A little bit of Quaker history has surfaced in a busy part of Nelson, New Zealand. A Friend has sent some local newspaper clippings of a story which started way back when Europeans settled in Nelson in the mid-nineteenth century. There were Quakers among them who together bought an acre in the new settlement from the New Zealand Company – quickly nicknamed the 'Quaker acre' by locals.

The Friends made headway, becoming shopkeepers and surveyors, later building their own Meeting house on the Quaker acre, said to be the first in New Zealand.

But all was not plain sailing for these early pioneers. As we know from more recent history, settlement brings conflict with native populations and the Quakers were concerned with Maori welfare, speaking out about harsh treatment of tangata whenua (indigenous people of the place or land). And in what is described as a Maori affray, Quaker surveyor John Cotterell stuck to his pacifist principles and was killed on surrender after refusing to fight.

Now the city has opened its first 'quiet garden' on the site of the Quaker acre. With two years of preparation by Grace Sutherland of Nelson Meeting a near derelict site in the city centre has been transformed into a simple space with plain benches. Close by are the graves of Samuel and Martha Strong, Quakers who died in the 1800s. Their graves constituted a 'cemetery' – the smallest in the city –and this was why the piece of land was never developed.

The Quakers and the city council got together to give the Nelsonians a place of solitude right in the middle of one of their noisier intersections. We trust our Friend there will take full advantage of this oasis.

Labels: maori, new zealand, quaker

We have been reading the religious press this week. Eye does keep a watching brief of the church media to see how it is handling some of its controversies (and also to see if Quakers get a mention), but we were particularly impressed to see the new face of Third Way, which declares its role as a 'Christian comment on culture'. TW's recent revamp has turned it into an attractive glossy monthly publication and the summer issue has a star interview with the Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al, who looks remarkably like George Clooney.

Eye finds the sprucing up of the religious message in most of the 'spiritual' media an encouraging trend. The periodicals are so much more interesting to read these days (we hope we fall into this category too!). Third Way's topics include an attempt to reclaim Darwinism for the Christians instead of leaving him to the atheists and how Christians struggle with addictions just like anyone else. We were dismayed but not alarmed to see the columnist Jude Simpson finding Quakers a little uninspirational on her first encounter. It started off well – 'there was a warmth, a sense of acceptance, a feeling of genuine fellowship which deeply impressed me.' She checked herself – yes, there were thirty-nine other people in the room and she felt well-disposed towards all of them. Then they started ministering. It appeared to go downhill from there for her. 'Was that man honestly inspired by the Holy Spirit to extract spiritual lessons from yesterday’s supermarket shop? Did that woman really need ten minutes to remind us that God loves unconditionally? And why would the Lord ever reveal anything to a man wearing peach-coloured socks with green crocs?' Oh dear. Perhaps people expect too much first time.
We learned from The Tablet that the feared dictator Mugabe is still a Catholic, and that an ally of the pope is trying to bring back the old tridentine mass to Britain. One of the objections to the new rite, we learn, was that some priests had not taken mass seriously enough – in one case dressing as a clown, and another was alleged to have worn a miniskirt. Apparently Vatican II still sends shivers down the traditionalist spine.

Labels: catholic, mugabe, quaker, the tablet, third way

The new president of the United Nations Human Rights Council has paid our Geneva UN office a compliment on one of its reports – with just a little regional adjustment. At his election Martin I Uhomoibhi spoke warmly of the publication: 'In August 2007 a respected organisation in Geneva, the Quaker United Nations Office, published a treatise with the interesting title Neither Mountain nor Anthill – the Human Rights Council: One Year On. Almost one year after the publication of the said paper one is tempted to ask the question "has the HRC become a mountain or has it remained an anthill?"'
Actually, QUNO chose moles for its title metaphor – Neither Mountain nor Molehill, but there appears to have been a swap of underground creatures by the time the new president, who is Nigerian, got to read it.

