Blog - The Quill

Our meeting Needs You!
Our Nominations Committee is looking for Friends to fill several roles in the life of Quakers in London – and we need your help to find them.

The roles we are currently seeking to fill are:
- Trustees/Trustees in Waiting – including a Treasurer. Friends who can help oversee the governance and stewardship of Quakers in London. We are particularly hoping to find someone with financial experience for the Treasurer role.
- Membership Clerk(s) – we are open to this being a role-share between two Friends, so please feel free to nominate one person or suggest a pair.
- Children and Young People’s Roles – Friends to support the spiritual nurture and wellbeing of children and young people in our meetings.
- Interfaith and inter-church involvement – we are gathering the names of Friends who feel led to engage in interfaith and inter-church matters. If you know someone (or feel this calling yourself), please let us know.
- Safeguarding Coordinator(s) – we are aware of this need and are liaising with LDG. If you know a Friend with relevant experience or interest, we would be glad to hear from you.
If a name comes to mind, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, please do use the form below. All nominations are handled with care and in confidence.

Nominate a Friend →

For more information, including links to role descriptions please visit the Nominations page on the Quakers in London Website here.
17 April, 2026
Friendly Welcome’s mission to support Palestinian students

Friendly Welcome was formed in 2021 by a group of North West London Quakers with a simple but powerful idea: that working together we can change lives.

Their first project saw them sponsor a Syrian refugee family to build a new life in the UK. Now, they’ve turned their attention to Gaza.

The situation there is heartbreaking – and for young people whose education has been shattered by conflict, the path forward can feel impossible. Their current project aims to change that, by supporting Palestinian men and women living amid the ruins of Gaza to take up university places in Europe and secure a brighter future.

They’ve already seen what’s possible. Working with a wider group of supporters, they helped a 17-year-old Palestinian woman take up her university place in Paris. That moment reminded them why this work matters.

Now they’re supporting Bashar, a Palestinian man with a place on a Masters in Digital Innovation at University College Dublin. To get him there and through his studies, they estimate they need around £40,000. They’re already halfway, and they’re working to raise the rest through grants, bursaries and private donations.

What makes Bashar’s story particularly remarkable is his determination. Despite living conditions most of us can barely imagine, he is actively pursuing every scholarship he can find – connecting whenever he manages to get internet access. He’s also committed to working the maximum permitted hours throughout his time in Ireland, doing everything in his power to reduce the funding needed.

They’re looking for people who believe, as they do, that education is hope. If you’d like to support Bashar, you can donate to the cause.

17 April, 2026
London Development Group update March 2026
This group has been working together on the development of the single London Area meeting since March 2024, all the minutes of our meetings can be found on the QiL website. We now have three part-time paid free-lancers supporting our work: Sarah Donaldson focusing on project management and legal matters; Linda Craig working on the financial aspects and Kayla Hemsley appointed to support the administration of QiL and the LDG work.

This short report highlights the main matters we are dealing with at the moment:
- Preparing a listing of the further matters for discernment in 2026 by JLAM.
- Preparation of legal documents for the merger of existing Area Meeting charities and a timetable for required discernment leading to merger.
- Preparation of guidance for friends on how we will assume individual membership within the new QiL charity.
- Preparation of plans for the consolidation of AM funds across London and the management of day to day costs and income generated.
- Planning for further briefing meetings with AM Clerks and AM Trustees.
The LDG consists of Friends from each of the current AMs and LQPT, who are here to answer your questions and pass on any concerns, please reach out to them.
9 April, 2026
Notices Copy & Paste – April
Clerks are busy people. To make their lives a little easier this page gives a list of up to date events and updates that can be copied and pasted into your own newsletters or after meeting notices.

Quaker dialogues

A series of events hoping to bring Quakers together from across London over shared interests. These could be one-off conversations, or could be the starting point for ongoing work and networking based on those topics.

Future Quaker dialogues:
- Online worship across London. Can we build an online worshipping community across the city?
~~22^nd April 7pm Online (Zoom details to follow)~~ Postponed! More details to follow.

With guest Ruth Moore Williams from North Wales AM, sharing her experience of setting up an entirely online Local Meeting.
- Working with universities. How do we best engage with universities and colleges?
21^st May 7pm Online (Zoom details to follow)

With guest Helen Chambers from Bristol AM, sharing her experience of Bristol’s thriving university engagement.
- A Gen Z Quaker revival? Why are so many young adults coming through our doors, and how do we provide a spiritual home?
TBC in June. In person. More details to follow.

With guest Lamorna Ash, author of Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion.

Being Quaker

A Quaker course for newcomers.

The course has now run four times across the city, providing space to explore the Quaker Way to around 60 new attenders. These have all been evening sessions so far, so we are trying out weekend day-long sessions. There will also be children’s provision at these events, so please do encourage newer families to sign up too!

