quaker testimonies uk

It has led Quakers to refuse military service and work creatively for peace. Consequently, within the Religious Society of Friends, a primary unifying factor is the shared values that are referred to as Quaker testimonies. We've already mused on peace and equality and will soon explore the truth testimony. In the modern era, Quakers use the word ‘testimony’ as a shorthand to express something like “this is what our experience of God has shown us to be true”. Quakers are concerned about excess and waste in our society. These testimonies, as they are known, are lived rather than written. Throughout our personal lives, we face the challenge to live with greater love and integrity. The Yearly Meeting programme, with introductory material for Yearly Meeting 2019 and annual reports of Meeting for Sufferings, Quaker Stewardship Committee and other related bodies This month: The TESTIMONIES to PEACE & EQUALITY.. BOURNVILLE FRIENDS MEETING: The QUAKER TESTIMONIES. You may feel free to link from any page on your website to any page on this website. Quaker Spirit - a refreshing initiative. (Integrity and Truth are interchangeable.) How we act as Quakers goes together with what we believe. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Quaker testimonies are not a set of words, but an expression of our spirituality in action. The Quaker use of the word comes from our earliest days, and originates from its legal meaning. There have been many testimonies over the years, but a basic list of our testimonies will generally include: integrity, community, peace, simplicity, and … These Quaker testimonies arise out of an inner conviction and challenge our normal ways of living. I work with children and young people in a Quaker setting... Volunteering at children and young people's events, find out more about Quaker work by listening to our podcast. For each individual listed in this work a brief notice of their descent, birth, marriage, education, appointments, and heir is provided. No, because for Quakers all times and places are equally sacred. More obscure and more fluid but still an important part of Quaker living and worship is the testimony on simplicity. Close. About Quakers in Britain and around the world. Find the perfect breakfast to get your day off to a tasty and healthy start with the delicious goodness of 100% wholegrain oats. What are the Quaker Testimonies and why are they so important? Quaker Concern for Animals witnesses to the divine in creation and the equality of all creatures. In Britain today, Quakers together acknowledge four broad testimonies – the testimonies to peace, to equality, to simplicity, and to truth. With a focus just upon the Divine and the mystical basis of Quakerism our spiritual batteries will be recharged. As we are guided by integrity, so we expect to see it in public life. A brief overview of Quaker testimonies can be found in […] Quaker schools in the UK and Ireland are still supported by The Friends' Schools' Council. Invitation to simplicity | Winnipeg Quaker Meeting, Quakers and the Bible, and other ‘holy books’, Fox’s travels in the Midlands and the North, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. These are often given as a list, usually including peace, equality, truth, and simplicity, as on the Quakers in Britain website. It also means working with people who suffer injustice, such as prisoners of conscience and asylum seekers. Pingback: Invitation to simplicity | Winnipeg Quaker Meeting, Your email address will not be published. The testimonies also reflect the society we live in, and so have changed over time. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. In the modern era, Quakers use the word ‘testimony’ as a shorthand to express something like “this is what our experience of God has shown us to be true”. Testimonies by QVI Some Quakers from around the world have shared their personal experiences of how being both a Quaker & Vegan are integral to their spiritual life, and how these two perspectives on living an ethical life are deeply interconnected: We call these values 'testimonies'. The full set comprises: 5. promote a just distribution of our Earth’s benefits in accord with our testimonies We are based in Britain, so do not claim any expertise on the history of Quakers outside Britain. This could be personal or international. In short, the Quaker testimonies are about the way we try to lead our lives in the world, and offer our example for others to hopefully follow. One Friend said: ‘I try to live up to Quaker testimonies. Among contemporary Quakers, however, there is a wide range of theological perspectives. Sign up to our A depiction of the Quaker testimonies from the Friends Meeting House in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Wednesday 13 th September 2017. Some of our spiritual insights, which we call our testimonies, spring from deep experience and have been part of Quaker faith for many years. Friends have, over time, developed some consistent ways of behavior and of interacting with the world that we call our testimonies. Unity within most religions is based on commonly held articles of faith. This could be personal or international. Some Quakers’ interests lead them to concentrate on one testimony more than the others, but pretty much everybody agrees that all the testimonies are closely related to each other – without equality, for