March 2024

QUAKER  UNIVERSALIST  GROUP  NEWSLETTER MARCH 2024

Quaker Universalist Group Annual Conference

April 19th – 21st 2024 at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire and online. 

The future of religion worldwide.

  • Why is this so important for us all?
  • What is actually happening?
  • What can we, as universalist Quakers, do about the future of religion?

The details are on our website at: https://qug.org.uk/conferences/conference-2024-the-future-of-religion-worldwide/

Numbers attending are building up well. There are three residential places left, and we are very keen to fill these. So if you are still wondering whether or not to come in person, please do apply – but you must make sure that the conference applications secretary receives your application plus full fee of £240.00 by Wednesday April 3rd at the very latest.

We can, of course, take more people online. There are 17 at present, so do join them. We can take extra people on Zoom up to near the start date of the conference as long as the £40.00 is paid.  

Please send the form at the end of this newsletter preferably by email (e.g. as an attachment) or by post to our conference applications secretary, Leonard Newton. His contact details are:

Email: leonardn@qug.org.uk

Post: Leonard Newton, QUG Conference Secretary, Flat 30 Century Court, 1 Wilford Lane, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7TU

You do not have to be a Quaker or a member of QUG to attend our conference.

We have four main speakers. Three (Jan Arriens, Peter Varney and Tony Philpott) will be at the conference in person, and the fourth (Robert Wafula) will join us by Zoom from Kenya. We plan to have a sharing session on Saturday evening to enable the conference participants (both at High Leigh and online) to contribute. There will also be breakout groups and free time.

High Leigh is a large conference centre, usually with several conferences on at the same time, but each conference using separate facilities. See https://www.cct.org.uk/high-leigh/high-leigh-conference-centre. High Leigh is north of London, 25 minutes on the train from Liverpool Street Station. It is set in beautiful grounds. Travel directions are on their website and you are advised to follow them carefully.

Monthly meeting for worship and sharing

Our meetings for worship and sharing continue by Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday April 17th at 7.00 p.m., when Peter Bone will talk about Centering Prayer.   

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

Membership of QUG

If you have not done so already, have you considered becoming a member of QUG? For a small sum (£18.00 per year for hard copy of the journal, or £12.00 for an e-copy) you will receive our journal twice a year and the pamphlet we produce after our annual conference. You will also support the work of QUG. As a welcome pack new members receive two free pamphlets.

Membership details are all on our website at https://qug.org.uk/membership/

Any questions about membership can be sent by email to contact@qug.org.uk or by post to the Membership Secretary at 5 School Street, Church Lawford, Rugby, CV23 9EE.

QUG at Britain Yearly Meeting

QUG hopes to have a presence at Yearly Meeting this July. We have applied to be in the Groups Fair at Friends House on 27th July. We have also applied to have a Special Interest Meeting online on Saturday 6th July. We will give you further details in later newsletters.

Talk by Rex Ambler – George Fox and Universalism

We are delighted that Rex Ambler has been asked by Woodbrooke to give an online talk as part of the celebrations of George Fox’s 400th birthday. The title is George Fox at 400: a universalist perspective. It will start at 4.00 p.m. (English time) on Saturday 7th September. So please put the date in your diary: we will give you more details later.

Closure of the Inter Faith Network

Many QUG supporters have been involved with the Inter Faith Network. QCCIR (Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations) has kept us informed of the events surrounding the imminent closure of the Network. If you would like more information please visit https://www.interfaith.org.uk/ and https://thefriend.org/article/inter-faith-network-faces-imminent-closure

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

THE APPLICATION FORM FOLLOWS BELOW

QUG 2024 Annual Conference Booking Form

Friday 19th April 2024 6.00 pm to Sunday 21st April 2024 2.00 pm
High Leigh Conference Centre, Lord Street, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire , EN11 8SG

Please clearly indicate one participation option below by writing YES against your preference.

Option 1- Residential:  per person: £240.   Deposit £60 (non returnable)

Option 2- Zoom Participation only :  £40 (Please make full payment)

Option 3- Residential couple* sharing a twin room £450 Deposit £120 (non returnable)
*please provide the second person’s name and special requirements on a second form and submit both forms together.

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 specific dietary or other requirements (e.g. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free) below:

Please clearly 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: Acc No 00016421  Please use Reference ‘QUG24-YourName’ to ease payment tracking  (e.g. QUG24-NEWTON).

B) PayPal – Please ensure you provide contact details so PayPal payment collection can be arranged with you.

C) Cheque (payable to The Quaker Universalist Group) and post to the Conference Applications  Secretary at the address below.

NB. Balance of conference  payments must be received by Friday 23 February 2024

Please send this booking form by email to: leonardn@qug.org.uk

or by post to: Leonard Newton, QUG Conference Secretary, Flat 30 Century Court, 1 Wilford Lane, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7TU

Please Book Early – to secure your place

If you do not receive an acknowledgement within three weeks please contact the Conference Booking Secretary.