There are two events “How do Quakers Worship?” and “How do Quakers Live?” Both will contain different material, but people are free to sign up to one, or the other, or both as they see fit.
- How do Quakers Live? What are the testimonies? What does it mean to live a Quaker life? How do Quakers organise themselves? How have Quakers lives out their faith in the past?
18^th April 10am – 4pm. Westminster meeting house.

To book places on this course, please email beingquaker@londonquakers.org.uk specifying which of the days you would like to attend, or whether you plan to attend both.

Also, this is the first time we are trying this format. If you hear any feedback from Local Quakers, eg, I’d love to go, but its too long etc. then please do feed that back. The plan is to put something on for people for whom the evening is difficult to make, so want it to be as accessible as possible.

The Future of the Being Quaker course

We are hoping to make the course a resource that would be easy for Local Meetings or Area Meetings to put on themselves. There is an online resource available to help with this, and Friends around London who have volunteered to help with hosting, speaking and organising events. If this is something your LM or AM would be interested in doing, then please get in touch.

The hope is that we can put on a rolling programme of courses so that we can offer the best welcome possible to those who are exploring Quakerism for the first time. (Often it seems the speakers and hosts get more out of the sessions that the participants, so I would definitely recommend giving it a go!)

Quakers in London mail list

I currently send these emails out as on a very ad hoc basis, mostly to clerks and other people in LMs that I know play a key role in sharing information. Eventually I’ll just be using the Quakers in London mailing list, so if you haven’t signed up to that and still want to keep up to date with events, then please do sign up here.
20 March, 2026
Quaker Family Together Day – 8th March 2026

Simply Joyful: Quaker Families Together at Walthamstow Meeting

Hello, I’m Julia, the London Children and Youth Development Worker. As part of my job I work with local meetings from across London to run Quaker Families Together Days (QFTD) At these events families come together to enjoy all-age worship, shared lunch and fun activities, all while exploring the Quaker testimonies. Recently Walthamstow meeting welcomed nine families from across London for our third QFTD. Our ages ranged from 9 months to 11 years old (well besides all the adults who declined to share their exact ages).

In the morning we shared a full hour of all-age worship. This was a first time experience for many adults and children alike, and it was embraced with open minds and souls. As we were exploring the simplicity testimony the children took turns reading the story “Too Much Stuff” and all were invited to create a collage about simple things they enjoy. Ffriends gave ministry in response to the all-age worship, and in afterword I thanked the meeting for warmly welcoming all-age worship.

We then enjoyed a delicious shared lunch, accompanied by lots of jolly conversation and running around in the garden. After this refreshment we said goodbye to the local meeting and got ready for exploring the simplicity testimony through games and crafts.

The afternoon activities were led by Laurie, who regularly facilitates the Walthamstow Children’s Meeting. We began by playing “the simplest games” which included tag and What Time is it Mr Wolf. Then we had to think about ways we could simplify the games further! Some suggestions included using a 24 hour clock for Mr Wolf or giving Mr Wolf a shorter working day of just 9:00 am – 9:00 pm (which feels very long still, Mr Wolf needs better working conditions).

After these games we played with “the simplest toy” which was a massive pile of cardboard boxes and our imaginations. Great fun was had, from building houses, rowing a boat down the stream, to crafting a dazzling crown. Plentiful fruit, biscuits and squash was available to fuel the hard working imaginations.

Towards the end of the day everyone was invited to think of a “Family Journey through Meeting for Worship”. We plotted this out on paper, and thought of the challenges and obstacles families could face in coming to meeting, and what simple solutions there could be. One example was the difficulty of holding a baby and enjoying shared lunch at the same time. The solution is the parents will ask the meeting house to purchase a high chair. I would encourage every meeting to try this activity out, it showed that oftentimes the challenges are easily and simply remedied.

Finally we got ready to say goodbye, cleaning up all together. We all left tired, but very happy. And we left excited that our next QFTD is confirmed for 5 July at Streatham and Brixton meeting! Sign ups are already open, so mark it in the calendar and share the event poster far and wide.

We would like to host more QFTD this year. If your meeting is interested in hosting one of these events please get in touch at julias@quaker.org.uk You don’t have to have a children’s meeting to host, just an open heart and mind.

In friendship,

Julia

17 March, 2026
Focus: Being Quaker

It has been exciting to see so many people across the city express an interest in the Quaker Way, with most of London’s Local Meetings reporting an increase in newcomers, especially among young adults.

This poses the question – how well are we welcoming our new friends?

Whilst some Local Meetings are able to put on their own newcomers sessions, some are unable to do this. This is why Being Quaker was launched. The idea was to put on a simple, London-wide course, exploring the central themes of Quakerism, that anyone in the city could attend.

The first course ran in May of 2025 in Bunhill Fields with subsequent courses being held in Wimbledon, Westminster and Walthamstow meetings. A total of 60 participants, from 20 Local Meetings have taken part to date, with 25 Friends from across London helping with the speaking, organising, administration and hosting of the events. It truly has been a joint-London effort!

