And what did I find? They were just as intimidating… So what am I saying? Get out there and learn about each other!

Quaker faith & practice as a book to describe our faith and our organisation. We formally call Quaker faith & practice our Book of Discipline.To most of us are given some common little jobs every day of our lives. To a very few comes the call to do something extraordinary, some great task. The world abounds in men and women who find happiness and opportunities for self-expression in being faithful in the humble stations of life which are theirs at a given time. If we are loyal to the truth as we see it, and respond with our might in the “common” situations in day-to-day living as we face them, the glow of the grace of God deepens and nurtures our faculties for insight and for recognition of the true worth of things and of [people]. Our Advices and Queries caution us to avoid provocative or hurtful language. Friends today have recognized that this admonition has relevance for words relating to gender, especially when used in religious writing. In this Faith and Practice book, a product of the twenty-first century, effort has been made to select extracts that avoid gender-exclusive language or, where necessary, provide clearly indicated modifications. However, it would be distorting the honest intentions of Friends living in past centuries to alter their words in quotations that have become well known and loved. In a similar spirit, the decision was occasionally made to retain an unusual language usage where it was clearly the product of an author’s deeply held conviction.

Every stage of our lives offers fresh opportunities. Responding to divine guidance, try to discern the right time to undertake or relinquish responsibilities without undue pride or guilt. Attend to what love requires of you, which may not be great busyness.

The first two topics, Nominations and Marriage, now have draft text available. These are available as audio and text. Please listen to the introduction before listening to the audio topics. The introduction is included in each text file.

The Meeting Community is that place where each of us is supported in the life of the Spirit. More than a place or a group of people, it is a state of possibility and an experience of community that underlies our religious life together. Approach old age with courage and hope. As far as possible, make arrangements for your care in good time, so that an undue burden does not fall on others. Although old age may bring increasing disability and loneliness, it can also bring serenity, detachment and wisdom. Pray that in your final years you may be enabled to find new ways of receiving and reflecting God’s love. The Religious Society of Friends is rooted in Christianity and has always found inspiration in the life and teachings of Jesus. How do you interpret your faith in the light of this heritage? How does Jesus speak to you today? Are you following Jesus’ example of love in action? Are you learning from his life the reality and cost of obedience to God? How does his relationship with God challenge and inspire you? George Fox, 1656 Conseils et Questions (traduit du texte anglais, Groupe Languedocien de l’Assemblée de France)The book’s great strength is that it achieves its purpose of expressing the ‘soul’ of the Quakers… If you want to know what Quakers have said about ageing, AIDS and atonement or about tithes, tobacco and torture, not to mention hundreds of other topics, you will find some illuminating answers here.’ We agree that the time is right to start revising our book of discipline. We embrace and rejoice in this decision. Regular revision is an intrinsic part of who we are as a Religious Society of Friends.

Margaret Dyment, “Why I Am a Christian or in What Way I Am a Christian,” The CF 95, no. 5 (December 1999), 11-12.

Conclusion

There is an undercurrent of concern for deepening the life of the Spirit…[W]e realized it must begin with the inner work of each individual. We must continually pay attention to the Light as it shows us things inside that do not conform to the Light. We must then ask God to transform those parts so we are better able to hear and obey God. As we commit ourselves to this individual process, we as a group will be enabled to hear and obey God. We cannot expect the yearly meeting to be a shining example of a faith community under the direct guidance of the Spirit unless a solid core of members are seriously engaged in living into the Truth, as we are challenged to do by our history and faith.