’, of being ‘crucified,’ of being transformed. Hence: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”3
It was so much easier for the Hindus and the Jews who already had a cultural acceptance of gods and God. On the other hand it can be argued that a lot more people of western cultures are less imprisoned by outdated concepts of God (new wine cannot be placed in old wine skins). The words of Deuteronomy 6:4 - 9, to be constantly mindful of God, are in the spirit of Karma Yoga. The practice of Karma Yoga nurtures in our hearts Bhakti Yoga, the love of a personal sense of God as we bear witness to the fact that it actually ‘works’. Life’s challenges are met, the rough places appear to be made smoother, burdens become lighter, there is the strength to climb mountains in our lives. As the habit grows, as we learn to “acknowledge Him in all our ways”, we find that with less and less effort on our part we are constantly reminded that “We live and move and have our being in God.” The mind is effortlessly drawn to the heart’s treasures.
Drawn within in meditation by our growing love of God and by God’s love of us, we enter the third stage which is Jnana Yoga, the knowledge of God. Here, the personal sense of God may well give way to the experience of an impersonal God that is Light and Truth, Wisdom, Life and Love, equally bestowed on both saint and sinner. ‘Confirmation’ comes from within. The jealous, fearful personal God of the Old Testament of the Bible evolves into a loving personal Father figure in the New Testament and then evolves further into an impersonal Awareness, Consciousness, Being that we experience as Light and Truth, Wisdom, Life and as Love. The invitation to turn within, to enter the inner sanctuary, to explore the kingdom of heaven is greater now than ever before. This exploration starts with the body which houses the five senses by which we become aware of the objects of the senses (i.e. the world). Withdrawing the attention from the body and the world, they fade into the background of awareness. We then encounter products of the imagination, the intellect, memory, desires, passions and the emotions, as thoughts and feelings. Withdrawing attention from these, they also fade into the background and we are left with just awareness. Here, we wait, listen and watch, fully alert and expectant, for the confirmation which comes from within. We embark on this exploration in the firm conviction that God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, “closer than breathing and nearer than hands and feet,”4 and our one-ness with God is ‘as the wave is one with the ocean and as the sunbeam is one with the sun.’ 1. Definitions from Wikipedia: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali defines yoga as “the stilling of the changing states of the mind.”
2. Luke 10:38 - 42
3. Psalm 127
4. Alfred Tennyson
Meeting Points September 2013
15
The cathedral was much too large and
open, Tina realised immediately, as she
stepped into the giant auditorium-like
space. The pale grey stone stretched
unimaginably high, and the figures in the
stained glass windows stared down
knowingly, judging her. A group of older
people and an equally elderly tour guide
in a blue robe passed, peering curiously at
her.
Standing here in the church it
struck her that yet again, when she least
wanted to, she stood out: a teenage girl in
the cathedral on a weekday. Until
recently, Tina had felt that she blended
into the background, having no
particularly interesting qualities. Her
hair was neither very short nor especially
long, and was that colour somewhere
between blonde and brown that did not
seem to catch the light at all. It hung
straight and neat enough, falling over her
face when she wished to hide her blue-
grey eyes. She was slim but not so skinny
as to attract attention, and she wore the
black trousers, white shirt and maroon
jumper that was the uniform of hundreds
of schools across the country. It must be
obvious that she was skipping school.
Why on earth had she come in here?
Only because it was the single place in
town she could think of where she could
not possibly bump into her mother. What
she now realised was that the same could
not be said for some of their neighbours.
Holding her hand to her face, she turned
away and pretended to take an interest in
an inscription on the wall.
Spying an opening to a small room
off to one side of the church, Tina slunk
inside away from the suspicious eyes of
the visitors. Containing just a dozen
chairs, the room was like a miniature
church hiding within the cathedral. A
worn metal rack with peeling black paint
held tiers of tealights in front of a wooden
rail, behind which was a small altar table
covered with a plain white cloth. A card
stuck onto the rack read,
‘For centuries Christians have lit
candles when offering prayers. Suggested
candle donation 20p’.
On the table was a picture of a
man with a long thin face and a beard. A
halo circled his head, which was painted
stylistically in brown and orange. His
eyes looked cross or maybe pained, Tina
was not sure which, and she felt
uncomfortable looking at his downturned
mouth.
Tina hunted in the pockets of her
trousers for a coin, eventually finding one
of an embarrassingly small denomination.
Although there was no one else in the
room, she glanced behind her to see that
no one had noticed before she dropped the
small coin into the metal box. Lighting
the little candle, she whispered,
‘Please get me out of this. Let me
wake up tomorrow with everything
different. Let me be normal.’
The man in the picture looked
increasingly annoyed and accusing and
she turned her face away from his fierce
gaze. Above her in a faded wall painting,
a grinning skeleton stood over a group of
thin pale people who crowded together,
holding up their hands in shock and
dismay. The skeleton’s grin reminded
her of Jemma’s leering face as she picked
Facing the Music Karen Trethewey
Meeting Points September 2013
16
Tina out of the crowded classroom,
delighted by her dismay.
Tina had retreated backwards until she
was in the far corner of the room. There
was no way to get out without going past
Jemma.
‘Oh look, it’s Eppie Girl!’ shrieked
Jemma, ‘Hey Eppie Girl, are you going to
have an eppie fit?’.
Tina pretended to look for
something in her bag as she tried
desperately to ignore the taunts. Her
mother had said, ‘They’ll soon get bored,’
but that did not seem to be happening,
and now everyone in the room was
looking at Tina.
‘Oi Eppie, Eppitina, don’t ignore
me when I’m talking to you. Here, look
this is you.’
And Jemma stood shaking her
head violently, flailing her arms, and
pulling a hideous grimace.
Jemma’s friend, Anisha, gasped,
‘Jemma! You can’t do that!’ Her eyes
widened as if she was shocked at her
friend’s behaviour, but her broad smile
gave her true feelings away. Some of
their classmates jumped in to defend Tina.
‘Yeah Jemma, leave her alone’
‘It’s not Tina’s fault she’s ill’
‘Yeah, mentally ill’, Jemma
muttered, ‘So retarded she can’t even
speak.’ But the general sense of
disapproval in the group seemed to have
got through to her, and she turned to
leave.
‘Come on Anisha. See you later,
Eppie!’
Girls crowded round Tina.
‘Are you alright?’
‘I’m fine’, Tina forced out,
although she could feel her face was red
and she was failing to hold onto her tears.
Annoyed with herself, she wiped her eyes
with her sleeve and pushed through the
group of girls.
‘Jemma’s a bitch, you shouldn’t let
her get to you’.
‘I SAID I’M FINE!’ she shouted,
and ran, out of the room and out of the
school.
The memory brought the tears back and
Tina was relieved that at least she could
be alone here in the cathedral. She
searched in her bag for a tissue but found
only a screwed up leaflet, ‘Epilepsy and
You: Information for Young People’, that
the neurologist at the hospital had given
her. She shoved it back into her bag.
‘Stupid skeleton’, muttered Tina to the
mural, ‘And you’re no help either,’ she
said out loud to the painting of the
frowning man.
At that moment a loud trumpet-
like sound pealed out and Tina started out
of her seat. Peering out the door into the
main cathedral, she saw, high up in front
of her, the silvery-grey organ pipes,
arranged symmetrically in an arch, from
short to long and back again. Emerging
from the small room, she felt the vibration
of a long, low note through the floor
beneath her, and the scintillating sound of
a high note rising above her. It was not
obvious how the sound was being created;
there was no keyboard in evidence, and no
sign of anyone playing the instrument.
Tina walked slowly through the space
now alive with fluttering notes, looking
up at the pipes. The multi-coloured light
through the stained glass seemed to echo
the dazzling sound. Glancing ahead, she
noticed that a few dozen people had
congregated in the seats near the front
and she made her way towards them. One
of the blue-robed cathedral guides
approached Tina, smiling and handing her
Meeting Points September 2013
17
a piece of paper, and ushering her to a
seat.
‘Lunchtime Concert Series – The
Cathedral Choir is delighted to welcome
visiting organist Matthias Witt’.
Tina looked all around at the pale
stone columns and dark wooden pews but
still could not see the organist known as
Matthias Witt. His music danced, now
delicate, now thunderous, carrying the
audience with it. Tina had stopped
looking for him and held herself
motionless, almost holding her breath, her
mouth unconsciously open. The silence
that followed the music seemed to pulse
with meaning, and she felt an almost
physical pain of disappointment in her
core when it was broken by the polite
applause and shuffling and coughing of
the people around her. Creaking wooden
footsteps were followed by the opening of
a hitherto unseen door in a pillar. A
young man with dark-rimmed glasses and
messy hair emerged and bowed silently,
acknowledging the applause. Just as
creakily, he disappeared back up the
staircase inside the pillar.
Now the choir stood to sing. Such
a pure, bright sound emerged that it
seemed to be alive, quite apart from the
people singing it. Tina couldn’t follow
the words, although the programme told
her that the piece was called ‘Deus in
adiutorium meum’. Even the English
translation was old-fashioned and hard to
understand, but phrases on the page in
front of her seemed to resonate with the
glowing sound. The choir appeared to be
singing directly to her:
‘Let them be ashamed and confounded
that seek after my soul: let them be turned
backward, and put to confusion, that desire my
hurt.’
‘But I am poor and needy: make haste
unto me, O God: thou art my help and my
deliverer’.
The performance continued and
time seemed to fall away unnoticed into
the flagstones. When the music ended the
sound lingered within Tina and she
remained seated, still listening, even
though others in the audience around her
clapped and started to leave their seats.
When she finally moved, she felt that the
world might crack open and reveal
something entirely new. She found, to her
surprise, that she was smiling.
The physical act of walking back
through the cathedral brought Tina back
to herself, but the light and sound
remained, quietly thrumming within her.
