Tavistock

Meeting for Worship: Sundays at 10 am. Meeting lasts for an hour and is followed by at least half an hour for tea, coffee and conversation. All are welcome, whether Quakers or not. If you haven't been to a Quaker Meeting for Worship before, click here.

Mid-week Meeting: On the last Wednesday in the month we have a Meeting for Worship for 45 minutes, starting at 12.30 pm. At 1.15 pm we have sandwiches, tea and chat, see Events below.

Evening Meeting: There is also a Discussion Meeting on the third Tuesday in the month, starting at 7.30 pm, see Events below.

Children’s Meeting: There is no children's meeting at present but of course children are welcome. We have a spare room (the library) below the meeting room. Please ring Kay Nicholson before you come with children.

Address:
Friends Meeting House
4 Canal Road
Tavistock
PL19 8AR.

Click on 'view map' under the photo, to see one. Turn off Plymouth Rd beside the public library to the main car park, and the Meeting House faces you as shown. There are charges for parking in Tavistock's car parks on Sundays, but free parking in the general use parking spaces on most or all the roads.


Co-Clerks: Carolyn Burch and Terry Faull in six -monthly rotation. Assistant clerk is Ken Orchard. Please contact the clerks through Kay Nicholson if possible, tel: 01822 614596, email: kay.nicholson2@btopenworld.com
Elders:Di Brace, Terry Faull
Overseers: Susan Gaunt.
General contacts:
- Pete Squire, tel: 01822 613168
- Kay Nicholson, tel: 01822 614596
- Alan Ray-Jones, tel: 01822 810606

-Treasurer : Richard Raggett

-Friends to advise on Burials and Cremations : Patricia Castle and Kay Nicholson

-Librarian : John Fell

-Room Bookings and weekly collections : Patricia Castle

-Premises Committee : David Williams, Wendy Miller, Bill Cramer

-Newsletter : Carolyn Burch and Lisa Vickers

-Convener of mid-week Meeting for Worship : Rosemary Berrington

Area Meeting Documents in Advance, Devon Quakers Newsletter and Tavistock Newsletter are sent to members by email every two months, by Carolyn Burch at carolynburch@btconnect.com and Lisa Vickers at vikrslm@googlemail.com
Carolyn Burch also sends to those without email.

Getting to Meeting on Sundays:

It's not easy to get to Tavistock without a car on Sundays, due to the lack of public transport. We come to the town from most points on the compass and some of us who have cars have spare seats, and are happy to give lifts to Meeting members and visitors whenever possible:

- From Brentor, on either road into Tavistock (one seat). Alan (01822 810606)
- From Launceston. Terry (01566 785556).

Taxi sharing is another possibility. If none of this works for you please ask the elders or the overseer for help or advice.

view Bing map

view map showing long stay car park, Meeting House, town centre, United Reformed Church

Mid-week Meeting for Worship. Everyone is welcome at the Meeting House on the last Wednesday of each month, including complete strangers, for a mainly silent Meeting for Worship starting at 12.30 pm and lasting for 45 minutes. There aren't many of us, so just push the door and come upstairs, between 12.15 and 12.25 pm. At 1.15 pm those who have brought sandwiches stay on to have lunch together, with tea or coffee and time to talk. It can be a good time to ask any questions you may have about Quakers/Friends, and have a general chat. See also below.

Evening Discussion Meeting: Again, everyone is welcome, this time for discussion on a particular subject as well as chat with tea or coffee. The meeting is held in the Meeting House or elsewhere on the third Tuesday in each month, from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm (the car park is free of charge from 6 pm).
But see also below

Quaker event dates are in red

 Friday 3rd and 17th May: The Meditation Group will hold their sessions at the Meeting House from 7.30pm until 9.00pm.

Tuesday 21st May: Discussion Meeting, 7.30pm at the Meeting House.

