‘Due to the nature of the rooms available, challenges of “playing in the Light” tended to be ones of a practical, rather than theological, nature.'
Eye - 24 March 2023
From Another Quaker tale to Back to basics
For the love of limericks
Rosemary Mathew, of Jesus Lane Meeting in Cambridge, was inspired to share lyrical offerings she has penned with Eye’s readers.
She writes: ‘Thanks to Roy Payne for enlivening us with his thoughts about limericks. It’s not so very tricky once you’ve tried a few. Some years ago there was a suggestion in the press that many young people had no idea who St George was, and choosing a new patron saint was mooted as an idea that would be more “of our time”. Lenny Henry’s name was mentioned as a possible candidate I distinctly recall. I sent the following to my local newspaper.
Now old George as a patron’s too quaint,
We Brits want of religion no taint.
Goodbye Andy, Dave, Pat,
Give us somebody that
We’ve all seen on the telly – no saint!
‘I’m sure readers of the Friend will know at once who Andy, Dave and Pat are, though I felt it necessary to add a footnote at that time. Another was inspired by a colleague who wanted a birthday rhyme for a friend who worked as an astronomer. His surname was Catchpole…’
In Cambridge there works a stargazer
With telescope, eyeglass and laser.
There’s no distant black hole
Escapes Mr Catchpole
His eyes are as sharp as a razor
Back to basics
A missive from David Fish, of Rugby Meeting, appeared in Eye’s mailbag to share a new development.
‘Rugby Meeting held a single special Meeting for Worship in Lutterworth, halfway between Leicester and Rugby Meetings, in October.’
This was intended as a one-off, however, Friends felt moved to do more: ‘This spring we are holding a Meeting for Worship every forth Thursday at 6.30pm for thirty minutes.
‘David Harries wrote (Letters, 26 February 2021) of the importance of “time for spiritual nurture” – and in afterword the eleven of us agreed that extra Meeting for Worship has benefits just by itself, in addition to outreach. In afterword we also said “our readings for example from Quaker Advices & queries (dating from 1738 or earlier) – ‘might help your thoughts’ and more seriously ‘silence opens up a door’, ‘spirit grows from beyond words’, ‘silence is very comforting’”... it was good to have this Meeting for Worship and good to get back to Quaker spiritual basics.’
