Category: Quakers
Quaker specific content, theology, worship, training, community, both relating to Britain Yearly Meeting and the wider Quaker family.
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Quaker A-Z: U is for Underlying Issues
Clear as… There are many items which have underlying issues that make them just too big and complicated to cover in a short meeting. Documents in advance can be helpful in ensuring that people are aware of what will be on the agenda, and what they might expect to make decisions on, wait for discernment
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Quaker A-Z: T is for Timekeeping
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash One of the questions which comes up frequently during MBS clerk support & training is agenda timekeeping, especially how to keep to time while still allowing time during the meeting for the spirit to move.Anyone who has attended a Yearly Meeting will be familiar with the way those clerks
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Quaker A-Z: S is for Silence and Spirit-led
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash S is for silence Which is oh so very useful. and S is for Spirit-led Essential in a Meeting for Worship, Meeting for Worship for Business, or a Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business… Actually, any sort of meeting would benefit from both of those things. As
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Quaker A-Z: R is for Reservations
Unseen reservations & resistance As those who know me would affirm – I am a committee nerd. Was tickled to be welcomed as one at a Woodbrooke course on serving nationally – the facilitator saying it was unlikely we’d all turned up to learn about becoming a better committee member if we weren’t! So, I
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Quaker A-Z: Q is for Quiet not Querulous
Don’t be afraid to stop and ask for quiet! A bit of quiet time goes further than you think. This could be to support the clerks as they try to write a minute, to give more time between contributions, or just because things have been a bit fraught and everyone should try to centre down
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Quaker A-Z: P is for Publicity or Promotion
Photo by Charlie Deets on Unsplash All publicity is good publicity? Publicity and Promotion are two words that often get a negative reputation. You hear them combined with ‘spin’, or ‘stunt’, or as ‘gimmicks’. Yet – internal and external communication is necessary to ensure your organisation thrives! Internal communication To ensure that people know things
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Quaker A-Z Clerking: O is for Onboarding
What do we mean by Onboarding? Onboarding is the action or process of integrating a new person into an organisation ensuring they have the tools and support need to help them be productive and do the work that they are expecting to do. Photo by Gilles Roux on Unsplash Don’t you mean Induction? In the
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Quaker A-Z: N is for Non-assumptive Language
Thinking about the language you use… I’m sure you’ve heard the old truism about “ass-uming”. But our society actually trains us to make various assumptions, usually based on “normal” behaviour and lifestyles. The language we use is no different. Picture this: you are a volunteer manager. Your charity is holding some event – perhaps a fundraiser,
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Quaker A-Z: L is for Listening
Listening is a vital skill for anyone hoping to run a meeting of any type. In a Quaker Meeting for Worship for Business (MfWfB) there is an agreed agenda and the clerk will have planned the order to allow time for reflective silence. These spaces are scheduled between spoken presentations, contributions or questions. That silence
