Woodbrooke
LightNews LightNews
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Woodbrooke
@woodbrooke.bsky.social
520 followers 48 following 90 posts
Woodbrooke provides opportunities for Quaker learning, research and worship across the world - offering adult education since 1903.

www.woodbrooke.org.uk
Posts Replies Media Videos
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Janet Scott, 1994
Quaker Faith and Practice 27.42
Many of the testimonies and practices established by early Friends have survived only in part. One which has almost died out in Britain is the naming of days and months by number instead of by names of pagan origin. It is rare now to hear ‘first day’ instead of ‘Sunday’ or ‘third month’ instead of ‘March’, though the practice is still acceptable. Another testimony held by early Friends was that against the keeping of ‘times and seasons’. We might understand this as part of the conviction that all of life is sacramental; that since all times are therefore holy, no time should be marked out as more holy; that what God has done for us should always be remembered and not only on the occasions named Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. This is a testimony which seems to be dying of neglect. Many Friends, involved with family and the wider society, keep Christmas; in some meetings, Easter and its meaning is neglected, not only at the calendar time but throughout the year. What I would hope for is neither that we let the testimony die, nor that we keep it mechanically. I hope for a rediscovery of its truth, that we should remember and celebrate the work of God in us and for us whenever God by the Spirit calls us to this remembrance and this joy. Janet Scott, 1994 Quaker Faith and Practice 27.42
November 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Can we respond better to the Quaker Light by seeing, looking and understanding Nature’s light? View photographs as a form of visual ministry discovering how the world around us can serve as illuminations of our faith.

https://ow.ly/qt3p50XuCqN
Sunlight filtering through dense forest trees with text Seeing the Light: Reflections Through Images Wednesday 14 January 14:30-16:30 (UK time) Pay as Led
November 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Being a Quaker elder can be inspiring but also challenging. This is a monthly space for those with eldership responsibilities to come together to consider and learn how to serve as an effective elder in your Quaker community.
https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/essentials-of-quaker-eldership-3/
Close-up of a red book titled 'Quaker faith & practice' with text Essentials of Quaker Eldership Monday 12 January 19:30-21:00 (UK time) Pay as Led
November 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Have you ever wished that you had greater clarity about how you are called to minister in the world? In this course, you will experience a variety of Quaker spiritual practices to help you discern your calling and sustain you in service and witness.

Book your place today: https://ow.ly/FC8Y50XygEP
Water falling into hands Spiritual Practices to Guide and Nurture 30 January - 1 February £54
November 27, 2025 at 4:02 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
What wisdom does Epiphany hold for us today? In this two-part course Friends will have the chance to engage with the stories, symbolism and ritual of Epiphany as found in liturgical traditions.
To book your place visit https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/the-wisdom-of-epiphany/
Silhouettes of three crowned figures against a yellow background with text The Wisdom of Epiphany 1 January - 8 January £30.
November 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
What is your path to spiritual wholeness? How can you strengthen your connection with the Divine, yourself, and others? Explore how building and nurturing these connections can guide us toward a more complete and fulfilling spiritual life.
https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/spiritual-wholeness/
Wooden triangular structure overlooking a calm sea under a partly cloudy sky with text Spiritual Wholeness 28 January - 18 February £54
November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Explore the meaning of Quaker membership using the P4C method. Together we’ll reflect on belonging, commitment, and responsibility, and how membership shapes life in the Quaker community.
To book your place visit https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/enquiring-into-quaker-membership/
A peaceful dirt path lined with green bushes and white flowers with text Enquiring Into: Quaker Membership Thursday 15 January 19:00-21:00 (UK time) Pay as Led
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Whether you have specific issues in your Meetings for Worship for Business as a role-holder or would like to explore the Quaker Business Method more generally, you are welcome to join this friendly space for Q&A.
https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/quaker-business-method-surgery/
A mixed up Rubik's cube with text Quaker Business Method Surgery Tuesday 6 January 10:00-11:30 (UK time) Pay as Led
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Kathleen Lonsdale, 1967
Quaker Faith and Practice 20.26
To me, being a Christian is a particular way of life, not the unquestioning acceptance of a particular system of theology, not belief in the literal truth of the Virgin birth, or the Resurrection and Ascension, but being the kind of person that Jesus wanted his followers to be and doing the things he told them to do… Nor, it seems to me, can you live a Christian life unless, like Jesus, you believe in the power of goodness, of justice, of mercy and of love; unless you believe in these so strongly that you are prepared to put them to the acid test of experiment; unless these constitute the real meaning of life for you, more important than life itself, as they were for Jesus. Kathleen Lonsdale, 1967 Quaker Faith and Practice 20.26
November 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
We live in urgent times. This course explores pausing as both spiritual attentiveness and political action. Together, we’ll examine what stops us from stopping, and how stillness might change the way we meet crisis, complexity and each other.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/fCaP50XqCxr
Footprints on a beach Why Pause? The Radical Politics of Stillness 13 January - 10 February £54
November 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Explore creative writing as a tool for spiritual reflection and development through a range of reflective writing activities. Writing prompts and exercises will guide you to write from the heart rather than the head.

