Bewdley Quakers

06/03/2026

For shame.

Yesterday evening, 5 March 2026, for the second time in a year, the Metropolitan Police raided a Quaker Meeting House and arrested a number of young nonviolent activists who were meeting there, on the grounds that they were conspiring to commit a criminal act.

The room in Westminster Quaker Meeting House was let to Take Back Power to hold nonviolent direct action training. Quakers support the principle of nonviolent direct action, which aims to protest without harming people.

Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain, said: “For Quakers, faith and action are inseparable. Peaceful protest, prayer and nonviolent action are integral parts of many Quakers' religious life.

“Whilst we take the planning of criminal acts very seriously, we believe that this incident is a deliberate targeting of committed young people who want to make our country a more equitable place. This raid is part of a systematic stifling of dissent.

“That this is the second time in a year that the police have raided our meeting house dramatically illuminates the broader trend in the UK of cracking down on those who disagree with the government. The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy. It's a key part of how people make their voices heard between elections.”

https://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/news/quaker-meeting-house-suffers-second-met-police-raid

07/01/2026

A post from Quakers in Britain - very helpful

21/12/2025

Today there were fourteen Friends and attenders gathered at Meeting for Worship.
There was some spoken Ministry too. Afterwards we spent time together in fellowship and laughter over a shared lunch. A time often shared amongst Friends with lively conversation and today thoughts on subjects of interest for 2026. Lots to look forward to!

The excerpt below from Quaker Faith & Practice 21.25 reminded us about living adventurously.

'Perhaps the most neglected of all the advices is that we should live adventurously. If there is one wish I would pray the Spirit to put into our Christmas stockings, it is warmth, openness, passion, a bit of emotion that doesn't mind making a fool of itself occasionally.'
Gerald Priestland 1977

22/11/2025

How many Quakers does it take to change a light bulb?

23/08/2025

Last Sunday there were nine of us for worship, eight in person and one Friend online. We heard a reading from Quaker Faith & Practice, 25.12, written at Yearly Meeting fifty years ago, and even more relevant today.
'We live in a part of the world where the dominant motivation is material self-interest, justified by the concept of personal freedom. In these circumstances, the rich get richer and the poor, for the most part, become comparatively poorer. This offends our moral sensibility and, at the practical level, the process of material growth cannot in any event go on indefinitely. We must find some way in which we in the West can change our dominance in setting the style of the world’s living from one motivated by self-interest into one in which material resources are made available according to need. We know a good deal about this kind of distribution in particular situations but have not yet any effective idea about how to embody compassion into the essential structure of our society. This demands both thought and personal commitment at the level of where we are, not taking refuge simply in telling those with political power what they should do. We must be aware in all humility that it is we who are sinning in accepting the elevation of self-interest and that it is we who must move towards another form of motivation. What are we doing to proclaim our joyful acceptance that our living standards are going to have to drop; what are we doing to join with other Christians and concerned fellow-citizens to proclaim the vulgarity of our affluent style of living; what are we doing to find ways of influencing the way in which our fellow-citizens think and act, be they our neighbours or elected and appointed representatives, to recognise the need for change?'

07/08/2025

Quiet Day Saturday 16th August

Worcester Meeting House are holding a Quiet Day on Saturday 16 August 11.00am - 3.30pm. All members of our Area Meeting are welcome.
'During the Quiet Day we will explore the lives of three women who followed their faith calling in very different ways and what it means to be truly living in the light as individuals or as a Meeting. There will be plenty of time for quiet reflection'.