Meeting for Sufferings
Encyclopedia
Meeting for Sufferings is an executive committee of Britain Yearly Meeting
, the body which acts on behalf of members of the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers) in Great Britain
and the Crown Dependencies
. It has about 200 members who meet five times a year to make decisions when the Yearly Meeting is not in session.
Quakers, agreed in October 1675 to commission certain local Friends to meet four times a year for this purpose. Their efforts were mainly directed towards the suffering of imprisoned Quakers, but they also lobbied Parliament
to reduce the burden of tithe
s and oath
s. (The refusal of Friends to take oaths, based on Jesus
' words "Swear not at all" (Matthew 5:33 – 37), caused great difficulties with the government and courts.) Smaller weekly meetings, which continued until 1798, helped to push this process forward.
In the eighteenth century, the Meeting began to broaden its interests, campaigning against the slave trade; a Slave Trade Committee between 1783 and 1792 helped prepare the way for the Slave Trade Act 1807. Other legislative successes included the Affirmation Acts, which allowed Quakers to avoid oath-taking; however, attempts to put forward a "Quakers Tithes Bill" were fruitless.
The beginning of the nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in contact with other Quaker groups around the world, especially in continental Europe
, Calcutta, and southern Africa
. Even so, Meeting for Sufferings remained a London-based body until the expansion of the railways
allowed Quakers from more remote parts of the country to participate. The larger membership meant that even more subcommittees could form, covering administration, libraries, and printing
; and lobbying against gambling
, opium
and war
.
It was not until 1898 that women were allowed to join the Meeting. Although the Society of Friends was egalitarian in many other respects, the participation of women in meetings for business - as opposed to meetings for worship - had been contentious since its beginning. Founder George Fox
's model was a middle way between exclusion and total inclusion: men and women were to have separate meetings for business, communicating by the passing of messages. The perceived benefit of this system was that it made it easier for wives to have different opinions from their husbands. Unfortunately, when as in London the male membership was unusually wealthy and powerful, female interests often went unheard. (All meetings now have mixed membership.)
During the twentieth century, Meeting for Sufferings absorbed various other powerful bodies, including the old Morning Meeting in 1901. It came under the direct authority of the Yearly Meeting as part of a process of normalisation of Quaker institutions. The subcommittees of the two Meetings merged, and in 1965 Meeting for Sufferings was given the role of appointing their members. In return, it had to become more representative, drawing its membership directly from the monthly meetings (the basic unit of Quaker organisation) rather than quarterly meetings (larger assemblies of several monthly meetings).
Meeting for Sufferings is subordinate to Yearly Meeting, which ratifies its minutes and has overall constitutional authority.
Various officers of Yearly Meeting, and staff employed by Meeting for Sufferings, also attend.
It has twelve members, all drawn from Meeting for Sufferings; each year, four are replaced. No member may serve for more than two terms (six years).
Britain Yearly Meeting
The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting , is a religious organisation in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, often defined as a denomination of Christianity.It is a part of the international religious...
, the body which acts on behalf of members of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers) in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the Crown Dependencies
Crown dependency
The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
. It has about 200 members who meet five times a year to make decisions when the Yearly Meeting is not in session.
History
Meeting for Sufferings was originally established to assess the persecution of Friends and attempt to obtain redress. Morning Meeting, a now-obsolete body of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Quakers, agreed in October 1675 to commission certain local Friends to meet four times a year for this purpose. Their efforts were mainly directed towards the suffering of imprisoned Quakers, but they also lobbied Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
to reduce the burden of tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s and oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
s. (The refusal of Friends to take oaths, based on Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' words "Swear not at all" (Matthew 5:33 – 37), caused great difficulties with the government and courts.) Smaller weekly meetings, which continued until 1798, helped to push this process forward.
In the eighteenth century, the Meeting began to broaden its interests, campaigning against the slave trade; a Slave Trade Committee between 1783 and 1792 helped prepare the way for the Slave Trade Act 1807. Other legislative successes included the Affirmation Acts, which allowed Quakers to avoid oath-taking; however, attempts to put forward a "Quakers Tithes Bill" were fruitless.
