You can read about the history of Meeting for Sufferings on our Quaker faith & practice website. The name Meeting for Sufferings referred to the time when Quakers were persecuted for following their faith and their 'sufferings' were recorded by a meeting.
Yearly Meeting now meets four times a year and undertakes most of the work previously delegated to Meeting for Sufferings. Find out more about Yearly Meeting.
Our faith in the future
Our faith in the future paints a picture of the change Friends hope for. Read about Our faith in the future. in the organisation resources pages.
Papers and minutes
7 March 2026
6 December 2025
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Updated agenda and papers December 2025 (PDF)
- Towards a faith-based understanding of gender diversity (PDF)
3-5 October 2025
5 July 2025
1 March 2025
December 2024
5 October 2024
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers 5 October (PDF)
- Responses to proposed changes to the marriage declaration (PDF)
1 June 2024
2 March 2024
2 December 2023
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers 2 December (PDF)
- Reports from other European Yearly Meetings (paper 14a) (PDF)
6-8 October 2023
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers 6-8 October 2023 - version 2 (PDF)
- Responses to Meeting for Sufferings on the question of membership version 1 (full) (PDF)
- Responses to Meeting for Sufferings on the question of membership version 2 (edited) (PDF)
1 July 2023
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Meeting for Sufferings papers for this meeting published with Yearly Meeting papersheld on 1 July
4 March 2023
1 and 3 December 2022
- Follow up package (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for 1 and 3 December 2022 (PDF)
- Supplement of responses from area meetings on use of the term 'overseer' (PDF)
1 October 2022
2 July 2022
4-6 March 2022
4 December 2021
2 October 2021
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF) - updated 15/10/2021
- Agenda and papers for 2 October 2021 (PDF)
10 July 2021
10 April 2021
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for April 2021 (PDF) updated 09/04/2021
6 February 2021
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- QPSW strategy paper (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for February 2021 (PDF)
5 December 2020
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for December 2020 (PDF)Papers from recent meetings
2–4 October 2020
- Follow up letter and minutes (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for October 2020 (PDF) updated 24/9/2020
6 June 2020
April 2020
1 February 2020
7 December 2019
4–6 October 2019 at Woodbrooke
6 July 2019
6 April 2019
2 February 2019
23–25 November 2018
- Follow up letter and minutes from 23-25 November 2018 (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for 23-25 November 2018 (PDF)
6 October 2018
7 July 2018
7 April 2018
- Follow up letter and minutes from 7 April 2018 (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for 7 April 2018 meeting (PDF)
3 February 2018
- Follow up letter and minutes from 3 February 2018 (PDF)
- Agenda and papers for 3 February 2018 meeting (PDF) - updated 31 January
Image by Mike Pinches 2023