Labels: geneva, office, quaker, UN

QHA volunteer Colin Rendall enjoyed the best Christmas dinner he has had since he dined aboard a collier as it loaded in Sunderland on 25 December 1953. His 2007 experience was shared by the guests and volunteers who helped to make Quaker Open Christmas 2007 (QOC) at the Union Chapel, Islington, the most peaceful on record. Last month's QOC was 'dry', bed space (on folding beds) was booked by daily referral, and the Friends and friends of Friends who served as willing volunteers included an invaluable half dozen who work throughout the year on the Union Chapel's several schemes aimed at addressing homelessness in Islington and beyond. One possible consequence of the new-style QOC may be that QHA and its extraordinarily generous donors (and eager volunteers) can link directly into year-round programmes. Providing guests with good food, warm beds, fresh clothes and good fellowship are the aims of QOC. This year, the peace and good order that reigned throughout, made space for much recreation and good fellowship. The snap of jigsaw pieces was the defining sound of QOC 2007 and, also, the defining 'snap' when Barbara Smith, Islington’s mayor, joined guests and volunteers on a most memorable Christmas Day.

Labels: barbara smith, qoc, quaker

Sports Quakers are beginning to appear after our recent request for information of them.

Here is something from the intrepid William West of Mount Street Meeting, Manchester.

William writes: 'Dear Friend Eye, I have cycled since I was nine nearly 50 years ago. Last September I decided it was time to begin to train up for Lands End to John o'Groats and I will do the 1,000 mile trip this August, Deus Volens. My trip will raise money for HIV counsellor training in Kenya. I have set up a blog billonbike that shares my progress, bits of bike lore including creative use of bananas - cyclists' best food. Richard Summers from Quaker Life hopes to travel part of the way with me as do some other F(f)riends and my Meeting are very supportive.

'The impact of my training on me has been enormous, I am fitter and feel better in myself than for years. I find cycling gives me much needed solitude and sometimes resembles Worship so my trip will be something of a pilgrimage.'

Labels: banana, cyclist, hiv, kenya, quaker, sport

You could buy anything on eBay, apparently, except Quaker books. But now that has changed as an enterprising Friend has set up a store for them on this extraordinary internet shop which is so popular with consumers.

'I found that if I typed the word 'Quaker' into the eBay search box, very little came up apart from the odd piece of ephemera relating to Quaker Oats, various Ercol chairs and sometimes an antiquarian book title from a US seller,' says Simon Colbeck.

Simon had been selling recycled student texts and revision guides after being on sick leave from work. He noticed that Faith & Practice and Advices & Queries produced nothing on the eBay search box. 'Any enquiring eBayer wouldn't get far', says Simon.

He talked to the Quaker Bookshop about what could be done and the upshot is that Simon has a batch of Quaker books to sell on eBay on a sale or return basis.

'So far I have sold only twenty Quaker books in three months but I have had some very interesting correspondence with buyers and the category has had hundreds of visitors who may have followed up their interest elsewhere.' Simon charges the same as the Quaker Bookshop, and his discount covers the eBay fees. His main purpose was to open a small 'extra window' for any eBayer curious about Quakers.

What titles are the best sellers? The Quaker Tapestry booklet Quaker Relief Work in Ireland's Great Hunger and Quaker Quest's 12 Quakers and ... series. The eBayer likes a bargain and a low price of course. No-one wants to fork out for QF&P or for Doug Gwyn's mighty The Covenant Crucified: Quakerism and the Rise of Capitalism. But Simon is discovering books such as this, which he would never have seen if not for his foray into internet selling.

He has also opened a small bookstall at his Meeting (Watford) for some of the books he has, and this stall has been remarkably more successful than the eBay shop!

Simon's eBay shop is called Tecstasy.

Labels: bookshop, eBay, quaker, quaker tapestry

Emily Hunka, of Rewrite, reads an excerpt from Quaker Faith and Practice that she finds inspiring.

Labels: faith, hunka, international quakers, practice, quaker, rewrite