Days
and Times of meetings: every Sunday at
10.45 a.m.
Children’s Meeting: every Sunday, plus Junior Young Friends on
2nd and 4th Sunday in the month
Directions: On foot - 3/4 mile from
Railway Station
(Click on small
map for a larger MAP)
Contact: Clerk: Dorothy Searle
here
Concerning the Meeting House: Ann Stammers, Warden, tel. 023
80223758 or email
here.
About Us: We are an active Meeting
(usually about 50 people attend on Sundays) with a wide age range and a
variety of interests.
In addition to the Children's Meeting and the
Junior Young Friends, the
Prime Group (ages 18 to
40ish) meets monthly for
lunch followed by
discussion (reports of some discussions are
below).
There are also
worship and study groups held in Friends'
homes and a Healing Group once a month before Meeting for Worship.
Information on the
Day Retreat
at Ampfield in May 2009 "Experiencing God in Prayer and Play" is
here.
The
Meeting House, built in 1884, is used during the week by a
number
of local organisations.
... More history
below.
Southampton Quakers are much
involved in local peace action and in
interchurch and interfaith activities such as the
Southampton Council of Faiths.
THE
SOUTHAMPTON PRIME
GROUP
This is a wide-ranging discussion group intended for those aged
(approximately) 18-40 who are interested in Quaker beliefs, spiritual
possibilities, moral issues and practical activities. All are welcome.
Southampton Quakers - Prime Group
Meeting
Sunday 10 May 2009
“Quaker
Universalists” with Stephen Perkins
This was Stephen’s second presentation to the Prime Group – he’d given
us a talk in May 2004 about the Universalists which had been very well
received so he’d been asked back. Stephen began with a brief history of
his time with the Quakers. Stephen came South in 2000 after
living in the northwest for 13 years, near to Blackpool where he’d got
his first teaching job. He is now a 6th form college teacher at
Peter Symonds College, Winchester. Stephen had always been
attracted to the Universalist strand of Quakers and is an Attender at
Winchester Meeting.
Stephen handed around a tray of potatoes and asked us each to take one
and study it carefully. He then collected up the potatoes and
asked us whether we could identify our own, a majority of us
could. Stephen’s point was that, despite sharing a lot in common
with one another everyone is unique. Stephen’s aims for the talk
were both to raise awareness of the Quaker Universalist Group and to
help encourage our own spiritual development by connecting the
universal with the personal.
Stephen outlined how the silence in Meeting was comforting – and
uniting - and that some of our deepest insights are non-verbal.
Words can be/feel threatening when sharing our vision and values.
Stephen talked of his own vision and values and asked – ‘In this world
of globalisation including globalisation of religion are we
Quakers/Christians/Universalists/Other?’
We all found it difficult – or were reluctant -to label ourselves and
gave a brief account of our Spiritual paths instead. We discussed
the difference between being an Attender and a Member.
Even the word ‘Quakerism’ can be difficult – for those who don’t know
or understand it – it can push others away. Stephen said that
there was a tension between the idea of there being constants such as
love, truth, beauty, etc., but that the traditional can be fundamental
and contemporary society which promoted ideas such as ‘ethical’,
flexible, progressive, global – were more attractive. So language
can produce barriers. Stephen handed out the Quaker Universalist
Group leaflet. The Group is an informal group within the Quaker
movement based on our understanding that spiritual awareness is
accessible to everyone of any religion or non, and that no one person
and no one faith can claim to have a final revaluation or monopoly of
truth. The leaflet (
www.qug.org.uk),
outlined its vision, what they do, their aims and information about
Membership.
We discussed how Quakerism is a relief from fundamentalism – that there
is an emphasis on how we live our life – not on what we believe.
There is though a tension between more traditional Christian beliefs
and an emphasis on the Christian roots of the Society – and
Universalism. Christianity teaches that there was only one way to
get to heaven – and that was through Jesus, but this belief excludes
other faiths. It was argued that the Testimonies, silence and the
right ordering of the Meeting provide the glue to hold the different
beliefs together.
Stephen explained that it was the 30th anniversary of the Universalist
group and displayed more leaflets and booklets for us to look at.
He then talked about the Quaker willingness to live adventurously and
led us through a visioning exercise. Stephen provided us with a
sheet which challenged us to write a mission statement for ourselves.
Stephen quoted Victor Frankl:
‘Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but
rather must recognise that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man
is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for
his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.’
We were asked to identify an influential person in our lives, define
who we wish to have become in 20 year’s time, determine what is
important to us today and to draft a mission statement (based on the
ideas following below).
We are challenged to cultivate a Universal responsibility for one
another and the planet we share. We each have to develop an
intellectual framework we feel comfortable with – not in words, but a
core that holds us all as one.
DEVELOPING A PERSONAL MISSION
STATEMENT
Brainstorm ideas (spend 2-3 mins on each question)
Identify an influential person
Think of one person who had a positive influence on your (spiritual)
life.
What qualities do you most admire in this person?
What qualities did you gain from this person?
Define who you want to become.
Imagine it’s 20 years ahead. You have achieved all you ever hoped to
achieve.
What is your list of accomplishments?
What do you want to have, do and be?
Determine what is important to you today
What are the 10 things that are most rewarding to you today?
What do you live for and love in life?
Review what you have written and circle the key ideas, words and
phrases that you would like to include in your mission statement.
DRAFT A MISSION STATEMENT!
REVIEW & EVALUATE
Does it represent the best within you?
Do you feel direction, purpose, challenge and motivation?
Are you living according to its ideals and values?
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