Quaker Outreach in 2007

 in 2006

Sergei Grushko continues to maintain the Russian Quaker website while creating another Russian language website which will present the social activities of FHM in Russia. He is also a part of an international team which is working on the new online Friends’ learning project being developed by FWCC - EMES and Woodbrooke. The staff send Quaker books and films on CD to enquirers at least once/month. The last parcel went to Norilsk, 5000 km from Moscow.

News of Moscow Friends

Three Friends have been accepted into membership: two long-standing attenders of Moscow Monthly Meeting, and a religious journalist and poet from Belarus. A second Quaker worship group has been established in Moscow. This meets on two Saturdays a month

FHM is in touch with the newly established Friends’ Meetings in Georgia and Latvia; the staff have visited attenders seeking membership.

Peter Dyson and Natasha Zhuravenkova represented FHM at the EMES/EMEYF Easter Gathering in Vienna

Publication of Quaker Literature in Georgian

As part of an ongoing translation project of Quaker literature into the languages of CIS countries where there is a growing Quaker presence, Friends House Moscow has funded the publication of 300 copies of Advices and Queries in Georgian.  Sergei Grushko and Peter Dyson visited the meeting in the summer of last year. 

European and Middle East Young Friends Spring Gathering

The EMEYF Spring Gathering was held outside Moscow from 4-11 April, 2007.  Seventeen young Friends from Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, America, and across Russia attended the wintry gathering at a rural retreat in the coniferous forest.  The gathering fell over Easter and emotions were aroused as Friends examined the concept of sacrifice and Quakerism and the way in which individuals have been led to God through sacrifice (as in the cases of John Woolman and Tom Fox).  Friends were moved at a midnight Orthodox Easter service, which for many of the non-Russians was their first experience of an Orthodox service.  Liz Sugden, a Young Friend from Northwest YM (USA) talked about her missionary work in the town of Elekrostal near Moscow, which gave insight into the faith and practice of evangelical Quakers.  The event was an enriching and thought-provoking experience with a strong feeling of spiritual centredness.

Woodbrooke-on-the-Road at Moscow Monthly Meeting

On 21-22 April Julia Ryberg, Woodbrooke’s European project coordinator, held a Woodbrooke-on-the-Road event for Moscow Monthly Meeting.  The two-day course focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the meeting, its aspirations and spiritual resources.  Particular questions were focused on what the meeting had to offer new seekers and attenders.  Of the strengths of the meeting all participants were in agreement about the meeting’s capacity to help and support its members in times of need. 

Interviews for International Membership for Friends in Tbilisi

DD staff Peter Dyson and Sergei Grushko travelled to Tbilisi with Julia Ryberg to conduct interviews for international membership on behalf of FWCC International Membership Committee.  The applicants, who are attenders at the informal Tbilisi worship group, placed emphasis on the importance of community in Quakerism as a potent instrument for doing God’s work.  They viewed the absence of liturgy and demonstrations of institutional wealth in Quakerism as particularly relevant to a country with widespread poverty and damaged social welfare structures, and sought a faith expressed primarily through direct social witness.  Further, the open, democratic structure of the Religious Society of Friends, particularly the equal role of women within it, was seen as a liberating alternative to the Orthodox Church.

The hope of the group to become a recognised worship group and ultimately a monthly meeting was strongly brought forward.  As such, the representatives of FWCC invested much time in guidance on Quaker ordering and understanding of leadership, laying the groundwork for further learning and eldership.  The visitors were encouraged by the natural and non-domineering way in which the two informal leaders work, both with each other and serving the group.

Visitors came away with the feeling of having witnessed a true grass-roots community and the impression of an eagerness and thirst for learning that may reflect that of the early Friends. 

In September 2007, DD staff Peter Dyson and Sergei Grushko took part in EMES Travelling in the Ministry residential gathering where a group of Friends discussed resources and components in support of Travelling, Outreach and Nurturing.

In October we received the news that the FWCC International Membership Committee has welcomed seven people from Tbilisi, Georgia, and Vadim Ilinski from Barnaul, Siberia, into membership. Earlier Peter Dyson and Sergei Grushko travelled to Barnaul and Tbilisi to conduct interviews with these people. Tbilisi group became a recognised worship group.

The translation of the British Quaker Faith and Practice continues. One more chapter was translated during this period. An e-book with searching system was created on the Russian text.

Since August 2007, we have posted five sets of Quaker materials to seekers in different places of Russia and former Soviet Union. Also our visitors at DD office took some booklets and brochures and purchased Quaker greeting-cards and badges.

Outreach in 2006

Outreach remained an important direction of work for FHM in 2006.  The Quaker website and forum in Russian continued to develop.  The website and forum allow people interested in Quakerism to find out more and read Quaker literature which has been translated into Russian.  Through the forum we have learned about groups of people interested in Quakerism and are planning to visit these groups of seekers in 2007.

FHM continues to run projects to translate Quaker literature.  Currently we have one project to translate parts of Britain   Yearly Meeting’s ‘Quaker Faith and Practice’ into Russian and another project to translate several Quaker leaflets into Georgian.  On the Quaker Forum there is a reading panel who discuss the translations and offer advice to the translator if needed.

In 2007 it is hoped that the Russian translation of ‘Quaker Faith and Practice’ could be used as a guide in discussion groups to create a ‘Russian Faith and Practice’.

In May 2006 Woodbrooke held a ‘Woodbrooke on the Road’ workshop in Liepaja, Latvia.  FHM was able to help some seekers from Russia to attend this event. 

In September 2006, a week before the Russian-Georgian border was closed, Sergei Grushko and Peter Dyson went to visit a group of seekers in Tbilisi, the capital of Tbilisi, who regularly meet and hold Meeting for Worship.  Peter and Sergei held seminars there on various aspects of Quakerism and enjoyed the legendary Georgian hospitality.  We plan to keep up these connections with the Tbilisi Quaker worship group in 2007.   

Finally an ‘Inreach Gathering’ was hosted by FHM for members and attenders of Moscow Monthly Meeting.  The one-day gathering allowed people to share with one another their experiences and thoughts on Quaker Worship.

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