Control Freakery

[Rosalind Mitchell]

I tried to post some ministry on the Friends House-controlled BYM Facebook
page this morning, but as soon as I hit send my ministry vanished into the
ether.

Apparently only three individuals are allowed to minister in that place, all
of them employees at Friends House. The one who responded rather vacuously
and unhelpfully to my complaint was one Nik Dadson (sex unknown), whom I don't
know but rather imagine to be yet another sprog of influential Friends set up
in a nicely-paid sinecure at FH. Apparently in this society of equals us
lesser folks are only allowed to comment on the bland subjects provided for
us.

Anyway, the issue that concerns me is about the appropriateness of holding
meetings for worship in places inaccessible by public transport or, for most
Friends, on foot. I know it's not a new issue, but actually since the
beginning of September the early no 6 bus no longer runs from Ulverston centre
to the Croftlands Estate where the meeting house is. That leaves quite a
lengthy trek to the meeting. I have raised the issue with E&O and I had
somebody raise it again this week. The result was the equivalent of a slap
with a wet fish; apparently no Friend with a vehicle can be arsed to make a
detour to pick me up on a Sunday morning. And furthermore, because I asked
for the hoary old question to be raised yet again, it seems that because of
the impossibility of my attending MfW on a Sunday it will be impossible for me
to serve Friends in any capacity. I smell rotten fish here.

One can't win, can one.

Rosie


--
Currently reading: Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities by R S Surtees

[simon gray]

On 11 November 2012 14:36, Rosalind Mitchell <rcmit...@golgonooza.co.uk> wrote:

Nik Dadson (sex unknown), whom I don't
know but rather imagine to be yet another sprog of influential Friends set up
in a nicely-paid sinecure at FH

i make no substantive comment on the rest of the post, merely to correct this - nik (male) is the bym corporate website manager, and has been for getting on for 10 years; he's related to nobody in the quaker world, influential or otherwise, and has only in the last couple of years started attending meeting for worship himself.

--
www.star-one.org.uk ~ www.winterval.org.uk ~ www.birmingham-alive.com

[Alec]

==> i make no substantive comment on the rest of the post, merely to correct this - nik (male) is the bym corporate website manager, and has been for getting on for 10 years; he's related to nobody in the quaker world, influential or otherwise, and has only in the last couple of years started attending meeting for worship himself.

From my own observations, he is genuinely interested in stuff like MfW; unlike other individual FH staff who might not attend YM when it's on site (as did, as I recall Simon observing, a former Clerk), including I presume the member on the telephones who didn't even know what I meant when I referred to myself as a "Friend".

Friend?  Whose friend?.

Although, if he's not an Affirmed Friend, should he be speaking on behalf a Society organ?  I wouldn't presume to do so.

As for the substance of Rosie's post, allowing everyone to use the 'Post' option would be like that MfW in which unrelated flimflam was being said every two or three minutes.  At several points, immediately on the previous speaker sitting down.  Within the last five minutes - actually referring to a previous Ministry!  Something, I recall, about the location of the human heart - we were invited "to hold hands"... something we should have been doing metaphysically.

It drove me to stand-up, remain silent, then sit down with simply a "thank you".

Interjections are allowed, though, on the Facebook page.  Look on the right-hand side for 'Recommendations' and deliver it.


~alec

On Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:48:37 PM UTC, simon gray wrote:ive.com