Book your place: https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/write-from-the-heart/
Pen and paper Write From the Heart 12 January - 2 February £60
November 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
How does the social structure of patriarchy, in which men and masculinity are valued above women and femininity, affect our religion and spirituality? Explore this question with ideas from Christian, Jewish, and Pagan feminist and womanist theologians.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/yEKQ50XqCqQ
Feminist spelled out in scrabble letters Feminist Theology for Quakers 12 January - 9 February £75
November 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Keith Helmuth, 1990
Quaker Faith & Practice 25.14
Challenging market economics with a Biblical sense of the goodness of God in creation is to join a spiritual struggle. Faith in God, solidarity with the suffering poor and all other forms of life demands that we take a stand and say, ‘This destruction must stop.’ We must be perfectly clear about the implications of undertaking this responsibility. It is more than just setting up household recycling bins, growing organic vegetables or riding a bike to work. It is more than a talking job. It is a renovation which will change everything: the way we do business, the way we eat, the way we travel, the houses we build, the products and services we can expect and the prices we pay for them, the way we feel about trees and the way we worship God. Keith Helmuth, 1990 Quaker Faith & Practice 25.14
November 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Parenting can be one of life’s deepest spiritual journeys. How do we “take heed of love and truth” with the young humans in our care? This course is for parents who wish to be more present and compassionate with themselves and their families.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/Z6xt50XqCnm
Image of a parent and child walking in a wood Parenting: A Spiritual Quest 8 January - 12 February £60
November 15, 2025 at 2:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Perhaps joy is a gift, a grace, as well as something to be cultivated? How can we put ourselves in the way of joy? Over four sessions across four months, we will create a shared space together to reflect on joy and engage in joyful practices.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/O3s350XqCi6
Illustration of flowers Space for Joy 10 January - 11 April £48
November 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
All Quaker communities experience change, whether small or significant. Change can open up new possibilities, but it can also bring challenge. In this course, we will create a supportive space to share experiences and explore ways forward together.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/VEng50XqBh3
Image of a compass Navigating Change Well as Quaker Communities 7 January - 28 January £54
November 12, 2025 at 4:27 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
S Jocelyn Burnell, 1989
Quaker Faith & Practice 22.50
Some situations which cause pain or suffering are avoidable, so part of our learning must be to analyse the situation and see if this is such a case. If it is, we must try to prevent it happening again. But perhaps the most painful situations are those that are apparently beyond our control. Another part of our learning is to recognise that there is unfairness, uncertainty, fear, loneliness and hurt in this world; learning to accept that this is the nature of the world can, of itself, be painful. Initially we may be able to do little, bound up in an acute, self-centred pain. As we try to cope with the anger, the pain and grief that come through some unhappy experience, we can learn a lot about the less-well-articulated, darker sides of our personality. These darker aspects should not be ignored. Although we tend to equate evil with darkness, we should remember that in the plant world roots grow in the dark. Darkness (and shadows) are as much a part of the natural order as light. S Jocelyn Burnell, 1989 Quaker Faith & Practice 22.50
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
It's Trustees Week across the UK! If you are a new Quaker Trustee who is looking to increase confidence in your role join us next Saturday to explore the role of Trustee with a focus on both its spiritual grounding and practical responsibilities.