David Oddie, one of our members, will lead a discussion evening by talking about the recent work done by the Indra Congress. In particular their project linking young people in Beit Jala, West Bank with their peers in Derry, Northern Ireland.

6th June,2.30pm, Friends House, Euston Road, London: World War 1 Centenary - Remembering War Preparing for Peace. Further information from Claire Poyner, Network for Peace 07794 036602 or mail@networkforpeace.org.uk.

Blue Moon Sunday, 30th June: A Trustee from Devon Area Meeting will attend and following worship will explain the new set up for local and area meetings finances and the Trustees' role

Other Events of Interest

URC Discussion Evenings take place every Tuesday at 7.30pm in the URC Church and we are invited to join them. 

The Meeting House can be hired: The main space in the Meeting House is at first floor level and consists of two spaces separated by a straight flight stairwell (steep stairs). The south end space includes two benches and a kitchen area with sink, refrigerator, counter top and cupboards, fully equipped for serving drinks and light refreshments (no hob or oven, but there is a microwave). The north end space (the Meeting Room proper) has benches and chairs around the wall - all can be moved. It has a non-adjustable hearing loop for those who have a hearing aid with a T position. It also enables deaf people in the downstairs room (see below) to listen-in to the ministry, talk or discussion upstairs. There is no partition between the spaces upstairs but the kitchen area can be hidden with a curtain. The Meeting Room measures 16ft 11in (5.15m) long x 13ft 2in (4m) wide, and the overall size of the first floor is 33ft (10.09m) x 13ft 2in (4m).

The room on the ground floor measures 13ft 4in (4.06m) x 12ft 11in (3.95m). It can be used for meetings of up to five or six people. It does not have its own kitchen facilities. There is no WC in the building but a public facility can be accessed nearby at any time. Please ring 01822 610556 if you would like to have information on the hire charges or view the accommodation.

Concerns

Carbon Reduction: Quakers in Britain decided in 2011 to become a 'Low carbon community'. As a first step, all local Meetings are calculating as a base line, the amount of carbon they put into the atmosphere now as a result of getting to Meeting on Sunday or on other days and home again, as well as the amount produced by heating and lighting the Meeting House, both by them and by any tenants during the week. They are also asked to consider what they can do to reduce this amount of carbon, and to take action to do that.

As a further step, to be taken shortly, the Meeting will ask all members to calculate as a base line the amount of carbon they produce individually in their lives, at home and elsewhere, and to consider what they can do to reduce that amount.

Quaker Peaceworkers: Our contributions to Quaker Peaceworkers will help to support the staff in Geneva - Adam Drury is working on the disarmament programme and the other peaceworker is building on the office's successful work on protecting the rights of women in prison around the world. The Quaker Office provides a long-term commitment to research and concerns and works to bring "the voices of the voiceless" to the world's greatest political forum. See also here.

2012

In April we started a discussion evening on the second Tuesday each month, usually attended by up to ten people, and have discussed this year: what brought us to Quakers; on more than one occasion the steps we need to take to reduce our carbon footprint as a Meeting; what Advices and Queries mean to us; Discernment; and ‘Journeying in the Heartlands’. We had a talk by a guest from the local ecumenical Green Team; listened to and discussed a recording of a talk by the new Recording Clerk; and listened to and discussed the talks by Stuart Wallis of the New Economics Foundation and Symon Hill of Ekklesia at the Paths to Change gathering held at Exeter in September. This last was about changing economic systems worldwide and the need to persuade politicians that we must live within the limits imposed by the planet's natural systems and resources.

On 16 June the Meeting hosted a Devon & Cornwall Gathering which marked the start of planning for an all-age residential weekend at Sheldon a year later. This was followed in the evening by a performance of 'The Chocolate Paradox', a play by Plain Quakers, at the United Reformed Church in Tavistock.

A month later, the Meeting hosted a session of Devon Area Meeting, also at the URC.

In October we had an Open Day at the Meeting House for enquirers and started two once a month evening meetings about Quakerism, for Attenders.

