Quaker Meeting House Visit, Stourbridge

This article was co-written by Liane Howe, Deputy Principal at the Recovery College and Emma Louis, Spiritual Care Lead for the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The most recent Recovery College Faith and Belief Community Visit was to Stourbridge Quaker Meeting House. We were a small but keen group and received a very warm welcome. It was fascinating to see inside this special building and to hear more about the history of the Quakers and what it means to be a Quaker today. 

The meeting house dates from the 17^th century and was one of the first to be built. It was really good to learn that the Quakers have always had a passion for social justice and were instrumental in campaigning for the abolition of slavery, prison reform and equal marriage. A highlight for me was seeing writing scratched onto some of the wooden benches by children who were bored during worship in the 1700s! A member of our group, one of the deputy principals at the college, Liane Howe even discovered an ancestor involved in the early Quaker movement! 

A lovely time was had by all and we enjoyed hearing more about the current causes their involved in and Elizabeth Fry and how instrumental she was in women's criminal justice reform particularly pioneering care for women on long journey's across the sea, giving them sewing kits and other supplies so that they might learn a trade for when they reached the shore on the other side.