SOLIHULL Quakers are celebrating their 50th anniversary of meeting in the borough.
The Solihull Quaker Meeting was established in 1969.
Caroline Gibbs, clerk to the Solihull Meeting, said: “We Quakers are pleased to be celebrating 50 years of worship and action in Solihull.
“Historically the Meeting has been rather nomadic, having had to move from place to place over time, as we have no Meeting House; much to our regret, as a Meeting House gives opportunities for communities to share premises and to come together.
“However, this has not prevented us from welcoming many local people to our Meeting for Worship over the years, nor we Quakers from joining in action with local organisations such as Churches Together and Solihull Action on Homelessness.
“Our previous venues have been Solihull Manor House, Alice House, The Old Methodist Church, a Council for Voluntary Service house and, for many years, the United Reformed Church.
“We are a religious group without a dogma or creed, but we have testimonies through which we act out our faith. These testimonies are Simplicity, Equality, Social Justice, and Peace.
“Particularly at the present time, our action has been centred around working for peace by a presence at the protest against the Arms Fair held in September, along with other demonstrators, and for which we have created colourful tapestry banners.
“At the present time we meet at the Women’s Institute on Warwick Road on Sundays at 10.15.am. Our Meetings are mainly silent with spoken ministry on occasion. There is a central table with copies of the bible and our Quaker Faith and Practice book.
“Most years, every 6th August, Members have attended the Hiroshima Memorial Service at Coventry Cathedral, joining representatives from Japan, to commemorate the dropping of the first atomic bomb in 1945.
“As Quakers, we support the need to lead the simpler lives of a low carbon society, guided by the values of our testimonies. Climate change requires us all to make changes to our lifestyles.”
George Fox, our founder, said in 1656: “Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come…then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.
”We look forward to a Quaker Meeting in Solihull in the coming years.”
All are welcome to join in on Sundays, at the Women’s Institute, 745 Warwick Road, B91 3DJ
