Crewe & Nantwich Friends have only been meeting in Crewe for the last ten years, so Quakers are still a bit of a novelty.
When the meeting was asked to host a ‘service’ as part of Crewe Churches Together’s annual programme, Friends scratched their heads wondering what to do - an hour’s silence didn’t seem quite right.
We were surprised and delighted that over forty people attended the special meeting on a wet Sunday afternoon at the tail-end of September. A short period of silence was followed by a brief introduction to George Fox and the Quaker way and the testimonies: simplicity, truth, equality, peace and sustainability. A twenty minute silence followed.
After the concluding handshakes, visitors were invited to comment on how they’d found the silence. Although one woman was very sure that ‘it was not for her’, others expressed surprise at how rewarding they’d found it. The atmosphere was relaxed enough for people to ask questions: ‘Are you Christian? What do you believe?’. Regular attenders were able to witness to what kept them attending. Someone pondered on gender imbalance: many more women than men.
As our Methodist hosts plied us with tea and cake, warm conversations continued.
I’m not sure what George Fox would have thought of it!
