A regular Meeting for Worship in Haverfordwest

Press release:

From December 17^th of December there will be a regular once monthly Quaker Meetings in Haverfordwest after a gap of almost 200 years. This has eveolved from the Quaker Quest series of evenings in Haveerfordwest: local Quakers from Milford Haven, St. David’s, Narberth and Cardigan talked on different aspects of being a Quaker.

Quakerism first emerged in Pembrokeshire after George Fox visited in 1656 in the company of John ap John who ended up in prison for refusing to doff his hat when going into “the steeple house” [a Quaker nickname for churches]. Soon there were meetings in Haverfordwest, Jameston, redstone, St Dvid,s Newport and Puncheston. Non conformist were not allowed to worship freely for many decades; Records show that after Cromwell’s death in 1658 there wasn’t a day when there was not a Quaker in prison in Haverfordwest for 30 years!

Fortunately if you had been found at the first Quaker meeting for Worship in Haverfordwest on October 31^st there would have been no issues of legality. The Meeting House in Haverfordwest was closed in 1824, the Shire hall was built on the site. There is still evidence of Quakers through to the 1800s at the Quaker Burial ground  at Sutton to the west of Haverfordwest.

Contemporary Quakers share a way of life, not a set of beliefs. We seek to experience the divine directly, within ourselves, and through our relationships with others and the world around us. We are welcoming and inclusive, and value our commitments to equality, peace, integrity and simplicity.

The first Meeting for Worship will be held on Wednesday 17^th December at 7pm at Albany Church Hall, Hill Street, Haverfordwest SA61 1QE All are welcome. Then on the third Wednesday of the month at Albany Church Vestry

the fifth friday evening...

On Friday 31st October there will be a full Meeting for Worship in Haverfordwest
Open from 18.30 for a 19.00 start to a hour of Meeting for Worship.
Afterwards there will be a chance to talk with local Quakers over a cup of tea with light refreshments.


croeso i bawb | welcome to all - even if you were unable to make any of the previous Quaker Quest evenings.


Picton Community Centre, Freeman's Way, Haverfordwest SA61 1UG
Canolfan Cymuned Picton, Freeman's Way, Hwlffordd SA61 1UG

Last night of talks

Friday 24th is the last night of talks by Quakers, about being a Quaker now - the theme is action.

Light refreshments from 18.30 for a 19.00 start.
3 local Quakers will speak on the theme, there will be a chance for discussion, questions and a half hour experience of Quaker worship.

Picton Community Centre, Freeman's Way, Haverfordwest
Canolfan Cymuned Picton, Freeman's Way, Hwlffordd

Picnic

Sutton [Lambston] Friends' Burial Ground comes under the care of South Wales Area Meeting. It is within the local community of Sutton just to the west of Hwlffordd / Haverfordwest.


Members of the four meetings arranging Quaker Quest in Haverfordwest arranged for a picnic one dry Sunday afternoon after Meeting for Worship - they were joined by local residents who take an interest in the site

(Warning: the site is enchanting, Romantic, Gothic even, & in parts very overgrown. Those with mobility problems should stick to the flatter, brighter areas. )

If you search Sutton, Haverfordwest on Google maps you will get something like the image below - the burial ground has been marked by me not Google!

To see some more photos from the site PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK

The White Feather Diaries

A project from Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain:


The white feather diaries is a social media storytelling project marking the centenary of World War I. It offers an insight into overlooked aspects of war: resistance to killing and the relief of suffering.


The website follows the lives of five young people who lived a century ago and opposed World War I. Their stories, published periodically over three years, take us from the outbreak of war to the introduction of conscription and groundbreaking legislation recognising conscientious objection. Through daily posts we share their moral dilemmas and their often dangerous decisions.


For those wanting to delve further into these fascinating stories, each blog entry includes rich background material about the content of the post or the diarist and their contemporaries.


The white feather diaries sheds light on the hidden stories of those whose bravery saved lives and changed British legislation, leading to a wider recognition of the legitimacy of the right to refuse to kill. It poses the question, "What would you do?" and encourages discussion about issues still relevant today. This fascinating project, drawing from original diaries, letters and other materials, will run from 2014 to 2016. To stay informed about new posts, please follow The white feather diaries on Twitter or Facebook.




A link to the diaries

Y Ffordd Dawel? The Quiet Way?

What being a Quaker means to people in Wales today.
Beth mae bod yn Grynwr yn ei olygu i bobl yng Nghymru heddiw.


Here is a series of conversations by people living in Wales exploring their own experience of Quakerism and what it means to them.
Dyma gyfres o sgyrsiau gan bobl sy'n byw yng Nghymru, ac yn ymchwilio i'w profiad unigol o Grynwriaeth â'r hyn y mae'n ei olygu iddynt.

Croeso // Welcome

Cwrdd â’r Crynwyr Hwlffordd // Quaker Quest Haverfordwest

Here in west Wales 4 Quaker groups are getting together to present a series of four Quaker Quest evenings in October:




These words are from the main Quaker Quest site:

"We have found that people enquiring about us want to experience Quaker worship, hear why being a quaker matters to us, talk to each other and us about it and get an idea what sort of people we are.

So at various places across the country we offer this in an informal and relaxed way. Quaker Quest evenings are open to anyone. You won't be asked to pay. And we never require ourselves or anyone else to 'sign up' to a set of beliefs.

The stillness that is at the core of Quaker worship is as needed today as ever, along with the spiritual and social values we have derived from it. We will be as interested in how you feel about them as we will be in meeting you."