NFPB members met at the end of September, gathering at the Quaker Meeting House in Penrith and online via Zoom. We were joined by Ruth Harvey who, as well as being a Penrith Quaker, is currently serving as leader of the Iona Community. Ruth had been invited to talk about the Community’s peace concerns and action in particular. As a foundation stone, Community members state: ‘Inspired by our faith and loving concern for the world, we pursue justice and peace in and through community’.
Ruth reflected on the roots of this commitment to nonviolence, and the different ways it is taken forward through partnership, membership of wider bodies, public witness and through work and events at the island centres on Iona and Mull. There is to be a week-long programme on the theme of peacebuilding on Iona in August in 2025, and Friends were warmly invited to sign up for this.
During our afternoon session, we were given a play-reading. Keswick Friend and NFPB member Jo Alberti had written ‘Grace and Grit’ to explore different perspectives of the long-standing and now acute conflict in Palestine and Israel. Local f/Friends brought the script to life, which had also recently been performed at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake. In discussion and reflection following the reading, we wrestled with the deep challenges of the current situation, whilst considering where hope comes from and the needs for urgent change at the moment. Friends interested in having the script as a tool for community reflection and discussion in your Meeting or beyond can contact Jo Alberti via the NFPB office.
For updates and action alerts from Quakers and EAPPI in relation to Palestine and Israel, go to:
– https://www.eyewitnessblogs.com/take-action/
– https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/international-work/responding-to-the-current-situation-in-israel-
and-palestine
Our final meeting of the year was held online at the end of November. The meeting received reports and updates from a number of areas of activity, including:
– the plans of Quaker Roots in preparing their work to support Friends in taking action against the arms trade
– Quaker Peace and Social witness work on peace and climate change
– The progress that has been made (albeit somewhat delayed, due to sickness) on the NFPB publication collecting written pieces on Responses to War. Further updates about this work will be on this website when the publication is ready. A workshop was being developed, the meeting heard, to offer to Meetings, drawing on some of the writings in the publication as a way of exploring contemporary challenges in relation to war and armed conflict.
The meeting also heard reports from the NFPB Trustees and from our Nominations committee. Peter Speirs was ending his service as Clerk to the Trustees at the end of 2024 and Jayne Meadows was appointed to serve in that role from January. Clerks to the Board – Alan Frith and Suzanne Wilson, and the NFPB Treasurer – Deryck Hillas – were reappointed.
NFPB has considered ways of drawing on the contributions of more of its members in developing and supporting our activities, and at this meeting agreed to set up a small Arrangements Group to work with NFPB Clerks in planning and preparing for our NFPB meetings. The Board also approved a simple but clearer framework for setting up and managing the work of sub-groups and project groups.
In looking ahead, the meeting considered the opportunities for further work on the Quaker peace testimony, particularly in the light of Britain Yearly Meeting’s focus on this at its meeting at the end of May 2025.
At both the September and November meetings, NFPB Members shared news and information about local peace concerns and activities. Amongst these were:
- The Meetings for Worship that Glasgow Quakers and others hold at the Faslane naval base, home of Trident Nuclear Submarines
- The activities of a local group supporting Standing Together, working in Palestine and Israel
- The Carnall Peace Award recently presented to Zimbabwean activists
- A number of different peace vigils and direct action being undertaken by Friends – both regular and responding to specific events.
- The activities of the recently established Heddwch ar Waith / Peace Action Wales
NFPB members next meeting on 1st March 2025, in Nottingham and Online – Contact us for further details