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CHELTENHAM QUAKER MARCH 2015

MEETINGS FOR WORSHIP Are on Sundays at 10.30 at Cheltenham Meeting House. There is usually a shared lunch on each fifth Sunday. Children are always welcome in our Sunday Meetings for Worship. On second and fourth Sundays children can go to the children’s room where they will be joined by two of the Children’s Meeting volunteers. DIARY (All of these meetings are at the Meeting House unless otherwise stated.) February Sunday 22 morning Sale of Fair Trade Products Sunday 22 morning Food Bank Collection Sunday 22 after Meeting Fourth Sunday Worship Sharing Monday 23 7.30pm Cheltenham Interfaith Talk on Islamic Issues see page 3 Wednesday 25 2.30pm Quaker Book Club at Margaret Cooper’s Thursday 26 7.30pm Meeting of Pastoral Friends Friday 27 10.30am Coffee Morning at Footsteps Café see below Friday 27 2.30pm Talk by Palestinian Director of Zaytoun. Lunch at 1.00pm. see page 3 Saturday 28 10.30am Pre-election Workshop at Gloucester FMH see page 3 March Sunday 1 noon Local Meeting for Worship for Business Sunday 1 9-10am Spring Cleaning Working Party see below Saturday 7 2.00pm Area Meeting for Worship for Business at Gloucester FMH Monday 9 10.30am Meeting of Elders Tuesday 10 7.00pm Cheltenham Interfaith AGM plus talk at 7.30pm see page 3 Friday 13 10.30am Coffee Morning at Footsteps Café see below Friday 13 1.30pm Area Peace Group at Gloucester FMH anyone welcome Sunday 15 noon Local Meeting for Learning see below Sunday 22 morning Food Bank collection Sunday 22 morning Sale of Fair Trade Products Sunday 22 after Meeting Fourth Sunday Worship Sharing Wednesday 25 2.30pm Quaker Book Club at Margaret Cooper’s Friday 27 10.30am Coffee Morning at Footsteps Cafe Sunday 29 10.30am All Age Worship see below, and talk ‘Preparing for the election’ Meeting for Learning on 15 March will explore A Quaker Quest(ion): do Quakers have a Philosophy? and will be facilitated by Edward Trezise. Footsteps Café: If the café is shut because of lack of volunteers, please go down to the café opposite M&S side door, and we will meet there. Working Party: to clean outside our Meeting House, Sunday 1 March from 9am. Please bring gloves and a brush. All Age Worship on Sunday 29 March: Please contact Judy Roles or Jo Teakle if you would like to read poetry or prose on the subject of “Peace” GILLIAN BAILEY: Gillian died on February 12 in Bay Tree Nursing Home, Prestbury, where she had been cared for during her last two or three weeks. Her funeral to give thanks for her life will be 12.00 noon on Monday 2 March at the South Chapel at Cheltenham Crematorium.

Items for inclusion in the next newsletter should be sent to the editorial email address or by post to the editor

