Making Friends across boundaries
Last week more than 45 Friends from across the North of England met in Penrith for 'Make Friends Across Boundaries', a special day that brought together Quakers from eight area meetings.
The event was planned by members of the 'Crossing Boundaries' working group which has been exploring different ways of restructuring and simplifying organisational frameworks.
"The group was formed when the Local Development Workers of two adjoining regions in Northern England suggested that the area meetings in both regions might be interested in exploring working more closely together," explained William Taylor from Lancashire North and Central Area Meeting, and a member of the working group. "Area meetings in both regions had already been working with the Local Development Workers to explore solutions for shared challenges in finding Friends to take on roles and responsibilities in the area meeting. It made sense that we get together to look at the options. It was left very open and we looked at everything from a full merger to forming one new, larger area meeting, to the creation of a new charity to manage the finances and property and the retention of distinct existing area meetings below that."
Area meetings agreed to form a working group which has been meeting regularly now for 18 months, online and in person.
"It's been really interesting exploring the options, but more importantly it's given us all the opportunity to get to know Friends from outside of our areas," said Christine Sutherland, another member of the working group from Cumberland Area Meeting. "That's why we created the 'Make Friends Across Boundaries' event to enjoy and celebrate being in wider community with one another."
Friends turned the meeting room at Penrith into a human map to illustrate where everyone had come from. There were Quakers from Lancaster in the South West corner and Newcastle in the North East, Cockermouth and Swarthmoor Friends opposite those from Darlington and Sunderland, with Cotherstone and Leyburn in the middle. A game of People Cluedo then found connections between Friends from Quaker communities up to a hundred miles apart.
"This 'simplifying structures' work is now going on across the country," said Jude Acton, Head of Inclusive Quaker Communities. "Wales and the Southern Marches is now one charity with one trustee body and Scotland is a good way through the process. Our Local Development Workers are pivotal in bringing communities together and working alongside Friends as they navigate the peaks and troughs of restructuring. If there are other area meetings considering new ways of doing things, their Local Development Worker is a good starting point."