QUAKER UNIVERSALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2026
Dear QUG supporter
QUG Annual Conference – Friday 17th April to Sunday 19th April 2026 – Launde Abbey, Launde Road, Launde, Leicestershire,
LE7 9XB and online
SOUND AND SPIRIT – How music and sound connect us to the soul of the universe.
UPDATE – WE HAVE NOW FILLED ALL OUR RESIDENTIAL PLACES, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF ZOOM PLACES AVAILABLE, SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO APPLY TO JOIN US ONLINE.
Our speakers will share recordings of how sound and music are used in places of worship of different religions, and explore the effect of music in our lives, including listening and playing/singing. Participants will be able to reflect on their own responses to pieces of music.
A Zoom only application form is at the end of this newsletter or you can go online at https://qug.org.uk/conference-2026-sound-and-spirit/ and open one of the attachments (in Word or PDF). We ask for £40.00 payment (non-returnable) to secure your place.
Please either send the 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.
Anyone can come to our conference. You do not have to be a Quaker or a member of QUG to attend.
Our two main speakers are Christine Richards and Jennifer Kavanagh. Christine will speak on the Saturday morning about How sounds are used in religions across the world. Jennifer will speak on the Sunday under the title of Being the music – sound and silence.
As usual, there will be breakout groups and time for worship together.
Our Wednesday evening meetings for worship and sharing
Our next meeting will be on February 18th. Tony Philpott will speak, from the point of view of the Quaker Universalist Group, on the subject of The changing face of Quakerism. This will be in preparation for an article he is writing and he is keen to hear the views of those who attend the Wednesday evening meetings.
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
Universalist
The latest copy of our journal, Universalist, should be landing on your doormat, or in your inbox, shortly. Most of the articles in it are about the relationship between sound/music and spirituality: they have been written to prepare us for our forthcoming conference, though we hope they will be of interest to everyone.
To receive Universalist regularly you need to be a member of QUG (see next section).
We welcome articles for our Autumn 2026 edition. We would like these by July 31st 2026. Main articles should usually be between 1000-3000 words. We also welcome reviews, normally about 300-500 words, of books, films, plays, etc. The main criterion for articles and reviews is that they should be of a universalist nature – for more information on this please see our website at https://qug.org.uk/qug-aims/
Membership of QUG
The annual rates for paper copies of Universalist are £18 and for e-copies £12.
All the details of membership are on our website at https://qug.org.uk/membership/ but if you have any questions please contact Glen Gates 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. 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. For many of you this will be the beginning of the calendar year, so please check now that you have paid.
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.
Britain Yearly Meeting
As usual, QUG will be present at Britain Yearly Meeting.
Our special interest meeting is on the evening of Wednesday 25th March at 7.30 p.m. It will be run through Zoom like our monthly meeting for worship and sharing and the topic will be as follows: ‘The Quaker Universalist Group is based on the principle that no one person and no one faith has the final revelation or monopoly of truth. Is this the key to
bringing us together in a divided world?’
We are keen to reflect a variety of universalist views on this topic, so if you would like to be one of our introductory speakers (for c. 5 minutes) please reply to this email or send an email to contact@qug.org.uk.
You will have to join this meeting through applying to attend BYM in the usual way. Joining details will be available through Sched. All the details are on https://www.quaker.org.uk/ym
We also expect to be present at the Groups Fair on Saturday 2nd May between 12.45 and 2.15 p.m.
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
CONFERENCE BOOKING FORM FOLLOWS BELOW
QUG Annual Conference Booking Form – 2026
SOUND AND SPIRIT
Friday 17th April at 6.00 pm to Sunday 19th April 2026 at 2.00 pm
Launde Abbey, Launde Road, Launde, Leicestershire, LE7 9XB
ZOOM ONLY ATTENDANCE
Zoom Participation: £40 (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.
Attendee Name: ___
Address: ___
Post code: ____
E-mail: ___
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 ‘QUG26-Your Surname‘ (e.g. QUG26-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.
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
If you do not receive an acknowledgement within three weeks, please contact us.