Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful time over the festive period. This will be the final Newsfeed of the year, while our website administrator takes a break. We look forward to 2025.
There are several special events over Christmas and New Year:
Special Events
- Friends' Cinema – Aardman's comedy animation about Santa’s gawky son at Barnt Green & Redditch Quaker Meeting House on 21/12/2024 at 7:00 pm
- Meeting for Worship on the Winter Solstice – Online on 21/12/2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Worship at Bournville on Christmas Day – at Bournville Quaker Meeting House on 25/12/2024 at 10:30 am
- Friends' Cinema – 2:30pm Family animation; 7pm ‘Loverly’ musical. at Barnt Green & Redditch Quaker Meeting House on 27/12/2024 at 2:30 pm
But, do Quakers celebrate Christmas? This reflection on the Quakers in Britain national website gives some helpful insights:
Early Quakers did not observe Christmas nor mark other ‘times and seasons‘. They believed that no day was more holy than any other, and believed that each day, and all of life, was sacred (Quaker faith & practice 27.39 and 27.42). Today, as with so many things in the Quaker community, there is a full spectrum of practices and responses.
There are those who do the full Christian event to mark the birth of Jesus with candles, carols, presents and Christmas pudding, and others who will observe simply and quietly. There are also those who will choose not to mark this Christmas season in any way, but who nonetheless give daily witness to their faith.”