Janet Weyers by Monday 16 February at the latest

Web address: http://www.cheltenhamquaker.org.uk/newsletters.php

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MARCH COLLECTION is for the Dabane Support Trust. This Quaker initiative responds to urgent requests for water aid in Zimbabwe. The Dabane Trust offers simple, appropriate and sustainable water abstraction and food production solutions. Donations can be sent to Michael Kellaway, 71 The Roman Way, Glastonbury, BA6 8AD. Friends who are taxpayers are encouraged to  send donations directly to the charity, using Gift Aid or a charity voucher (CAF, Charities Trust, etc) possibly adding a note to say that they belong to Cheltenham Quaker Meeting. NOTES ON JANUARY LOCAL MEETING We had a long and productive Meeting for Worship for Business. The main points are detailed below. Nominations: The following names to go forward to Area Meeting – Helen Pemberton as Elder; and Jack Danes to be released from his post of Elder. Minute from Elders: With only 3 Elders at present, support was asked for from the whole Meeting in carrying out Elders’ duties in the following ways: i. If no serving Elders are present at a Meeting for Worship, it was asked that another Friend take responsibility for shaking hands to close the meeting and for reading from the Bridge. ii. It was agreed that Fourth Sunday Worship Sharing should continue, without Elders necessarily being present. The format to be made clear at the beginning each time with a guide sheet to help. iii. Elders asked to hear about any topics Friends would like to be covered by Meetings for Learning this year and from anyone who would like to facilitate a Meeting for Learning. iv. It was asked that Friends begin to think about our Spiritual Away Day in 2016: Mike Lang offered to coordinate this initiative. Request from Co-Clerks: Clerks would like to hear from Friends about any topics you would like to be covered by Fifth Sunday Meetings and from anyone who would like to facilitate such a Meeting. They will take place in March, May and November. Spiritual Away Day at Woodbrooke, Saturday 16 May 2015: A timetable has been agreed with Simon Best, our facilitator. We agreed that the title Nurturing and Sharing referred to our Quaker Spirituality. Statement of Financial Activity (SOFA): Our outgoing treasurer (2012/14), Mike Lang, ran through the 2014 accounts with us. We noted that our income from hirings was down from last year (£8,484 to £6,319) though this was partly due to some fees not having been collected. Our voluntary contributions are well down from £18,804 in 2013 to £16,131 in 2014. Our contribution to Britain Yearly Meeting work was only £8,000. As we have a healthy bank balance it is hoped that this may be raised in 2015. Children’s Meeting: In view of there now remaining just four members of the Committee and the changes in Safeguarding requirements, Meeting agreed that Children's Meetings would now be offered twice a month on second and fourth Sundays instead of every week. This will be reviewed in three months time. Peace Messenger Report for LM: This was given by Alison Crane. She asked that we keep our one-time peace activists Cynthia, Eleanor and Gillian in the Light. Alison’s full report is attached as Appendix B of the Minutes, but part of it said: As there seem to be more and more almost unbelievable acts of violence in the world, it’s very natural to feel despair, anger, helplessness, “what can I do?”. It sometimes seems that the official response is also “we must do something” – anything, which often involves bombing or sanctions which adversely affects the wrong people. In this context, it’s easy to see that sometimes the best thing is to do nothing rather than make things worse – or to do something else, (preferably something positive rather than protest,) rather than respond directly. I think Friends’ concern to understand Islam better and make real and positive connections with local Muslims falls into this category. There are a number of forthcoming opportunities to do this: Meeting for Learning in Cheltenham, inviting a local Imam (date to be confirmed). Monthly Spirit of Peace Meetings in Gloucester and Stroud. Cheltenham Inter-Faith meeting 23 February –page 3 for details. Global Footsteps, a visit from representatives of Zaytoun talking on farming and trade in a conflict zone on 27 February. See page 3 for details. Alison said the Peace Group is also concerned about militarisation in schools, and is working through Judy Roles, in her role as SACRE representative (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education), to get this on the agenda of that committee, and offer resources to RE teachers. NOTE FROM LM CLERKS Clerks are aware that we do not always reach those Cheltenham Friends who are without email. Premises Committee is currently considering some system of pigeon holes, which would permanently ease this problem, to rectify this. In the meantime please contact us with any concrete requests you may have. Pat Dannahy

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NOTES FROM AREA MEETING FOR FEBRUARY Membership: We recorded the death of Sonya Allinson of Cheltenham Meeting on 11 January 2015 aged 85 and also the death of Ian Gardener of Wotton Meeting on 3 January 2015, aged 90. Appointments: The nomination of Helen Pemberton (Cheltenham) was accepted as Elder, and Jack Danes (Cheltenham) was released as Elder. Su Chard (Painswick) was appointed as Pastoral Friend. Wendy Gerard (Nailsworth) was appointed as Safeguarding Co-ordinator and John Linsell (Painswick) as Deputy Safeguarding Co-ordinator. Hannah and Rosie Tudge are appointed to attend Junior Yearly Meeting. Tabular Statement: The annual report of the numbers of members and attenders in our Area Meeting was given by Sal Drummond. This data is normally collected by gender and by age (ie adults and children). Following discernment among Friends at Cheltenham meeting and in a threshing meeting held in October, Sal then invited the Meeting to consider a question that, in the course of this work, has been troubling her: namely – why, as membership clerk, must she require Friends to tick a box as to their gender? A Minute was sent to Meeting for Sufferings asking them to consider the idea that we might cease to ask our members and attenders to declare a specific gender and thus move on from a binary view of humanity and perhaps being unwittingly discriminatory. We are asked to continue to consider this question in our Local Meetings. Prison Ministry: Judy Roles (Cheltenham) updated us on Meetings for Worship in Long Larton prison, which now take place regularly on Friday lunchtimes and are greatly valued by prisoners. If anyone would like to join these Friday Meetings, either on a one-off or regularly, this would be welcomed by the two Quaker Chaplains. Contact Judy for further details. WORKSHOP ON PREPARING FOR THE MAY GENERAL ELECTION Area Meeting Peace Group have arranged a workshop to be held on Saturday 28 February, 10.30am to 12.30 pm in Gloucester Meeting House. Discussions will range from identifying the key concerns of Quakers, to how to frame incisive and challenging questions to candidates at hustings. (Please check venue before going). CHELTENHAM INTERFAITH Monday 23 February at 7.30pm: Talk on Islamic Issues in the News by Dr Chris Hewer. Chris Hewer is a Christian; former advisor to the Bishop of Birmingham on Inter-Faith Relations; Lecturer on Christian-Muslim Relations at Selly Oak College; St Ethelburger Fellow in Christian-Muslim Relations in London and writer and media communicator. At Cheltenham FMH. There is a charge of £2 for non members of the group. Tuesday 10 March at 7.00pm: AGM followed at 7.30pm by talk Jesus as seen through the eyes of people of other faiths by Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybook, President of the World Congress of Faiths. GLOBAL FOOTSTEPS - TALK Taysir Arbasi, Palestinian Director of Zaytoun, with almond and olive farmer Mohammad Rsheid of the Palestine Fairtrade Association will give a talk on Friday 27 February at 2.30pm on “Fairtrade in Palestine – supporting resilient livelihoods”. Lunch will be available between 1.00pm and 2.00pm for £5. All at Cheltenham FMH. Donations towards visitors’ expenses would be appreciated. BRITAIN YEARLY MEETING This will be 1 to 4 May at Friends House. This will be the first in a three year programme on the theme of living out our faith in the world. One of our focuses this year is housing as a particular example of a tested concern in the area of inequality and injustice. For further information email ym@quaker.org.uk, or see the website www.quaker.org.uk/ym.

