Brexit Meeting for Worship
Friday 29 March 2019, 22:30-23:30 (GMT)
The Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) are inviting Friends to take part in a Europe-wide dispersed meeting for worship at the time of the expected departure of the UK from the European Union.
You have the option of being connected online during the worship.
The event is organised in partnership with Woodbrooke and the Europe and Middle East Section (EMES) of Quakers.
The meeting for worship will take place at the 22:30 GMT, and last approximately one hour. This means the meeting will be ongoing at the moment Brexit is expected to take place (midnight Brussels time). If Brexit is delayed or cancelled we will still go ahead with the event on this date.
Why are we doing this? QCEA is running a study tour of the European institutions during ‘Brexit week’. As part of this, participants will be holding a meeting for worship outside the European Commission at the point when UK withdrawal occurs. We want to open this up to all Friends, those who wanted to take part in the study tour but couldn’t, those wanting to mark Brexit for whatever reason, and those who would like to feel a connection to Quakers across Europe at this time. While attenders will be dispersed across the continent, we hope that we be together in spirit.
How can I connect with people taking part in other places? To join the online meeting for worship, please register at www.qcea.org/brexitmeeting or email events@qcea.org.
Is this pro- or anti-Brexit? It’s neither. The meeting isn’t making a particular political point, but we recognise that Brexit may be a significant moment for many people, and want to give people a chance to mark that.
What if we can’t make it at that time? We realise that the middle of the night on Friday may not be suitable for everyone. The online worship part is so that people can participate without having to open up their regular place of worship. However, for those who cannot make that time, we suggest two alternative times for worship, of 19:00 GMT on the 29th March, and at 12:00 GMT on Saturday 30th March. By having recommended times, we hope that Friends across Europe will worship then and so maintain the community aspect of the worship. There will not be an online meeting at these times.
The Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) will continue to represent the interests and concerns of all Quakers across Europe, including Britain. It engages with the EU, the Council of Europe (the seat of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights) and other pan-European bodies. European Yearly Meetings have representatives serving on QCEA’s governing committee and you can keep up with QCEA’s work by subscribing to its newsletter, Around Europe, or by visiting the website www.qcea.org.
Quakers in Britain can join British Friends of QCEA, the QCEA national support group. It organises talks about QCEA and European affairs, raises money to support QCEA’s work and brings together Quakers with an interest in European affairs.