example, there can be no peace. It's not always easy to live this way, but as Quakers we try to encourage each other to keep trying. Quakers endeavour to work positively and creatively with others to build a more just and peaceful world. Updated 28 May 2019. Quakers are perhaps best known for our peace testimony. This has ranged from practical work in areas affected by violent conflict to developing alternatives to violence at all levels. Today we focus on equality, peace, truth, justice and simplicity, and how they relate to one another. The term Quaker testimonies alludes to the living out of Quaker principles. I find your site very informative. This means speaking the truth at all times, including to people in positions of power. You may copy and re-use any part - or whole - of this work however you like so long as you do so under the same licence terms as here, attributing accordingly with a link back to here. We try to live simply and to find space for the things that really matter: the people around us, the natural world, and our experience of stillness. The Quaker Family History Society was formed in 1993 and is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies. Quakers’ understanding of faith is that true human fulfilment comes from an attempt to live life in the spirit of love, integrity, authenticity and peace, answering that of ‘God’ in everyone. Our custom of writing testimonies to the grace of God as shown in the lives of Friends provides us with a wealth of material showing ordinary Friends living out their faith from day to day. It comes from our belief that love is at the centre of existence and that all human life is of equal worth. The advice in the current Quaker Faith and Practice at paragraph that " a testimony should not be a formal obituary or eulogy, but should record in thankfulness the power of divine grace in human life " is not always easy to carry through. Peerage of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Volumes I-IV This inspires us to try to change the systems that cause injustice and that stop us being genuine communities. ‘Testimony’ is perhaps an old-fashioned word which in 21st century English carries connotations of what a witness might give during a trial in a court of law. We were campaigning for independent juries in the 17th-century, for Historically, Quakers have been involved in … They lead Quakers to translate their faith into action by working locally and globally for social justice, to support peacemakers and care for the environment. A warm welcome to Quaker Spirit This initiative at which FFH were present at its formation is a welcome complement to the Quaker spiritual ethos. It has led Quakers to refuse military service and work creatively for peace. Pressing play on the video below will set a third-party cookie. Image by Leo Reynolds under this creative commons licence marriage equality in the 21st, and for a range of things in between. Early Quakers had testimonies against outward symbols, taking oaths and the payment of tithes, and about peace, temperance, moderation and forms of address. We don't have a fixed creed because we have found that the search for truth can lead us to new expressions of values as well as confirming existing ones. In the UK, it's common for Quaker testimonies to be referred to by the acronym STEP: Simplicity, Truth, Equality, Peace. Quaker Peace & Social Witness Central Committee (QPSWCC) forms part of the centrally-managed work of Quakers in Britain. Connecticut Friends School is built on these Six Quaker Values. Quakers try to live according to the deepest truth we know, and we connect most deeply to this in the stillness of worship. I found the some member’s religion was “Friends”. Quakers are perhaps best known for our peace testimony. In attempting to live out our testimonies, we are holding up an alternative vision of humanity and society, centred on meeting real needs rather than ever changing desires. This has ranged from practical work in areas affected by violent conflict to developing alternatives to violence at all levels. 8 Epistles & testimonies Introduction to epistles from Quaker World Relations Committee Quaker World Relations Committee is entrusted by Friends in Britain to build and maintain our relations with other yearly meetings around the world and to offer support at times of crisis. How do principles established 300 years ago have any relevance today Our Quaker faith should lead to action. United Kingdom County Families. Our aim is to encourage and assist anyone interested in tracing the history of Quaker families in the British Isles. In the context of mainstream churches, a person’s testimony is usually their story of how they became a Christian, what they were like before and how becoming part of a church has helped them since – often given as a personal speech before adult baptism or at ‘mission’ events. I knew, when I first heard Peter Rivers describing his idea, that I was drawn to attend this day of reflection on the Testimonies. Quakers believe everyone is equal. This collection is a manual to the titled and untitled aristocratic families of the United Kingdom. It promotes and undertakes action for peace and social justice in line with our testimonies, mainly by overseeing the work of Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW). ... in relation to both orthodox Christian Quaker history and Quaker testimonies. regular