Exeter Quakers reach out

The first week of October will see Quakers in Exeter and around the country sharing their ideas on building a better world.

With stalls in the High St on Saturday 1st and Saturday 8th, and Quakers on Radio Devon’s Pause for Thought every morning between 6am and 7am, you’ll be hearing much more from Quakers than you’re used to.

Quakers (also known as the Society of Friends) are a religious group rooted in non-conformist Protestantism, starting in the middle of the seventeenth century in England. Their core principles include Peace, equality, simplicity, truth and sustainability. They gather together for silent worship, sitting in a circle without a leader, and without any set procedure: people speak as the spirit moves them. Famous Quakers have included the Cadbury and Rowntree families, Elizabeth Fry (on the old £5 note) and the actress Sheila Hancock.

National ‘Quaker Week’ is held every year in October: this year the theme is ‘Inspired by faith to build a better world’. On Radio Devon’s Pause for Thought from October 2nd, Exeter Quakers will be talking about putting faith into practice through involvement with mental health issues, tax reform, supporting refugees and extending sustainable travel.

“These are just some of the ways that Quakers are involved in the community” said local Quaker Ghee Bowman. “If you look at many local and national campaigns for justice and equality, you’ll see Quakers involved at the heart. It’s one of the reasons I became a Quaker – that desire to make the world a better place, and the engagement with practical action to make that happen”

Information stalls will be held in Bedford Square on Saturday 1st and Saturday 8th from 11-3. There will be an outdoor Meeting for Worship on Sunday 9th (weather permitting) on Bedford Square from 11.15.

Members of the public are also welcome to join Meeting for Worship every Sunday from 10.30 am, at the Quaker Meeting House on Wynards Lane, near the Hotel du Vin.

There is also a meeting on Sunday evening at 6pm, and a midweek meeting on Thursday at 12.15 at Mary Arches Church in the city centre.