The beginning of the nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in contact with other Quaker groups around the world, especially in continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Calcutta, and southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Even so, Meeting for Sufferings remained a London-based body until the expansion of the railways
History of rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system of Great Britain, the principal territory of the United Kingdom, is the oldest in the world. The system was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links operated by small private railway companies. These isolated links developed during the railway boom of the 1840s into a...
allowed Quakers from more remote parts of the country to participate. The larger membership meant that even more subcommittees could form, covering administration, libraries, and printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
; and lobbying against gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
and war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
.
It was not until 1898 that women were allowed to join the Meeting. Although the Society of Friends was egalitarian in many other respects, the participation of women in meetings for business - as opposed to meetings for worship - had been contentious since its beginning. Founder George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
's model was a middle way between exclusion and total inclusion: men and women were to have separate meetings for business, communicating by the passing of messages. The perceived benefit of this system was that it made it easier for wives to have different opinions from their husbands. Unfortunately, when as in London the male membership was unusually wealthy and powerful, female interests often went unheard. (All meetings now have mixed membership.)
During the twentieth century, Meeting for Sufferings absorbed various other powerful bodies, including the old Morning Meeting in 1901. It came under the direct authority of the Yearly Meeting as part of a process of normalisation of Quaker institutions. The subcommittees of the two Meetings merged, and in 1965 Meeting for Sufferings was given the role of appointing their members. In return, it had to become more representative, drawing its membership directly from the monthly meetings (the basic unit of Quaker organisation) rather than quarterly meetings (larger assemblies of several monthly meetings).
Meeting for Sufferings is subordinate to Yearly Meeting, which ratifies its minutes and has overall constitutional authority.
Structure
Most members are appointed by Yearly Meeting, based on nominations put forward by each monthly meeting or by Meeting for Suffering's own standing committees. It may also co-opt a few members on its own initiative. Members normally serve a three-year term - the next round of appointments is in 2006. The table below shows the role of the relevant committees that provide members, as of 1999.| Number | Origin |
|---|---|
| 170 | Monthly meeting Monthly meeting Monthly Meetings are, traditionally, the basic unit of administration in the Religious Society of Friends .For some Friends a Monthly Meeting is a single Meeting , while for others it is a grouping of Meetings which come together for administrative purposes. Membership in the Religious Society of... s |
| 10 | Co-opted |
| 2 | Young Friends General Meeting Young Friends General Meeting Young Friends General Meeting is the national organisation for young Quakers in the United Kingdom. The General Meetings alluded to in the title are held in February, May and October each year, in various places in the country.-History:... |
| 2 | Quaker Communications Central Committee |
| Responsible for publicity, media and government liaison, and income from grants and legacies. | |
| 2 | Quaker Finance and Property Central Committee |
| Financial management and planning. | |
| 2 | Quaker Home Service Central Committee |
| Local and national outreach, supporting pastoral work. | |
| 2 | Quaker Peace and Service Central Committee |
| Working for peace and social justice. | |
| 2 | Quaker Resources for Service Central Committee |
| Administrative support, including personnel and IT services. | |
| 2 | Quaker Social Responsibility and Education Central Committee |
| Advice and support for concerns (individual vocation to carry out some service) and social projects. | |
| 1 | Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations |
| Relations with non-Quaker groups. | |
| 1 | Quaker World Relations Committee |
| Relations with non-British Yearly Meetings and Friends World Committee for Consultation Friends World Committee for Consultation The Friends World Committee for Consultation is a Quaker organization that works to communicate between all parts of Quakerism. FWCC's world headquarters is based in London. It has Consultative NGO status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations... . |
|
| Total 196, plus a clerk and assistant clerk. | |
Various officers of Yearly Meeting, and staff employed by Meeting for Sufferings, also attend.
Meeting for Sufferings Committee
A special subcommittee recommends policies and budgets for the main Meeting, including the Yearly Meeting budget. It also carries out oversight of Meeting for Sufferings on behalf of Yearly Meeting.It has twelve members, all drawn from Meeting for Sufferings; each year, four are replaced. No member may serve for more than two terms (six years).