Quaker Faith and Practice: The Book of Christian Discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

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In accordance with our Testimony of Simplicity, Friends have always avoided ostentation at funerals and burials. Instead, from the early years of the Quaker movement we have recorded our thankfulness for the Grace of God that we have witnessed in the life of a deceased Friend by preparing a Testimony. Sometimes, too, an individual Friend has been prompted to write an appreciation of a Friend’s faithful service. Such records offer us a wealth of material showing ordinary Friends living out their faith from day to day. Rappelle-toi tes responsabilités en tant que citoyen pour la conduite des affaires locales, nationales et internationales. Ne recule pas devant le temps et l’effort que ton engagement peut demander. 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 a We see our meetings for church affairs not as business meetings preceded by a period of worship, but as “meetings for worship for business.” Ideally, the sacred and the secular are interwoven into one piece. Believing that all our business is brought before God for guidance, we deprecate all that may foster a party spirit or confrontation. We therefore seek for a spirit of unity in all our decision making.

In February 2019, 24 Friends were appointed to be the Book of Discipline Revision Committee (BDRC). We have a great mix of people with different lives, ages and experiences of Quakerism. This book of Quaker faith and practice is an attempt to express Truth through the vital personal and corporate experience of Friends. It is largely composed of extracts: a fitting way of expressing the breadth of Quaker theology. It also describes the current structures of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Needs of widows and fatherless to be supplied: — such as can work and do not be admonished, and if they refuse to work, neither let them eat. The children of needy parents to be put to honest employment.We affirm the interrelatedness of nature, spirit and all living beings as expressions of God’s creation. This guides us towards a holistic lifestyle which models for ourselves and others ways to heal the earth. The early statements of the Society’s corporate witness set the basic principles of the Peace Testimony and served to distinguish Quakers from those suspected of plotting to overthrow the established authorities. It is good to be reminded that even trying to discern works for us as it brings our spirit closer to God. I don’t think of God as something with personal attributes, so I don’t feel forgiven by God when I make mistakes, but I can feel the spirit of God working in others when they forgive me for making mistakes. Remember your responsibilities as a citizen for the conduct of local, national and international affairs. Do not shrink from the time and effort your involvement may demand. The form in which the content of our Faith and Practice book is presented may enhance the possibility that these different purposes may somehow be satisfied. Whereas the Elders at Balby did not hesitate to state their advice in the form of directives, it is more typical today for a Book of Discipline to adopt an anthological presentation, following the practice begun in 1921 by London Yearly Meeting. This approach offers written records of the lives, insights and actions of Friends throughout our history, describing their personal experience of the Truth out of which arose the inspiration for their witness in the world. Such writings do not stipulate what we must believe or how we are obliged to behave.

Ministers to speak the word of the Lord from the mouth of the Lord, without adding or diminishing. If anything is spoken out of the light so that the “seed of God” comes to be burdened, it is to be dealt with in private and not in the public meetings, “except there be a special moving to do so.” We call on our government to redirect vision and resources into an ecologically sustainable planet Earth… Let your lives speak. These challenging words continue to inspire Friends as they seek, in the twenty-first century, to live in the Light. Faith & Practice forms one half of our Book of Discipline – the other half being Organization & Procedure, a guide to Canadian Yearly Meeting’s structure and processes. Both volumes are usually printed with “Advices & Queries,” a beloved set of counsel and questions worth pondering, which you can read below. There is also a Study Guide to Faith & Practice.Come regularly to meeting for worship even when you are angry, depressed, tired or spiritually cold. In the silence ask for and accept the prayerful support of others joined with you in worship. Try to find a spiritual wholeness which encompasses suffering as well as thankfulness and joy. Prayer, springing from a deep place in the heart, may bring healing and unity as nothing else can. Let meeting for worship nourish your whole life.