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Quakers Around Every Corner?
Have you ever
thought what lies behind the many local links with
Quakers that are to be found in Haywards Heath? Behind the road
names such as William Allen Lane, Penn Crescent, Hanbury Lane, New
England Road, America Lane and indeed Quaker Lane, a group with a
radical and different religious experience has been active in Mid
Sussex from the 17th Century to the present day.
Take William Allen, for example. An eminent 19th Century
scientist, he was also a local Quaker philanthropist who established
the Lindfield Schools of Industry and provided housing and allotments
for the rural poor. He was keen to offer people the chance of a
good living locally, rather than seeking emigration to the New World as
a means to a better life.
As National Quaker Week approaches (October 4th -12th), local Quakers
are offering the chance to discover how these values are relevant for
us today. Although Quakers are a very small religious group, they
have a unique message that they wish to share more widely than they
have in the past. Under the title Quaker Quest, they are holding
a series of short talks and discussions in Haywards Heath Town
Hall. Quakers believe in the essential value of each human being
and, historically, they have always had a particular concern for the
importance of truth, equality and non-violence in everyday life.
If you would like to find out more about what Quakers believe and the
religious philosophy behind it, come to Quaker Quest on Mondays from
September 15th to October 20th, 7-9pm, in the Town Hall, Haywards
Heath. Refreshments from 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome.
All you need is to be open-minded and interested. You may make
new discoveries and have at least some of your questions
answered!. The programme is offered twice during a six week
period, and you are welcome to attend any or all sessions as you
choose. For anyone looking for a spiritual path which is simple,
contemporary and radical then the Quakers experience could be worth
investigating. For more information see
www.ditchlingquakers.org.uk
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