The belief and experience of Quakers is that the whole of life should be as sacred as the time spent in Meeting for Worship. This has led to much practical work on important issues.
The belief in "that of God in everyone" leads us to oppose war. From our earliest history we have been openly against the use of violence to solve human problems. In 1651 George Fox, the most prominent of our founders was offered a captaincy in the Commonwealth army, but he refused the offer, saying that he "lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars".
Today Quakers are engaged in:
We are active in promoting these purposes at local, national and international levels. There are Quaker offices in New York, Geneva, and Brussels, which work with the United Nations and European institutions. Recent campaigns have tackled land mines, conscientious objection to military service, and the use of child soldiers.
Quakers have supported and campaigned for many other causes which encourage respect and dignity for people otherwise abandoned. More than two hundred years ago Quakers were campaigning against slavery, and current work concerns prison reform, homelessness, and poverty in Britain.
Quakers in Wirral and Chester are working to support many activities and campaigns for a better world. Check out the links below to find out what is going on.
Chester Quaker Meeting is a member of CWDF, a partnership of local groups and individuals who are committed to working for the worldwide ending of poverty and hunger, through sustainable development. CWDF usually meets once every two months, normally at the Unity Centre in Cuppin Street, CH1. For information on future meetings and other events, please see chesterwdf.org.uk/events/.
Their aim ever since 1913 is 'to advise and encourage Friends, and through them their fellow citizens, in the active promotion of peace in all its height and breadth'.
For more information have a look at the Northern Friends Peace Board website
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel is a World Council of Churches (WCC) initiative to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in their nonviolent actions to end the occupation.
The main activities of EAPPI are monitoring and reporting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and supporting acts of nonviolent resistance alongside local Palestinian and Israeli activists.
There's more information on the EAPPI website.
Quaker Concern for Animals witnesses to the divine in all creation and works for the protection of animals and the promotion of their rights. We take a spiritual yet practical approach and are committed to the defence of our fellow species, whilst appealing to that of God in everyone. We campaign peacefully, wherever we feel our voice might make a difference, working towards that time when the eyes of human animals are fully open to the suffering of all of God’s creation.
There's lots more on the Quaker Concern for Animals website.
QARN works to change the way that Refugees and Asylum Seekers are treated, to ensure that justice and compassion are the guiding principles. You'll find more details on the QARN website.
This is an informal network of Quakers based in the UK who have an interest in the criminal justice system. It offers mutual support for Quakers working in various branches of the system and helps to inform them (and thereby their Meetings) about current penal issues. For more information, please see the QICJ website.
This memorial ceremony helps us remember the victims of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It takes place each year at 8 pm on 6 August by the bandstand in the Groves in Chester. It includes readings and the dropping of white flowers on the river.
For more information please contact Dai Owen by email: dai.owen.art@gmail.com