Participants from the Walthamstow Being Quaker course continued the discussion in the Rose and Crown after the final session of the course.

Each session follows a very simple format. A couple of speakers will come and share their understanding on a certain theme, and then the rest of the time is given over to discussion and questions. Many of those attending have already done extensive research before ever setting foot through the doors of a Meeting House, so the course provides more of an opportunity to ask questions and build confidence more than anything else.

Now that Being Quaker has been established and has run several times, the hope is that Local Meetings will take it on, and think whether they might be able to host the next series of sessions. Resources are available online and there is a list of Friends from across the city who are willing to serve as speakers, hosts and administrators, so there is lots of support to make it happen.

If you think you or your Local Meeting might be interested in organising the next Being Quaker course, email beingquaker@londonquakers.org.uk.

Those who have been involved with running the course often seem to get more out of the experience than the participants, often stating that there is something truly infectious about the excitement of someone who has recently discovered the Quaker Way.

For a report written by a participant who attended the Bunhill Fields course, click here.

11 March, 2026
Online Worship In North Wales

Could London Have an Online Quaker Meeting? Lessons from Around the World

When North Wales Quakers recently set up a fully online Local Meeting, it raised an intriguing possibility. If a Quaker meeting can exist entirely online in North Wales, could the same idea work in London?

At first glance it might seem unnecessary. London already has many meetings. But what opportunities could something like that unlock? Ressearch into digital worship suggests that there’s lot’s to be excited about when exploring new ways to grow and support our faith.

What other traditions have discovered

Across faith communities, a clear pattern has emerged. VR Church – a congregation that meets entirely in virtual reality – draws people with disabilities, social anxiety, and participants from dozens of countries. Many report that the anonymity of avatars makes spiritual conversation easier, not harder. Jewish communities experimenting with online minyanim during the pandemic found that participants joined from across different countries, creating global prayer communities that would never have existed in a physical synagogue. Buddhist groups like Triratna have run online meditation and study groups for years, finding that digital spaces help people build strong practice habits even when they live far from centres.

There’s a common thread through these examples: online worship tends to reach people who struggle to access physical congregations – those with disabilities, carers, people in remote locations, and those exploring faith cautiously or privately.

But it also has real limits. Informal conversation, spontaneous pastoral care, and the emotional texture of physical presence are harder to replicate online.

Why Quakers may be unusually well suited to digital worship

Among religious traditions, Quaker worship may be particularly compatible with online space. Meeting for Worship relies on shared silence, reflection, and attentiveness to the Spirit – minimal ritual, no performance. During the pandemic, many Friends discovered these elements translated surprisingly well to Zoom. Quakerism is an “experimental,” religion, and there are suprising ways to find the spirit of God in the every day.

Online Quaker worship may not feel like a diluted version of the real thing. It may simply be a different way of gathering in the same silence.

A quiet opportunity for London

In a city as large and fast-moving as London, geography is a real barrier. A meeting that requires an hour of travel each way is simply inaccessible to many people: frequent travellers, those on the edges of the city, people with caring responsibilities, or seekers who want a low-threshold way to explore Quakerism.

The North Wales experiment invites London Friends to ask if we could we do something similar. Not as a replacement for our meeting houses, but as an additional doorway into our shared, simple testimony.

If this idea interests you, or if you’d like to explore what starting an online Local Meeting in London might involve, then challenge yourself to live adventurously. What could you create?

10 March, 2026
Trellis and Vine

From all corners of London, we anchor the frame,
A trellis of purpose, a shared Quaker name.
The lifting is heavy, the seasoning slow,
But we build the foundation so the Spirit can grow.

From reliable wood, our green vine takes flight,
Seeking through structure to search for the Light.
but in this garden we’re not bound to stay;
Our witness demands that we seize the day!

To reach for the world, we send roots to the deep,
Past pipes and foundations we thread and we creep.
There, the mycelium starts its design,
Linking our life to a much larger line

So spill through the city, to woodland and shore,
Because set before all of us is an open door
to grow to the light in shared company
and share with the world our testimony

A web of connection, of courage and care,
Binding friend unto friend through the soil and the air.
Not tied to a frame, but a spirit set free,
Growing together in radical simplicity.

8 March, 2026
Welcome to The Quill

With 35 Local Meetings and hundreds of Quakers scattered across the city, good communication is really important. As well as containing everything you’d hope from a newsletter, The Quill hopes to be more than just updates, papers and events. The hope is that it will also serve to build our worshipping community and deepen our relationships with one another.

So, your input matters.

As well as practical information, The Quill will include articles, resources and stories about what is going on throughout the city. If your Local meeting has tried something out that might inspire others to try the same, The Quill wants to hear it. If you’ve come across a really great resource you’d love to share, send it to The Quill. If there’s a Quaker story you want to tell, The Quill’s the place.

As long as it relates to the Quaker community in London, we want to know.

7 March, 2026
QiL Newsheet 5

Quakers in London News Sheet 5 Download

1 February, 2026