As Quakers we are impelled by our faith to make our lives an active witness for peace and justice. Our historic testimonies to equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth challenge us to alleviate suffering and seek positive social change.
QUAKER FAITH & PRACTICE 8.11
Quaker faith springs from a deeply held belief in living our lives according to our spiritual experience. These spiritual insights – our testimonies – challenge our normal ways of living.
Members of Oxford Meeting take an active interest in our community and the wider world. Some participate in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), the Living Witness sustainability project, initiatives in civil liberties and peace vigils at the Aldermarston Atomic Weapons Establishment. The Meeting has collectively considered issues such as the NHS, spending cuts, global change and Remembrance Sunday. We also provide free counselling rooms to MEET in Oxford, a charity which offers low-cost trauma-focused therapy and was founded by three members of Oxford Meeting.
Oxford Meeting also contains several long-term groups working on social issues. These include:
- Oxford Friends Action on Poverty (OxFAP)
- Oxford Friends Action on AIDS, which supports faith-based responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Quaker volunteers at HMP Grendon
Quakers’ involvement in peace issues has a long history. Since the 17th century, Quakers have testified against all war and fighting with outward weapons. In the First and Second World Wars, many Quakers refused to fight because their conscience would not allow them to kill another person. A booklet entitled Quaker belief in action: conscientious objectors in the First and Second World Wars, tells the stories of seven conscientious objectors as remembered by Quakers in Oxford. It is available from the Office at 43 St Giles.’
Oxford Quakers 