About Us
Quakers in Wales is the organisation that brings together Quakers living in Wales. It works with the 4 regional meetings in Wales and the Southern Marches. It usually gathers three times a year to worship together and plan it’s work.
Quakers in Wales have responsibilities on behalf of Britain Yearly Meeting, to represent and promote the life and witness of Quakers in Wales. These responsibilities include appointing friends to serve on Committees and Groups such as Cytûn; communicating with the Senedd and the National Assembly in Wales, as well as maintaining relationships with other public bodies and charities in Wales, particularly bodies interested in social justice, peace and interfaith work. It also represents Quakers in Wales at Britain Yearly Meeting when required.
Quakers in Wales operates bilingually, and usually provides documents bilingually, as well as arranging simultaneous translation at meetings. You can contact us via this email address: crynwyrcymru@gmail.com
Quakerism is often known as 'the quiet way'. This is because we sit in silence in our meetings for worship. No one preaches or leads our meetings, and we refer to each other as Friends to create a less formal tone, and show that we are all equal. By gathering in silence, we help each other to be open to the spirit, or the light, that is inside each of us. Although no one preaches, an individual will sometimes speak, if the spirit of the meeting guides them to do so.
Unlike many religions, Quakers do not have a specific set of beliefs. Instead, we refer to our testimonies, which guide us on how to live our lives, stemming from our deep connection with the spirit or inner light. Weaving our religion into the daily fabric of our lives has meant that Quakers over the centuries have campaigned tirelessly for the rights of others and for the future of our planet.
Here are our guiding principles:
- there is something sacred in all of us,
- all are equal in the eyes of God,
- religion is about life as a whole,
- it is in silence that we find a deeper sense of God's presence,
- true religion leads to respect for the earth and all life on it,
- each individual is unique, valuable and a child of God.
We have particular stances or testimonies on:
- Peace
- Truth and Sincerity,
- Equality
- Justice
- Simplicity
- Sustainability
Quakers are generally pacifists. Many of us have refused to fight in wars – and we are also working to try to resolve all kinds of conflicts, both locally and internationally. Quakers believe in pursuing nonviolent paths, working diligently to develop and implement alternative approaches to creating harmony both locally and internationally.
Quakers in Cymru works with the Peace Action Wales scheme which, with funding from Joseph Rowntree Foundation, creates networks in Wales. Several organisations, councils and associations working for peace and reconciliation are connected through this. The work goes on from strength to strength. Some Quakers are active members of Cymdeithas y Cymod and Academi Heddwch Cymru. If you would like to learn more about how Quakers live their faith, the Quaker Talks podcast is available to hear more about the way Quakers think about, and take action regarding, various issues of importance – e.g. militarism, immigration, Israel and Palestine, God, parenting and much more.
Useful websites
We try to express the truth at all times, and with everyone we engage with, including people who are in powerful positions in our communities and our world. As we ourselves try to live our lives with truth and sincerity, we expect the same values to be evident among the leaders of our society.
In campaigning for minority rights, the Quakers were the first faith group in Britain to recognise same-sex marriage, and here in our bilingual society in Wales, linguistic equality is also very important to us. The Meetings of Friends in Wales aim to create an atmosphere that is respectful and welcoming towards speakers of all languages, as well as towards people from various backgrounds, religions, races and genders.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Quakers were prominent in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. However, we must also recognize the fact that there were Quakers who were involved in the slave trade who profited from people's labour. Quakers today recognize that many of us still benefit from our legacy of wealth and privilege. We seek and discuss ways to right past harms and work for racial and climate justice in the present.
Quakers are concerned about excess and waste in our society. We want to ensure that our use of natural resources is sustainable. We try to live simply and find a place for the things that really matter: the people around us, the natural world, and our experience of stillness. A number of Quakers are very active in the field of climate change and global warming. Here, in Wales, we are members of the Climate.cymru campaign.
Quakerism is a religion that developed in Britain during the 17th century. Following the end of the Civil War, many people were seeking radical change in religion, politics, and society, and our Quaker faith was born in this radical context.
The first Quaker, George Fox, was convinced that each individual could form a direct relationship with God, without needing a preacher or a Bible to guide us, and that an element of God exists in all of us. This divine element that is present in every individual is known as 'the inner light' (although there are also various other terms). All Quakers seek to deepen their connection with this light, in order to find spiritual guidance as we tread life’s paths.
Quakerism has its roots in Christianity, but the early Quakers did not see the need for buildings, rituals, or specific holy days to practice their Religion. Rather, they believed that religion should be something that people live and act at all times in their daily lives.
Freedom of conscience, and the right to worship, were important to people who sought religious truth for themselves, and who wished to see positive change in the world. Quakers were among them. Under the leadership of George Fox, the Quakers were the most radical nonconformist religious group during the second half of the 17th century, and were fiercely persecuted because of their faith.
Friends / Quakers have been in Wales since 1653. Some of the first Welsh people came to the Quakers from other denominations who were already hoping for a spiritual awakening and religious and social reforms. To an extent, Welsh religious nonconformists, such as Walter Cradoc of Llanfaches, Morgan Llwyd of Wrexham and William Erbury of Cardiff, had paved the way for Quaker teachings.
In 1652, John ap John, from the circle of the influential preacher and writer, Morgan Llwyd, was sent to Lancashire, to investigate the commotion regarding Quakerism that had by then emerged. See the Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Also seen here is the history of Ellis Pugh, Dolgellau, Thomas Wynne, Caerwys, Richard Davies, Cloddiau Cochion, Welshpool, and the Lloyd family of Dolobran.
Due to their oppression by the government and the church, many Welsh-speaking families emigrated to Pennsylvania in the seventeenth century. A vivid illustration of this can be found in Marion Eames' novels and the history of Welsh Quakers in Gethin Evans' book, Benign Neglect.
Simple. Radical. Spiritual.