due process

britain yearly meeting has gone first to non-quaker media before its own members or own media with the story about same-sex marriage even before a decision has been taken. Will those of us who don’t listen to bbc radio 4 be at advantage or disadvantage while in session? For god’s sake I hope yearly meeting finds a sacred path today.

Edit 3 August 2009 11:15am: From the session on Friday I understand now that it was not Brtiain Yearly Meeting staff that went to the non-Quaker media overnight but others.

light asides

Things we’ve seen and noticed from YMG at York.

Coots’ feet are big.
Goose poo is big and green.
I watched a man with a broom chasing some geese outside Vanbrugh College, so that they eventually jumped into the lake to escape him.
The sign ‘Lost? Ask me’ amused many and quite a few variations have been suggested.

After YM session

Friends, we had a session of Yearly Meeting this afternoon that dealt first with some nominations issues and then went onto the subject of committed relationships.
We have not yet reached a minute on the subject so I won’t write substantively about where we are up to. But you can follow some of what happened on William’s twitter.
I feel that I can say that we are on our way so that we will be in a different place after our Yearly Meeting. While we were in session it rained hard for a while and the sound of the water pounding on the central hall was somewhat disconcerting. There was some thunder too. But by the time that we emerged from our session, the sun was shining and a new wind was blowing in.

a Friend interviewed

so how’s YMG going?

MC interviews Hank

simon gray at ymg

Swarthmore lecture reaction

Thursday morning in the rain

Thursday morning in the rain

A lot of anticipation about the big discussion on committed relationships. Plus a few musings on the theology of rollercoasters; we went to Flamingoland in the rain yesterday. There is a feeling that we have been working on that issue now for several days in response groups, small meetings – two people are arguing about the law behind my right ear at the moment – and the like. We now have to go into session and seek the will of God together as a community. The opening words by Colin Billet and the presentations from the four couples on Tuesday seem to have created a head of steam, but am I talking to the right people….? Everyone asks me what I think will happen and I don’t know. The QLGF mobile is buzzing with texts of support as well as people wanting advice… the wall of postit notes is supposed to give everyone the chance to share their thoughts. And the writing really is on the wall, every message is strongly and unequivocally wanting to push on. Several are cross that we need a discussion at all.

There are friends who are confused or worried, and I am concerned for them. But they have had a number of days to show themselves in the groups and by and large they are not. I hear that people in groups have been talking about changing their minds in the last few days… but who knows?

I think the Friends who believe it is ‘marriage or it is not equal’ are much more vocal than I have heard before, in QLGF we dance around this issue because of those who subscribe to a feminist critique of marriage as being based on out of date gender roles. Of course if we had lesbian weddings that would rather shoot that down. The presentations on Tuesday may have moved the argument somewhat.

The Supreme Court in the States struck down ‘separate but equal’ not just because it wasn’t fiscally equal – black schools got less money – but also because separate meant less equal in respect.

On another note; it is not all children, tiredness and committed relationships

An interesting, and reflective presentation from a Friend from Sweden, who talked about the connections in her own life, within her small Yearly Meeting and connections with even smaller and newer Yearly Meetings across the Nordic countries. In these countries Friends are growing in numbers and self confidence, and making connections between themselves. She talked about her work in Israel Palestine, and I suppose helped connect us to the earth, to the Christian and Quaker tradition, to broader issues of peace and justice and memory…

Coast and Cliffs walk

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside!

Yesterday I went walking along the stretch of the Cleveland Way which passes up the coast to Robin Hood’s Bay. I think there were about 80-90 Friends on the walk altogether. We travelled there in two coaches and then walked in 4 parties.

It rained rather a lot. We had a late lunch in the wet at Ravenscar. There was a tiny National Trust Centre there, where we learned a little more about the history of the place, and were able to get a hot drink from a machine. The flapjack with dark chocolate coating there was so tasty!

Many of the group continued on from Ravenscar by coach, because of the rain. About 23 of us walked the last section into Robin Hood’s Bay, ending on the shore.

I’ve put a set of pictures on Flickr, which can be seen here.

York wildlife

One of the delights of YMG09 is the abundant wildlife around the campus. The other evening, for example, there were rabbits grazing outside on the lawn whilst I ate my evening meal in the Galleria dining room.

Bunnies

Then there are the wildfowl which live on the lakes. There are various types of ducks and geese, including greylags which are rather beautiful with their orange beaks.

Greylag Goose

This one is pictured just outside my bedroom window in James College. In fact many of the geese and other birds seem to graze on the little bit of lawn between our bedrooms here, and sometimes they come in family groups as well. Here are some ducks I saw on my way back from today’s walk along the coast to Robin Hood’s Bay:

Ducks may safely graze

This morning when I was walking to the early morning worship session, which starts at 7.30am, I saw a moorhen on the grass here too.

This is a different moorhen, but you get the idea

Of course, the birds also hang out on the artificial lake, and here are some black and white geese with their greylag cousins on the water in front of Central Hall, which is where we have the big meetings of Yearly Meeting in session:

Geese in front of Central Hall

Sometimes in early morning or at evening we see flocks of geese flying overhead making their calls, and of course there are also all the other common birds such as pigeons and blackbirds. Yesterday I saw a robin in our quadrangle.

There are also trees of various kinds, especially the weeping willows. Here there are water-lilies as well, with a coot on her nest in front of them:

Waterlilies, weeping willows, coot's nest

There are other plants and flowers too. These plants were new to me:

Central Hall

Overall, it has been a delight to be staying here.

Black swan and family