Category Archives: AGM

AGM, General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events, Non-theism

Quaker meeting + Creative conversation Thursday 8th January

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Dear Friends,

Please join us on Thursday, January 8  at 7PM UK/2PM EDT for our next conversation.
David Parlett will be talking about Samuel Butler (1835-1902*) as “a nontheist before his time.”

*I’m assuming this is the Samuel Butler (cf. Erewhon) David means. If he means Samuel Butler (1613-1680) or some other Samuel Butler then we might be in for a 17th century or other surprise.

David has now offered Butler exerpt(pdf) from Samuel Butler’s Erewhon revisited to read in advance.

We look forward to a lively conversation and hope that you will come and add your voice.

If you have not already registered,
Please email clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk to register.

We are still looking for someone who would be willing to share their spiritual journey to nontheism at a creative conversation in the spring.

We would also like to have a creative conversation about how nontheist Quakers utilize the silence.  Is that something that you might like to explore with us?

We welcome your thoughts about how to make these conversations more meaningful.  Address your comments to the working group at nontheistfriend@gmail.com.

The evening’s plan is as follows:
• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM (UK time), please arrive early.
• 7PM: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Concern introduced; followed by interactive discussions.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00m
NOTE: You may unregister/unsubscribe from our monthly Meetings or NFN communication at any time by replying to either of the email addresses given above..
Yours,
NonTheist Friends Network Quarterly Meeting Steering Committee
Creative Conversations Working Group

(The QM+CC Working group 2026 is Al Palmer, William Purser, Gisela Creed, Jim Cain and  Tim Regan. Steering Group to be confirmed or appointed at AGM in  February)

AGM, Conferences, General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events, NFN website, Non-theism, Publications

Nontheist religious experience and updates to this NFN website.

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I apolgise for my delay in updating.

Jim Cain has kindly shared texts with 3 slightly different versions of his presentation of 5 June on Nontheist religious experience in PDF, Word and powerpoint formats.

By scrolling through our Events page, and following links there, it is possible to find details of our past events for some years (2017-2025) and in some cases texts for earlier talks or audio recordings of the first 11 talks in 2021-22. There is still a gap in this record between Nov 2023 and Sept 2024 and I will try to get this filled in in coming weeks.

Our Articles and Newsletters page takes you back to NFN events as far as 2012.

Trevor

AGM, General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

NFN AGM 2024 7pm Thursday 23 May (online)

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Message from NFN clerk Tim Regan

The Nontheist Friends Network AGM, previously announced during notices after the last two Creative Conversations, will be at 7pm UK time on Thursday the 23rd of May. The AGM is open to all members of the network. Do let me know if there is anything you would like to add to the agenda, and I will send round a Zoom link nearer the time. Tim

And don’t forget our next ‘Creative conversation’ on Doubt tomorrow evening 2nd May.

AGM, General Quaker interest, NFN Events

NFN Website Report 2022 (for Jan 2023 AGM)

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Our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation will be on
2 February QM+CC at 7PM GMT/2PM EST by Zoom, and will introduce the concern, How have I reached a non-theist position – or have I?
Before the meeting, registered participants will receive the Zoom link along with a selection of questions and definitions to ponder.
Details have already been sent out by email and will follow here later. (Not the Zoom link, you should email for that if not already registered)

In the meantime, our AGM is  at 7pm UK time this Thursday the 19th of January 2023 and an agenda and the Zoom link to members will follow soon.

Here is my NFN Website Report 2022 (for Jan 2023 AGM) (.doc) (.pdf)

Trevor

AGM, General Quaker interest, NFN Events, Non-theism

Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation 5th January 7pm

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Our next and last event ahead of the AGM on 19th January
Dear Friends,

Thank you for registering for our Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation, organized by the NFN, UK.

5 January’s QM+CC will introduce the concern from  Quaker faith & practice: 23.09:
“We are all the poorer for the crushing of one man, since the dimming of the Light anywhere darkens us all.” Michael Sorensen, 1986
Queries to consider: How do we as non-theist Quakers work at repairing the world? What is the source of this inspiration?
Please arrive early, as the Meeting will start promptly at 7PM GMT/2PM EST.  The Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM.
If you have not already registered then email the Clerk (clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk) to register and receive the zoom link.
Format:
• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM (UK time), please arrive early.
• 7PM: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Concern introduced; followed by interactive discussions in break-out rooms and in the plenary with all participants.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00m

You will automatically receive Zoom links to subsequent Meetings, approximately one week beforehand and a reminder the day of.  There is no need to re-register. We ask that you please do not share the Zoom link with interested Friends, but encourage them to email the Clerk (clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk) to register. You may unregister/unsubscribe at any time by replying to this email address.
See you soon.
In Friendship,
The QM+CC Working group (Gisela Creed, John Senior, William Purser, and Kiera Faber)
Nontheist Friends Network
AGM, General Quaker interest, Non-theism

A nontheist Christmas?

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Quakers don’t famously do Christmas. (Consider the word order and absence of commas).

What more could you expect for Xmas except a Bumper Post? (This is it).
Tim has posted the details of the AGM and I will post the details for the intervening Meeting and Creative Conversation, which have already been sent out by email, soon.
For the AGM I’ll just remind everyone about the Constitution and:
8. Any proposed amendments to this constitution must be sent in writing to the Clerk at least 20 days* before the AGM. The Clerk will circulate them at least 10 days before the AGM. Only the AGM may authorise amendments. (* ie. by 30 December email clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk).

It might be an idea to look at the Constitution now.

