The next in the Stronger Loving Communities series of workshops and conferences is on;
Saturday 14th November - 10am to 4pm at
Selly Oak Meeting House, Birmingham
The day will build on the two conferences run in 2025 and will focus on the practical things all Meetings and Friends can do to build their capacity and skills to hold difference in a loving way. A number of Quakers organisations will be participating and the day will include mini workshops to help Friends understand what each organisation offers to help strengthen our Quaker communities.
Timing | Activity |
|---|---|
10:00 | Doors open for registration and refreshments |
11:00 | Welcome and opening worship |
Scene setting: the Mythical Meeting. We will review the outcomes of the two previous SLC conferences focusing on the elements that make up the 'mythical ideal' Meeting. | |
Building capacity and skills: We will take a practical look at the capacity and skills that Friends would have in the mythical Meeting and build a roadmap for their development. | |
12:30 | Lunch: food and drinks will be provided |
13:30 | The afternoon will focus on the theme of building community. |
14:15 | Short comfort break. |
14:30 | Creating a space for listening: We will move on to experience a listening space; a new practice that is gaining traction in Meetings as a key element of strengthening our communities. |
15:15 | Closing plenary: an opportunity to reflect on the day, and share learning and next steps. |
15:50 | Closing worship |
16:00 | Close |
More information will be added to this page as the details for the day are firmed up. If you would like to be kept up to date with this and other initiatives by Restoring Relations, please sign up to our newsletter.
We called the conferences with the intention of working with Friends who have skills and experience in this area to look at what support we might offer Friends. We held two ‘day conferences’ in March in Bristol and York, where we began to explore the practical steps we could take to develop deeper relationships and acquire the essential skills that strengthen our communities to become more resilient and to better hold differences without division.
These conferences were not training days. They were crucibles: intended as safe, brave spaces where interested Friends met to consider the challenge of holding differences in a more loving way. How we might do this better? How we might best prepare and place emphasis on living peaceably together in Quaker community? with the intention to identify the first practical steps that will enable us to become true 'patterns & examples'.
An extensive set of notes is available here: Combined notes from both days