Along the Wye Valley. Photo: Photo: Ben Salter / flickr CC.
Towards the Source
Angela Arnold reflects on her first time at Meeting of Friends in Wales
Until I moved south last year, my ‘big Meeting’ used to be General Meeting for Scotland, so at my first Meeting of Friends in Wales, held in Montgomery on 22 February, it was interesting to notice both obvious similarities and unexpected differences.
In terms of similarities, I could name the strong links with, respectively, ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland) and its Welsh equivalent Cytûn. But the thing that probably struck me most was this: where Scottish Friends find their national identity expressed strongly in the political involvement in their country, for instance direct links with the Scottish parliament, Welsh Friends (at least so it appeared to this newcomer) predominantly look to their cultural identity – something that is, inevitably, intimately, bound up with the Welsh language.
This is not something that sits in isolation from ‘normal Quaker business’. To give an example: during our Meeting for Sufferings report, considering the possible revision of Quaker faith & practice (Qf&p), we had a contribution expressing just how important it is to include ongoing revelation, inspired new writing… some of which, it so happens, is being written in Welsh – and, in an age of multiculturalism, should they not be welcomed? Surely, contemporary voices from both Scotland and Wales need to be heard, to add their perspective and experience?
Later, taking its place on our agenda between items like Economic Justice in Europe, our Local Meetings’ active engagement with Israel/Palestine, and a thought-provoking workshop with Jamie Wrench on Restorative Justice, there was the launch of a book produced by Friends in Wales. I say ‘a book’ but it is also ‘two books’: Tua’r Tarddiad and its English version Towards the Source.
When the editors – Catherine James, Rhian Parrey and Deborah Rowlands – first looked for funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT), they were offered support for a translation into Welsh of Ben Pink Dandelion’s Celebrating the Quaker Way. It is a great book… but… translation is one thing; writing that comes out of a distinct culture/language is quite another.
Fortunately, the JRCT agreed and the search was on for contemporary contributions, in both English and Welsh, to be interspersed with writing from earlier times. ‘It was quite a spiritual experience gathering the material,’ the editors told us. Three years in the making, these books now emerged brand-new from their boxes. A copy of each will be given to every secondary school, county library and Local Meeting in Wales. Looking ahead, we are hoping that Yearly Meeting Gathering will provide an opportunity to make this work more widely known. In fact, I sense that we are hoping that Friends will more widely notice that Welsh culture – like Quakers! – didn’t die out long ago, but is alive and doing fine work.