newsletter. Testimonies 2 This booklet is part of ‘Proceedings of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain 2019’, a set of publications published for Yearly Meeting. Peace equality simplicity truth integrity sustainability Sometimes others are added, such as community and sustainability, or different words are used. Almost overwhelmingly, Quakers hold that the Bible is a collection of writings of human beings in ancient times, trying to express in the best way they could their understanding of God, and God’s relationship with them specifically and humanity in general. By Helen Oldridge. Quakers today use the term ‘testimonies’ for their core values. I wanted to understand what they believed in. In the States, Friends usually speak of SPICES: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship. Free resources. The Quaker testimonies to peace and equality 10/07/2019, 10:30 am - 11:30 am at Bournville Quaker Meeting House, Bournville Birmingham. Quakers have to search for the ways in which the testimonies can become true for themselves. The issue of assisted dying presents Quakers with major challenges and dilemmas, especially in relation to the Quaker testimonies – the ways in which Friends testify or bear witness to their beliefs in their everyday life: peace, truth, equality and simplicity. We want to make sure our use of natural resources is sustainable. Quaker testimonies include truth, simplicity, equality, sustainability and peace. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. Leading Independent Co-Ed Day and Boarding School for Boys and Girls Aged 3-18 in Somerset Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of www.quaker-animals.co.uk. The Quaker Testimonies, including the Testimony of Simplicity, form a part of this matrix of writing, personal reflection, and action in everyday life. We have ‘testimonies’ to truth and simplicity, encouraging the pursuit of social justice and peace. find out more about Quaker work by listening to our podcast. Living our Testimonies - Peace 6 October 2015, Menwith Hill Rd, Harrogate "As a Society we have been faithful throughout in maintaining a corporate witness against all war and violence." Post navigation ← Previous Previous post: Quaker Peace & Social Witness. How do these Testimonies work in Quaker ethics? For each testimony, below, we list several activities in italics, followed by the way we apply and weave each activity into our curriculum. Do Quakers have churches and services? Quaker poster. Want to stay in touch? Simplicity in one’s daily life Simplicity in living life can be surprisingly difficult to achieve. This was a dominant view within Quakerism in the United Kingdom and United States in the 19th century, and influenced other branches of … We are challenged by how best to uphold Friends through In Britain today, Quakers together acknowledge four broad testimonies – the testimonies to peace, to equality, to simplicity, and to truth. I live in Ontario, Canada and have been doing research on my family background. It comes from our belief that love is at the centre of existence and that all human life is of equal worth. The process of living out our faith is often called Quaker Witness – you can Testimonies Testimonies express in action Quaker beliefs in equality, simplicity, peace and community.The easiest, the most constant, and the most obvious are the testimonies in the area of peace and human equality. Luton Quakers have been discussing the testimonies at our study group on alternate Wednesday evenings. These testimonies show us that, whatever our circumstances, God can be present with us, and they encourage us each to be faithful to our own calling. Quaker Testimonies. Title: C:\MY-Web\QUNO-2005\newyork\Resources\AllQuakerTestimonies.pdf.prn.pdf Author: Cathy Created Date: 3/21/2005 6:04:35 PM Quaker faith springs from a deeply held belief in living our lives according to our spiritual experience. The testimonies do not come in the form of specifically worded statements which all members are expected to sign or say “yes, I believe in that”, but rather have arisen from a shared understanding through our history, which each individual Quaker interprets for themselves according to their own conscience. “8 Friends Seek Truth” Quaker Testimonies Reflected at the Pales. Our testimonies encourage us to work for a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. Living what we believe. Quaker testimonies arise out of an inner conviction and challenge our normal ways of living: they exist in spiritually-led actions rather than rigid written forms they are governed by continuing spiritual experience and are not imposed in any way they require us to search for ways in which the testimonies can become true for ourselves Quaker testimonies have a long history: The first generations of Quakers were often brought to court for their beliefs – and the way they practised them – and in court they ‘testified’ to the power of Christ within them which led them to behave the way they did and to reject the religious practices of the time which they considered to be corrupt. Please see our cookies page to find out more. Uphold Friends through Unity within most religions is based on commonly held of. Girls Aged 3-18 in Somerset Quaker Spirit - a refreshing initiative Aged 3-18 in Somerset Quaker Spirit - refreshing. 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