Development of our Family Evenings and study of the Principles of Peace in Birmingham, UK

A draws other people into the kitchen for Family Evening each week, which is no s we continue to try and develop an ‘unofficial’ meeting of chatting and simple task, and to alternate one week our potential to share the catching up with the news! Others can for new/newer guests and then one Principle with more people, we also relax in our living room, where we week for our more advanced guests and have been looking at the balance encourage self-introductions and new members. We have a core group of between informal and formal ways of making new friendships. brothers and sisters in our community interacting with one another during our Family Evenings, and also the value of who have been faithfully supporting the sharing with our friends and guests Family Evenings for the last few years, practical things that we are doing in our and also some of our new members will movement, as well as the principles come along to support the newer guests behind them. In other words, a balance when we have an introductory evening, of ‘words and deeds’ to show that we which is wonderful. are ‘practicing what we preach’. People generally find this very inspiring and empowering, and it helps them to connect to and more deeply understand the Principle. We rarely manage to begin at 7.00pm (!) but the friendly exchanges beforehand can help to create a good atmosphere, so we don’t worry too much. On moving into the study room, our resident musician, Tom Pritty, generally leads us in a couple of songs When we have any new guests Patricia which helps everyone to focus together. If there are any Muslim friends with us, will give a 15 - 20 minute talk, with PowerPoint slides, outlining some of we try to sing some gentler, more the main activities we have carried out devotional songs and generally this is no problem for them. Usually any locally, or been involved in at the Although our evening begins officially national and international level : social at 7.00pm, people begin arriving from Muslim guests are quite open-minded and humanitarian projects, educational 6.00 o’clock onwards. Some are coming in order to come to the Family activities, discussion meetings and straight from work, so we provide some Evenings in the first place. conferences, and especially meetings

where we bring diverse groups of return home empty-handed. She was (pictured below), and at an people together to meet and learn from fasting that day because of the Introductory Talk on the 22nd we had one another. This gives credibility to seriousness of her situation, and David 15 new guests from 10 different what we then have to say, and opens happened to use her as an example countries. peoples’ minds to the possibilities for when he was speaking about the mind peace. David then speaks for 40 being subject over the body, briefly minutes or so, trying to share a few key outlining her troubles. Patricia had also points which can catch everyone’s given her talk about our peace imagination, trying to make the activities. The next morning the Principle relevant to what is happening minister’s wife called Patricia and said in our world, and relevant to peoples’ that she wanted to give us £1000 : day-to-day lives, but also going a little £500 for our peace activities, and £500 bit on the spirit of the occasion and the for the young woman to help her with feeling coming from the guests who are her difficulties ! there.

On July 10th, we had 24 people from A few months ago in July, for example, our advanced group study the life and We generally conclude each evening we had an Introductory Talk with work of Jesus, and then 12 new guests with the opportunity to ask one or two several new people present. One was heard an Introductory Talk on the 17th. questions, or make comments, one the wife of a Christian minister, and In August, with many people being on song together, and then serve drinks another a young Nigerian woman. The holiday, we had one evening for our and refreshments. We chat to everyone young woman, a Muslim, had come to advanced group when 17 people looked and encourage them to make friends, study in Birmingham but her college at the special role of women in with the possibility of meeting again had lost its license, and was refusing to Providential History on the 21st. On next time and progressing on our refund the fees she had paid, resulting September17th, 21 of our advanced journey together. in difficulties for her with the Home group heard the Parallels of History Office and her possibly being forced to again with lessons for our present time