Find out more: https://ow.ly/zKMq50XnPKi
Quaker Trusteeship in a Nutshell £40 Saturday 15 November 10:00-16:00 Chairs and tables in a room
November 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
We’re also inviting Friends to consider whether they might be called to serve in this way.
COULD YOU OFFER SERVICE TO WOODBROOKE? This is an exciting time for Woodbrooke as we continue and develop our ministry and mission to ‘teach each other, and those who wish to join us, what it is to be Quaker’ (Ben Pink Dandelion, Open for Transformation, 2014) We are seeking those with enthusiasm and an interest in Quaker learning to join our Board of Trustees at this pivotal point in our development as we aim to extend our reach and focus on our core purpose of providing learning, research, worship and community. What's Involved? Trustees discern the vision and overall strategic direction. We ensure that our resources, including finances, are managed responsibly. Trustees are also responsible for overseeing organisational polices and the employment and well-being of staff. We have a vibrant group of trustees bringing a wide range of skills and experience. The board meets four times a year, with a mixture of online and in person meetings. We would particularly welcome Friends from diverse backgrounds and those with experience of a variety of learning organisations. If you want to know more about what’s involved and to offer service, either now or in the future, then we would love to hear from you. For more information see: www.woodbrooke.org.uk/service Or email Noms@woodbrooke.org.uk
November 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Ursula Franklin, 1979
Quaker Faith and Practice 23.32
I have never lost the enjoyment of sitting in silence at the beginning of meeting, knowing that everything can happen, knowing the joy of utmost surprise; feeling that nothing is pre-ordained, nothing is set, all is open. The light can come from all sides. The joy of experiencing the Light in a completely different way than one has thought it would come is one of the greatest gifts that Friends’ meeting for worship has brought me. Ursula Franklin, 1979 Quaker Faith and Practice 23.32
November 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
✨Join us for online meeting for worship! ✨

UK times shown, Friends welcome from around the world!

Find out more information on our website: www.woodbrooke.org.uk/worship
ONLINE WORSHIP WITH WOODBROOKE MONDAY 9:30 TUESDAY 7:00 & 19:30 WEDNESDAY 7:00 & 9:30 THURSDAY 11:00 (1 Hour) & 19:30 FRIDAY 13:00 & 21:00 SUNDAY 10:30 (1 Hour) & 19:30 www.woodbrooke.org.uk/worship
October 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
John Macmurray, 1942
Quaker Faith & Practice 22.10
In friendship we are beyond law and obedience, beyond rules and commandments, beyond all constraint, in a world of freedom. But did not Jesus say, ‘Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you’? Yes, he did. We, on our side, are apt to miss the quiet humour of his paradoxes. ‘These are my commandments,’ he goes on, ‘that ye love one another’. In other words, the friendship of Christ is realised in our friendships with one another. His command is that we rise above commandments, and therefore his obedience is perfect freedom. Make service your centre, with its laws and duties and self-sacrifice, and life is a bondage. Make friendship the centre and life is freedom. John Macmurray, 1942 Quaker Faith & Practice 22.10
October 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
How accessible are our Quaker meetings? What attitudes towards disability might be harmful, and how can we do better?

This session explores these questions through a disability justice lens, centring the lived experiences of disabled Friends.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/Fcmy50XhI4M
A sign which reads 'Disabled people for future' Moving Beyond Disability Access to Disability Justice Saturday 1 November 11:00-15:00 (UK time) Pay as Led
October 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
Join us this Halloween to explore Quakers and the Supernatural! 👻

www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/quak...
October 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM
woodbrooke.bsky.social
At last year's World Plenary Meeting in South Africa one our Associate Tutors caught up with previous participants of our course 'Being a Quaker Clerk: A Course For Friends From Around The World'.

To book your place on this year's course visit: www.woodbrooke.org.uk/worldclerks
September 8, 2025 at 10:19 AM