I have been reading Rhiannon Grant’s Quaker Quick Hearing the Light, (the metaphors are deliberately mixed).  A 60 page masterpiece (if that’s not incorrectly gendered) which I thoroughly recommend.  It’s I suppose a sort of follow up to Telling the Truth about God of which I’ve lent two copies as soon as bought so haven’t read yet.  Rhiannon’s belief in God is carefully explained and her position does not seem very far from that of ‘nonbelieving’ NFN members.  For more on this topic on this website see here.

This article on the Death of God by a Catholic writer might give more food for thought: https://christogenesis.org/the-death-of-god-and-the-rebirth-of-god/

As does this take on the ‘Divine‘ by Quaker nontheist Sam Barnett-Cormack.

Remembering Os Cresson’s Quaker and Naturalist too, Friends may find this website of interest: https://religious-naturalist-association.org/welcome/

If you want to treat yourself (or a Friend) for Christmas (and into February), this new course from Woodbrooke on the Gospel of Mary may be just the thing.  Meanwhile, the Bishops may have something to say about same-sex relationships.

Bearing in mind the recent poll (or was it a census result?) about declining religious belief in the UK, this latest post from Chuck Fager on the situation in the USA, is worth a read.

Now, please don’t let’s forget the poor billionnaires this Christmas as The Equality Trust (with Quaker connections – think The Spirit Level) write; their report is also written up in the Grauniad. (I’d favour 90-95 pence in the pound myself as used to be the case in the USA and I think the UK in the 60s or 70s). (A testimony to Equality?)

Not quite finally, here is Frank Cranmer’s post ‘What has Religion got to do with “Corporate Purpose”?’ on the Law and Religion blog.

If you fancy something scandalous for Christmas, here’s a book or two in another offering from the Church Times.

And finally, for Christmas, a nice picture of Suella Braverman.

Hope that will do for now.

AGM

AGM Thursday the 19th of January 2023

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A date for your diaries … the next AGM of the Nontheist Friends Network will be at 19:00 UK time on Thursday the 19th of January 2023. We will send out an agenda and the Zoom link to members nearer the time. You can find details of membership on NFN Membership.

AGM, Conferences, General Quaker interest, NFN Events, NFN website, Non-theism

No more NFN Conferences? – and other matters

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I believe 5 additional Working Groups were proposed at the AGM in February and all those who came forward to express an interest were contacted by our clerk Tim Regan on 18 April to take matters forward. So far, only the Website working Group (6) seems to have been particularly active. (the others being QF&P revision (6 or 7), Conference (2), Newsletter (4) and Woodbrooke courses (4) – numbers in brackets names coming forward).

Whereas 6 people (including 3 members of the Steering Group) put their names forward for the Website group, only 2 people (and I was one of them) came forward for the Conference group – which appears to me to be a bizarre sense of priorities.

Why the concern for the website (which seems to be working fine?) and so little for a future Conference when the latter, whether at Woodbrooke, elsewhere or online, has been one of the annual highlights for Nontheist Quaker activity, support and the AGM?

Am I to take it that NFN members and past or potential future Conference attenders have no further interest in such an event whether in person or online?  I do hope very much that this isn’t the case as I have always very much enjoyed NFN Conferences of which I have attended at least 6 at Woodbrooke and one online (2021 in lieu of 2020 cancelled through ‘covid’).

From my experience of being involved with the QUG (Quaker Universalist Group) Conference at Woodbrooke over several years, last year online and especially the ‘blended’ Conference at Woodbrooke and online this year when I was heavily involved with managing the online component (but most of the work being done by the QUG team at Woodbrooke), I know that organising a blended conference is very much more demanding than organising one online or even just in person.

If we can’t assemble a team to organise a blended conference (rather more than half a dozen perhaps) or an in person only conference (still 5 or 6?) then perhaps we could rise to an online only conference organised by as few as 4 people perhaps?

There might be a ‘Conference-lite’ alternative which would be simply to have (in person or online) a ‘meet-up’ for social exchange, sharing ideas and worship and so on – perhaps a ‘nontheist retreat’? – organised by just the participants themselves with only 2 or 3 people taking on some prior planning, bookings etc.  Online this might seem little different from our monthly ‘Quaker Meetings with Creative Conversations’ although it could be over a weekend with more time together. In person would be quite a different experience – and perhaps even that could include the possibility of ‘dropping in’ online.

Does anyone else in NFN feel the need for a Conference (or ‘meet-up’) – or should I go back to bed?

I really would appreciate some feed-back on this – whilst you are preparing your articles for a future newsletter.

Oh, by the way, I mentioned ‘other matters’ – the ‘Conversation’ last night on ‘How do I as a nontheist Quaker relate to deeply Christian Quakers‘ went extremely well with some very interesting contributions, particularly, I thought, those from Jean Wardrop and David Boulton. I will try to return to this later but if anyone else who was there would like to write up something for the website now, that would also be most welcome.

AGM, Conferences, General Quaker interest, NFN Events, Non-theism

Upcoming events

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I mentioned at the AGM on Thursday (17th February) that some nontheist Friends might be interested in the Quaker Universalists’ Conference at Woodbrooke and online from 1-3April.
Details can be found here: https://qug.org.uk/conference-2020-health-and-healing/

Friends might also be interested to look at the newly formed Quaker Truth and Integrity Group (next meeting for QTIG members on 23rd February and Zoom Conference from 25 April): https://quakertruth.org/calendar/

Courses at Woodbrooke which should certainly be of interest to nontheist Friends have already been mentioned here.

Trevor

AGM

Documents in advance (just!) of our February 2022 AGM

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We have several reports available, from our Steering Group, Working Groups, etc., which will be presented at our AGM on Thursday the 17th of February, 2022. They are the:

We also have the minutes of the previous AGM (pdf).

(N.B. If you want to attend the AGM, and have not yet registered please email clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk for the Zoom link.)