On Saturday 13 June, the Joint London Area Meetings met at Westminster Meeting House to agree more steps towards becoming a single AM: Quakers in London (QiL), slated to take place in just over six months time.
With the help of QiL Co-Clerk Kate Green, we provide a summary of the morning and afternoon sessions and the thoughtful, creative, and constructive ministry that was heard.
The minutes are also available to read and download here.
Morning Session: How Should QiL Use its Money?
The morning session was an open exploration around money. This is how one of our Clerks, Kate Green, summarised the lively discussion:
“We asked ourselves the question, “How should QiL use its money?”
As single spiritual and financial body, how may we make the strongest impact in our Quaker, and the wider London, community?
Are we still as adventurous and far-sighted as earlier
Friends were in using money for community benefit?
It was a time for exploring our joys, fears and hopes for QiL’s use of money, held in a spirit of worship. For the first time in London our meeting houses and our financial resources will be united. We need to discover our shared vision and what we are led to do, even when economic prospects are poor. Ministry started with references to Marie Kondo’s philosophy. As we gradually evolve into Quakers in London, we need to examine all we do, all our traditions. Does this bring us joy? If it doesn’t, thank it for its service and let it go.
With the seven London AMs pooled resources, we hope to be able to more ethically manage our investments. Using the model of the Quaker Housing Trust, QiL could give grants, or lend money to other charities who share our testimonies and are doing the work we are led to do but aren’t able to. We need to use all our connections with like-minded groups of people to discover what we may do together. We may also be led to contribute more than the minimum QiL quota, and to offer more service.
Friends ministered about supporting Quaker children and young people (which may be as simple as giving them their own room in a Meeting House) and the need for a London Quaker Centre which is accessible to all.
We also heard ministry about Reparation, the Climate Crisis, the Quaker Prison Ministry and the needs of London’s young people in relation to violent crime.
At the end of our session, we were all moved by the realisation that we’re living in a historic time for Quakers in London. After the hard work of moving towards the merging of the seven London AMs, it was a discovery of our fundamental unity, and great hope for our future.”
You can read more detail about this ministry in the document below:
The Afternoon Session: Appointments, Membership, Discernment.
In the afternoon session, key appointments were made, seven members of our community came into membership, and crucial financial decisions were taken.
This meeting appointed JLAM’s interfaith representative, the QiL Membership Clerk, and a new member to the Elders and Pastoral Carers Committee. We also appointed six QiL “trustees in waiting”, who will begin their trusteeship on the first of January 2027.
To get to know our community better, we are publishing introductions of trustees in waiting, role holders and community members over the course of 2026. This edition, we get to know two future trustees: George Barrow and Mary Stiasny.
We also heard how the QiL finances will work and made the decision to maintain AMs existing designated funds for five years, then review.
Additionally, two upcoming events which will help us continue our journey toward QiL were highlighted – one for Elders and Pastoral Friends on 11 July at Friends House and another on zoom on 29 July open to everyone to explore gaps in our present structure and how to fill them.
We give our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped to make the day a success!
Read and download the minutes below:
