The belief and experience of Quakers is that the whole of life should be as sacred as the time spent in Meeting for Worship. This has led to much practical work on important issues.
The belief in "that of God in everyone" leads us to oppose war. From our earliest history we have been openly against the use of violence to solve human problems. In 1651 George Fox, the most prominent of our founders was offered a captaincy in the Commonwealth army, but he refused the offer, saying that he "lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars".
Today Quakers are engaged in:
We are active in promoting these purposes at local, national and international levels. There are Quaker offices in New York, Geneva, and Brussels, which work with the United Nations and European institutions. Recent campaigns have tackled land mines, conscientious objection to military service, and the use of child soldiers.
Quakers have supported and campaigned for many other causes which encourage respect and dignity for people otherwise abandoned. More than two hundred years ago Quakers were campaigning against slavery, and current work concerns prison reform, homelessness, and poverty in Britain.
Quakers in Wirral and Chester are working to support many activities and campaigns for a better world. Check out the links below to find out what is going on.
Their aim ever since 1913 is 'to advise and encourage Friends, and through them their fellow citizens, in the active promotion of peace in all its height and breadth'.
For more information have a look at the Northern Friends Peace Board website.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel is a World Council of Churches (WCC) initiative to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in their nonviolent actions to end the occupation.
The main activities of EAPPI are monitoring and reporting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and supporting acts of nonviolent resistance alongside local Palestinian and Israeli activists.
There's more information on the EAPPI website.
CAP works to provide practical help for Palestine and support cultural links between Palestine and Chester and the surrounding area. The latest project is to work with the University of Chester to establish a link between children in Cheshire and Bethlehem using Drama as a means of communication and self-expression.
Quaker Concern for Animals witnesses to the divine in all creation and works for the protection of animals and the promotion of their rights. We take a spiritual yet practical approach and are committed to the defence of our fellow species, whilst appealing to that of God in everyone. We campaign peacefully, wherever we feel our voice might make a difference, working towards that time when the eyes of human animals are fully open to the suffering of all of God’s creation.
There's lots more on the Quaker Concern for Animals website.
QARN works to change the way that Refugees and Asylum Seekers are treated, to ensure that justice and compassion are the guiding principles. You'll find more details on the QARN website.
Asylum Link is an organisation dedicated to assisting Asylum Seekers and Refugees and to raising public awareness around Refugee issue. For more information see the AsylumLink website.
This memorial ceremony helps us remember the victims of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It takes place each year at 8 pm on 6 August by the bandstand in the Groves in Chester. It includes readings and the dropping of white flowers on the river.
For more information please contact Dai Owen by email: dai.owen.art@gmail.com
Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW) has an email discussion group on the topic of legislation that affects civil liberties and the Quaker response to it, including a database of such legislation.
For more information please contact QPSW via email: qpsw@quaker.org.uk.
Transition Towns are community groups that hope to contribute to the changes required to bring about a sustainable future for our towns. The groups are focused on two key challenges: climate change and peak oil. While climate change is well documented and visible in the media, peak oil remains under the radar for most people. You'll find more details on the Transition Town websites for Transition Town Chester, Planet-Heswall and Transition Town West Kirby.
These groups are linked to initiatives of the Transition Network movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world. For more information see the Transition Initiatives website.
The Coalition has worked in the Chester area to focus on questions of peace and justice, ranging from the replacement of Trident to the invasion of the Palestinian West Bank. This is in addition to its main purpose of stopping the war by the United States and its allies against 'terrorism' – as seen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To get in touch or find out more please contact via email: chesterstop.war@virgin.net
This Forum is a partnership of local groups and individuals, all committed in their different ways to working for the worldwide ending of poverty and hunger, through sustainable development.
For more information see the Chester World Development Forum website.