Once again, Quaker Week is here. This is a week
that Quakers in Britain designate for Outreach, Friends House sets a
theme, and all individual Quakers and Meetings are encouraged to run
activities to help raise the profile of Quakers, inform and interest
the general public, and just generally be “out there” more.
Outreach is a difficult topic for British Quakers.
One of the first things I learned about Quakers could be summarised
as “we do not proselytise”. Of course, I learned that in the
context of liberal Quakers. Evangelical and pastoral branches of the
world Quaker family are quite keen on proselytisation, especially (as
you might expect) the evangelical branch. But liberal Quaker,
especially the sort here in Britain, just don't go out and tell
people they should be Quakers.
Yet, obviously thing we have something worth
finding out about, and thus surely worth sharing. Anecdotally, it
seems that those convinced in adulthood are growing, as a proportion
of our Yearly Meeting, compared to those raised among Quakers. I'm
sure someone has figures on that, but I don't have them to hand; in
any case, that is the impression I, and others I know, have been
getting over the last decade or so, at least in terms of people who
are actively involved in Quaker goings-on. When you add our dwindling
numbers and ageing demographics, it becomes clear that we would be
both selfish and foolish not to try to share this wonderful thing we
have found.
