QUAKER UNIVERSALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2025
Dear QUG supporter
Annual Conference – April 25th to 27th 2025
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, and online.
Women’s Spiritual Journeys
There are a few residential places left at our annual conference and we are keen to fill these. So please send in your applications as soon as possible. It would help us if you could check with us that there are places available before you send us any payment. To check send an email to Tony Philpott at contact@qug.org.uk.
There is less restriction on Zoom places, so you need not check in advance whether or not there are places available. Zoom places cost £45 for the weekend. We hope many of you will join us on Zoom.
The title of the conference is Women’s Spiritual Journeys and the various talks and activities will include:
- Women, the divine and spirituality.
- Women and Quakers.
- Women and their spiritual journeys.
- Women and their spiritual thinking.
- Women mystics and art.
- Women’s activism and spirituality from different cultures.
All the details, including application forms, are on our website. Please go online to https://qug.org.uk/conference-2025-women-and-spirituality/ There is also an application form at the end of this newsletter.
Please either send the completed form by email (e.g. as an attachment) to contact@qug.org.uk or by post to QUG Conference, 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR.
We have an exciting line-up of speakers. Rhiannon Grant, who spoke last October at the national Future of Quakerism conference, will give two talks. Janet Monahan will lead a workshop on differences in thinking between women and men. Dora Bek will chair and speak at a session entitled ‘Some women and their spiritual journeys’. Frances Martin will talk to us online about women, art and spirituality. Susan Norris will lead the Saturday epilogue. Finally, Georgina Wright will give the concluding talk to the conference on the Sunday. As usual, there will also be breakout groups, free time, meeting for worship and the QUG AGM.
Our Wednesday evening meetings for worship and sharing
These are our next three meetings
- February 19th Daniel Flynn and Tony Philpott will speak on the future of Quakerism in Britain (reporting on the conference they attended on behalf of QUG last October).
- March 19th John Carvosso will speak under the title of My spiritual journey – through charitable eyes.
- April 16th Lee Drummond will follow up her talk Animism and an Earth-based spirituality (see https://qug.org.uk/talk-transcripts/).
The meetings start at 7.00 p.m. The Zoom will open at 6.45 p.m. We send out reminders two or three days beforehand to everyone who has registered. If you do not have the joining instructions and would like them please send an email to contact@qug.org.uk
Conference 2026 – Music and Spirituality across the World
Our conference in April 2026 has already been booked in Launde Abbey in Leicestershire. It will be about music and spirituality across the world.
We hope to include speakers from different faiths. For example, you may know possible speakers who are members or attenders at Quaker meetings. If anyone knows someone who they think might help could they please let our committee member Peter Varney know as he is gathering ideas for the conference. Speakers can come from anywhere but as the conference will be at Launde Abbey we hope Friends in Leicestershire or nearby might know someone who would find the centre easy to reach.
If you would like to help plan this conference, or have any ideas of possible speakers and topics, please email Peter Varney at peterv@qug.org.uk.
Taking part in online discussions
We are always pleased when participants in QUG activities tell others about QUG in their local and area meetings, not only verbally but also in print. One of our supporters has written about taking part in our Wednesday evening meetings: she is Christine Downes-Grainger of North-East Thames Area Meeting. Her article is entitled Being open to new light via the Quaker recognised bodies – QUG, FFH and QFAS. It is published in her area meeting newsletter and she has given us permission to spread it more widely – it can be accessed at:
Membership of the Quaker Universalist Group
We are reminding you of QUG membership because for many of you your subscription was due in January.
As a QUG member you will be supporting our work through your annual subscription. You will receive two free copies per year of our journal, Universalist, which comes out in the spring and autumn. In the summer you will receive the QUG pamphlet which contains the written papers from our annual conference.
The annual rates for paper copies of the journal and pamphlet are £18 and for e-copies £12. If you have any questions please contact Glen Gates at 5 School Street, Church Lawford, Rugby CV23 9EE or by sending an email to gleng@qug.org.uk
New members
New members can request a membership form and a bank mandate form from Glen Gates (address as above). The forms are also available online at https://qug.org.uk/membership/
Renewal of membership
You will need to pay your annual subscription on the anniversary of when you joined. Please note that we do not send receipts, but you can always check your bank account statements to see if the payment has gone through. If you fail to renew your subscription we will let you know, usually when we send out a QUG journal or pamphlet.
Members who do not pay by standing order should renew their membership by bank transfer using these details:
TSB: The Quaker Universalist Group: Sort Code 30 97 35: Account number 00016421
Or you can send a cheque, payable to The Quaker Universalist Group, to: Geoff Gates, 5 School Street, Church Lawford, Rugby CV23 9EE.
Contacting us, questions and unsubscribing
If you have any questions or wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter please reply directly or send an email to contact@qug.org.uk
QUG Annual Conference Booking Form – 2025
Friday 25th April at 6.00 pm to Sunday 27th April 2025 at 2.00 pm
High Leigh Conference Centre, Lord Street, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 8SG
Please indicate one participation option below by writing YES against your preference. If residential, you can pay a deposit now to secure your place, or pay in full.
Option 1- Residential: per person: £290. Deposit £60 (non-returnable)
Option 2- Residential couple* sharing a twin room: £500. Deposit £120 (non-returnable)
*please provide the second person’s name and special requirements on a second form and submit both forms together.
Option 3- Zoom Participation only: £45 (Please make full payment)
Special Note: If you are unable to attend the conference, having paid, we regret that we will not refund your money. If you have any concerns, e.g. due to health issues, please make your own insurance arrangements.
Attendee Name: ___
Address: ___
Post code: ____
Tel no: ___
E-mail: ___
Do you need an accessible room? YES / NO
Do you require a lift or wheelchair access? YES / NO
Please state any specific dietary requirements (e.g. food allergies, vegetarian, gluten free, pescatarian, lactose intolerant, vegan or any other dietary requirements):
Please indicate one payment option below by writing YES against your preference:
A) Bank transfer to: TSB. The Quaker Universalist Group. Sort Code: 30-97-35. Account No: 00016421. Please use Reference ‘QUG25-Your Surname‘ (e.g. QUG25-SMITH) to ease payment tracking.
B) PayPal – Please ensure you provide full contact details so collection by PayPal can be arranged with you.
C) Cheque (payable to The Quaker Universalist Group) and post to 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR.
NB. The balance of conference payments must be received by Friday 28th February 2025
Please send this booking form by email to contact@qug.org.uk
or by post to: QUG Conference, 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR
Please Book Early – to secure your place
If you do not receive an acknowledgement within three weeks please contact us.