Bideford
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Meeting for Worship Time: 10.30 a.m. Children’s Meeting Times: Address: Please note: What is shown on the map as "Providence Row" is, in fact, a car park which is most convenient for the Meeting House. But charges apply, even on Sunday. The Meeting House is right oppposite the entrance to the car park. E Mail: bideford@quaker.org.uk
Clerk: Ann Davis
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Bideford Quaker Meeting House during a Quaker Quest outreach event
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| Meeting for Business top |
| takes place on the first Sunday in every month at 12 noon. |
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On average, about fifteen people are present at public Quaker Meetings for Worship.. These last for about an hour, and, as in other Quaker Meetings, the worship is based in a still silence, with few spoken words. At Bideford, unlike many other Quaker meetings, the hour is followed by a few minutes of "Afterwords" during which anyone present can talk about what might have been in their mind during the meeting, even though they did not feel prompted to speak during the hour's worship. This is a sharing exercise, not a discussion, and can sometimes be inspiring, or heartwarming. After Meeting, refreshments are served and there is lots of time for chatter and exchange of news. |
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OFFICERS OF THE MEETING FOR THE TRIENNIUM 1.1.2012 - 31.12.2014 CLERK Ann Davis ASSISTANT CLERK Jacqui Poole TREASURER Philip Jones ASSISTANT TREASURER Peter Darby
NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE Trudi Shaw continues until end of 2013 June Stevens Pam Hogan
PREMISES COMMITTEE Maggie Coats John Martin Alan Rayner - continues until 31.12.12 Penny Whittaker - continues until 31.12.13 (Clerk ex-officio) (Convenor to be appointed from among these members)
FRIEND TO CO-ORDINATE FUNERALS Ann Davis NEWSLETTER John Ward John Martin (distribution) CHILDREN'S PROGRAMME Betty Allin MEETING WEB PAGE John Ward TEA & KEY ROTA John Martin ARCHIVES Peter Darby LIBRARIAN Maggie Coats until 31.12.12 Correspondent for: Woodbrooke Maggie Coats until 31.12.13 Representatives to: CTBD Enabling Group: Clerk (Ann Davis) Trudi Shaw Forum: Len Stevens
AREA MEETING APPOINTMENTS ELDERS John Ward (until 31.12.12) ; Jacqui Poole (until 31.12.13) OVERSEERS John Martin ; Trudi Shaw NOMINATIONS Wendy Ward
Events Fifth Sunday Discussion Groups Whenever a month has five Sundays, we have a discussion after Meeting for Worship. Recently we responded to a number of questions under the heading of, "Let's talk about Dying." Some of the questions we addressed were: Why do some cultures have "elders", but others have "the elderly?" If you knew you were going to die soon, would you do anything differently? Should you provide a program for your funeral, or leave it to your nearst and dearest? What is life? What is death? Are we too clinical in our attitude to dying? More recently, participants each brought a reading of his/her choice, and gave this reading as part of a "Worship Sharing" exercise.
"Spiritual Narratives" On the fourth Sunday of each month, after Meeting for Worship, one or other member of the Meeting is invited to give what has come to be called a "Spiritual Narrative." This is simply a short talk (about 5 minutes) about anything which that person feels might be helpful in a spiritual sense. This could take the form of a reading, an account of an experience, or just some thoughts; and is usually delivered once everyone has their cup of tea (or other refreshment) which is always forthcoming after Meeting. "Spiritual Space" Approximately once a month, Friends from Bideford meeting meet together to hear a member or attender at Bideford Meeting introduce a topic of a spiritually helpful or challenging nature, of his or her own choice. The meeting is conducted and facilitated by another Friend, and usually takes place in the home of a member of the meeting - often that of the person introducing the topic. The introducer speaks for ten or fifteen minutes, and then a process of worship sharing takes place. This is a period of silent worship during which those present are invited to share their own experience with relation to the topic in question, avoiding any specific reference to what was said in the introduction, and also avoiding reference to what may have been said by other participants. This means that people can speak without feeling the threat of being contradicted or of hearing their words misquoted or misunderstood. When everyone has had the opportunity to speak once, there is an invitation to add anything else which might be needed before the matter is opened to general discussion. At the time of writing, topics auch as The concept of The Trinity, Belief, Expressing the Spiritual Self, and Some thoughts about Evil have been on the menu. The Bideford Sustainability Group
Back in July, 2009, Bideford Quakers set up a Sustainability Group aimed at promoting sustainable living. The inspiration for this was a visit by one of our members to a Quaker Council for European Affairs conference in Brussels, combined with material from the Living Witness Project (LWP) ( www.livingwitness.org.uk ).
The group decided to start by educating themselves and, among other things, watched a number of documentaries - A Convenient Truth, The Truth about Climate Change (David Attenborough), A Convenient Solution (Greenpeace) and The Age of Stupid.
The LWP were invited to give a one-day workshop for the Meeting, and our response to this is ongoing. We have already identified “cold spots” - parts of the wall which are particularly cold in winter – and have increased the insulation in those areas. We are currently investigating solar PV panels for the building, and increasing the loft insulation (which already meets statutory standards).
The Group also began to look outwards – towards the town. It has set up a “Green Page” in the local free magazine known as the “Bideford Buzz” and has given public showings of three of the documentaries. Publicity was achieved by writing personal letters to each local councillor, writing to the local press, and distributing leaflets and putting up posters wherever possible, and there was an audience of 40 at the final film showing, including the Liberal Democrat Candidate for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
One outcome of this last meeting was the setting up of a new organisation: The Bideford Sustainability Group which has become increasingly active in the town.
This is but one example of the way in which a Quaker initiative can act as a trigger for something much bigger to take off. The Bideford Buzz Green Page Bideford's famous free newspaper, the Bideford Buzz, has for some time now had a "Green" page, featuring environmental issues. This page was initially sponsored by Bideford Quakers, and its sponsorship has now passed to the Bideford Sustainability Group. To find out what Bideford Quakers will be getting up to next, watch this space!
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