Huw Meredydd Owen - Releasing energy and revitalising Quaker communities - Yearly Meeting Session 2

This is the second of two pieces of prepared ministry. We heard from two Friends about how they have both, in different ways and in different places, been led to explore new possibilities within their Quaker life. One will talk about ways in which her meeting responded to the pandemic and then to the cost of living crisis. Then we will hear about some of the process which has been happening for all Friends in Wales, moving towards a simpler structure.
[Please note: Some of the Welsh has yet to be captioned correctly. We will update these captions in due course.]
Both these Friends found, as we all have done, that the world changed around them and prompted changes in aspects of their Quaker life. They are experiencing those changes as a joyful and positive evolution. The circumstances of our work as a religious society have changed and we are led to work in new ways which could be more inclusive and must be sustainable into the future.
Let our hearts and minds be not just 'prepared' but open to the possibilities offered by change. Simpler structures could release energy for following the leadings of the spirit. This session is a chance to share positive new ideas and imagine how the evolution of our Society may continue.
Preparatory materials
Friends are invited to prepare for this session by engaging with two video conversations and four related articles, from Friends Quarterly. They can be accessed at thefriend.org/article/fq-for-ym and include:
Jon Martin: Our limited understanding of community: It's time to remake Quakerism
Judith Thompson: Governance, the Quaker way
Beth Allen: A more nimble approach to being Quaker
Deborah Rowlands: ‘Gospel Order’: Understanding how Quakers make decisions together, and how we can adjust to new circumstances
Further details in Agenda and Notes: www.quaker.org.uk/ym/documents