SONYA ALLINSON 1930-2015 Sonya may not be well known in our Meeting, which she attended some years ago until the ME from which she suffered necessitated a move to Astell House and later St Faith’s Nursing Home. Several Friends who are artists do know her from her connection to the Cheltenham Group of Artists where she served as Treasurer. She showed her work in many exhibitions including the Royal Academy and many other national and local locations. Cheltenham General Hospital owns some of her work. She has an interesting family history, her grandfather being the originator of the Allinson bakery, and her father President of the London Vegetarian Society. Meeting House Garden: Suggestions are invited for planters or garden furniture to brighten up our garden. Please contact Nigel Smith or any member of the Premises Committee.

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CHELTENHAM QUAKER MEETING

SUNDAY ROTA APRIL TO JULY 2015

Date

Doorkeeping

Flowers

Teas

5 April Pat Dannahy Mike Lang Tim Howarth 12 April June Drummond Margaret Johnson Philip Paull 19 April Rowland Carson Lydia Sutcliffe Dorothy Carson 26 April Jo Teakle Ruth Baker Margaret Sheldrick 3 May Jane Brighton Margot Roe Claire King 10 May Alison Crane Elaine Boulter Janet Weyers 17 May Jill Vyle Margaret Johnson Brenda Judge 24 May Margaret Sheldrick Jane Brighton Jo Teakle 31 May Julie Stubbs Iris Terrell Maureen Steffen 7 June Tim Howarth Pat Dannahy Margot Roe 14 June June Drummond Jill Main Mike Lang 21 June Ann Caro Ruth Baker Ian Brighton 28 June Philip Paull Janet Weyers Richard Lacock 5 July Joy Heaven Jill Vyle Chris Vyle 12 July Nigel Smith Lydia Sutcliffe Ann Caro 19 July Dorothy Carson Judy Roles Rowland Carson 26 July Jack Danes Margaret Danes Nigel Smith

If a date is not convenient, please arrange a swap with someone else on the list

DOORKEEPING

Arrive by 10:00. Read the list of instructions in the wooden rack on the wall by the door into the garden (possibly revised

since your previous doorkeeping duty).

FLOWERS

Please try to have the flowers on the table by 10:15.

TEAS

It may be a good idea to ask someone else to help you. Bring milk (2 pints) and biscuits.

Lay out cups and saucers and preheat the water before Meeting. Take your expenses from the dish for contributions.

If you spot anything in need of repair or replacement in the kitchen please contact a member of the

Premises Committee.

Contact: Iain Main

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WOODBROOKEQUAKERSTUDY

CENTRE

16 May 20159:30am to 5pm

Cheltenham Quaker Meeting is having a day of developing and enriching our spiritual experiences. We will be led by Simon Best, Head of Learning at Woodbrooke. The cost of £35.20 includes a 3-course lunch & tea/coffee breaks.

09:30 Arrivals, registration, orientation, coffee10:00 Session 1: Quaker spirituality11:15 Coffee11:30 Session 2: Our own spirituality12:45 Lunch13:45 Session 3: Being transformed15:00 Tea15:15 Session 4: The sacred in the everyday16:30 Afternoon tea17:00 Departure

Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre is situated in beautiful grounds in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham. Application forms are available to download from the Cheltenham Quaker website, attached to the Cheltenham Quaker newsletter, or from any Elder.

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CHELTENHAM QUAKERS SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE DAYWoodbrooke Quaker Study Centre

SATURDAY 16TH MAY 2015

Cheltenham Quaker Meeting is having a day of developing and enriching our spiritual experiences on Saturday 16th May 2015 from 9:30am to 5pm at Woodbrooke. The cost is £35.20 including a 3-course lunch & tea/coffee breaks. Bursary assistance is available for the cost — please contact any Pastoral Friend who will deal with your request in confidence. To reserve your place for the day, please complete the form below and give it to June Drummond or Lydia Sutcliffe.!

Name _____________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Phone e-mail ______________ ________________________________

Car-sharing:

I can offer a lift yes / no number of seats __________

I would like a lift yes / no

My dietary requirements:

omnivore / vegetarian / vegan / gluten-free / allergies / other (please specify)

___________________________________________________________

My access, mobility or other requirements:

___________________________________________________________

Please make cheques payable to ‘Cheltenham Quaker Meeting’ and pass with this form to June Drummond or Lydia Sutcliffe. Cheques are preferred, but you can also pay by bank transfer to sort code 30-91-87, account 00822601. If you use this method, it is essential to quote your name as reference; without that we will not know who the money came from.!

For Treasurer use: Date form received Date cheque paid in ___________________ __________________

I attach a cheque/cash for £35.20 in full payment for the day I will ensure full payment is submitted before 8 March 2015

delete as appropriate