On an impulse, she returned to the small
room she had hidden in earlier. The
expression of the man in the painting now
seemed to be one of steely resolve, and
Tina nodded to herself, and to him.
Leaving the cathedral, she walked back to
school.
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR THE CHILDREN’S MEETING
Would you like to spend time with the Meeting’s children on one Sunday every month or two? We are looking for a number of volunteers who would like to facilitate, or assist in facilitating, the under 7s or facilitate the over 7s group. During term time we have a suggested theme with guidelines as to stories and activities that the adults might wish to follow. Before starting, volunteers will need to have a Disclosure and Barring Service ( DBS ) check, formerly called a CRB check. It is a simple procedure.
If you would like to volunteer that would be great. Please contact Lee Taylor, acting convenor, either directly or via her sling in the Meeting House if you have questions and/or would like to volunteer. Many thanks from the Children's Committee
Meeting Points September 2013
18
If we do nothing
how do we tell our children
there is nothing for them,
no inheritance,
only desolation,
and how do we look them
in the eye when telling them,
or when they find it out
and then accuse us?
If we try but fail
how can we make them
understand we did our best
but that our best was not enough?
Believing themselves gods
they’ll think us lesser men,
and despise and doubt
our protestations.
If we succeed
how do we teach our children
the value of the prize we give them
that they may treasure it?
Convincing them of the necessity
for that may prove the hardest part of all.
If we do nothing by Jane Street
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS September -November 2013
All are welcome at meetings below. Meetings for Worship on Sunday are not included.
Month Date Time Event
September Weds 18th 12.45-1.30pm Midweek Meeting for Worship - Committee Room
Thurs 19th 7.30-9.30pm Book group – Meet in Library
Fri 20th 5 – 6.30pm Bible Book Group - Committee Room
Tues 24th 2 - 4pm Craft Group – Meet in Library
Thurs 26th 7.30-9.30pm Proposed revision of Quaker Faith & Practice - Discussion
Sun 29th
10.30-11.30am
12-1pm
National Quaker Week - 'Bring a friend to Meeting for Worship'
Enquirers gathering - Committee Room.
October Weds 2nd 12.45-1.30pm Midweek Meeting for Worship - Committee Room
Sun 6th 12-1pm Business Meeting
Tues 8th 2-4pm Craft Group – Meet in Library
Sun 13th 10.30 -11.30am
2.00-5.00 pm
Meeting with All-Age Worship
Meeting for Worship will begin at 10.30am as usual and the children will join Meeting from about 11.00 until 11.30am
Area Meeting at Watford MH will be a discussion and workshop on
Poverty in the UK Today. All welcome.
Weds 16th 12:45-1:30pm Midweek Meeting for Worship - Committee Room
Thurs 17th 7.30pm Book Group – Meet in Library
Fri 18th 5-6.30pm Bible Book Group – Committee Room.
Sun 20th 9.30 - 10.15 am Guided Meditation - Committee Room
Tues 22nd 2-4pm Craft Group - Meet in Library
Sun 27th 12-1pm Enquirers gathering - Committee Room
November
Sun 3rd 9.30 - 10.15 am
12-1pm
Rehearsal for 24 hr singing for Peace
Business Meeting
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Tues 5th 2-4pm Craft Group - Meet in Library
Weds 6th 12.45-1.30pm Midweek Meeting for Worship - Committee Room
Sun 10th 9.30 - 10.15 am
2.00 pm
Rehearsal for 24 hr singing for Peace
Area Meeting at Leighton Buzzard
Fri 15th 5.00 -6.30pm Bible Book Group – Committee Room.
Sun 17th 9.30am-1pm “Little Link”- Young friends visiting from Area Meeting.
Shared lunch from 12-1pm, all welcome.
Tues 19th 2-4pm Craft Group - Meet in Library
Weds 20th 12.45-1.30pm Midweek Meeting for Worship - Committee Room.
Thurs 21st 7.30-9.30pm Book Group – Meet in Library.
Sat 23rd 7.00 for 7.30 pm Auction of Promises & Meal – Hlekweni Fundraising event.
Sun 24th 12pm – 1pm Enquirers gathering - Committee Room.
Fri 29th – Sun 1st December
Winter Retreat Weekend.
Knit your Peace
Alex, Di and Eva's brother Jaap give a fine example of
international co-operation as they knit for peace. It's just
part of a SUPER LONG knitted Peace Scarf to run between
the Women’s Peace Camp at Aldermaston and Burghfield
(the other Nuclear Weapons Establishment site) in Berkshire.
It will be one big old woolly protest against the UK’s ongoing
involvement with nuclear weapons. For more information go
to http://www.woolagainstweapons.co.uk/
CUSHION STUFFING FOR HLEKWENI
Does anyone have any cushion
stuffing to spare? It could be from an
unwanted sofa cushion or some such.
It will be lovingly washed and used to
stuff the pads inside the designer
patchworked cushions with
Zimbabwean batik on them that Dru
Ellis makes to raise funds for
Hlekweni.
Please let Dru know if you can help.