By November about 19 to 21 Friends, Attenders, visitors and first timers were attending Sunday Meetings regularly (in 2005 it was about half a dozen).

2011

The Forgiveness Project: Many members of the Meeting were involved in mounting a major exhibition in the Town Hall from 24-26 February, which was preceded by smaller exhibitions at other venues in the town. Camilla Carr and Jon James spoke at the URC on Tuesday 22 February about their imprisonment for 14 months in a basement in Chechnya.

2010

Tavistock Meeting provided financial help to assist young Palestinians to attend the ARROW Global Congress 2010 at Marjon in Plymouth from 27^th June to 3^rd July

Sunday 23 May. Camilla Carr spoke about the Forgiveness Project. See http://theforgivenessproject.com/ for information

Tuesday 23 March. We invited the leaders of Christians Together in Tavistock (TACT) to the Meeting House for a social evening and information about Quakers in Tavistock

Saturday 13 February, 7pm at Parkwood Court: We held a social evening for Friends, Attenders and their partners. Last year it was cooked and served professionally, but this year it was 'bring and share'.

2009

Sunday 13 December, 11.30am: Judith Thompson of Exeter Meeting told us about Exeter's experience of operating 'Circles' for pastoral care and communication, introduced 15 years ago.

Saturday 28 November: Acoustic Cafe - the annual Tavistock Quakers' evening slot, with excellent live music and food. Our share of the proceeds (which means most of them) went towards Quaker Peaceworker placements in Geneva and elsewhere.

Sunday 27th September: Adam Drury, one of our two peaceworkers at the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, talked to us after Meeting for Worship about the work.

Saturday 20 June. GOOD LIVES - don't have to cost the Earth. This was a creative opportunity to bring head, heart and spirit together to equip ourselves for the future - of our own lives, of the planet and of humanity.

Wednesday 25 February at 2pm (after mid-week meeting and lunch): Study Group ended with '12 Quakers and Simplicity'. Mid-week Meeting continued

2008

29 November: Acoustic Cafe - a repeat of last year's successful event at the Parish Church Centre. 14 November: Social evening for members of Tavistock Meeting.

29 October: We held a study group after mid-week Meeting, based on 'Twelve Quakers and God'. This continued fortnightly throughout the winter.

17 October: we held a public meeting 'Curious about Quakers?' for enquirers and attenders, with vital support from Devon Outreach Committee.

Saturday 4 October: we had a stand in the Pannier Market as last year, and again on 9 October - the day after Goose Fair.

Saturday 6 September: we held a Meeting for Worship near Launceston Castle, attended by Friends from Devon and Cornwall and by members of the public, to celebrate George Fox's release from prison there in 1656.

Saturday 19 January: several members of the meeting attended the 'Hope Rising' ecumenical conference at Exeter Cathedral, on climate change, where excellent speakers led discussion groups throught the day. We will hold meetings at Tavistock FMH to decide what we can do to combat climate change.

Saturday 12 January was the first Devon Area Meeting, held at Exeter FMH (future Area Meetings will not be noted here). We also held the first half-hour long mid-week Meeting in Tavistock, on the last Wednesday of the month.

2007

28 November: a few of us were in the Meeting House from 12 to 4pm, to join in 'Just this Day'. Click here to see what it was about. It was mentioned in the Tavistock Times but as far as I know no non-Quakers came. It is an annual worldwide event, perhaps we can draw in more people next year.

24 November: Acoustic cafe event in aid of Quaker work in Uganda. A really good evening, many in the Meeting helped, the Parish Church Centre was very full. Financially very successful too.

28 October: Alison Prout from Friends House gave a talk about human security in the world.

14 October: Quaker Quest training day, over 20 of us including Friends from Plymouth, Okehampton and Totnes. We later decided not to 'do a Quaker Quest'.

29 September: the beginning of our National Quaker Week, with a stall for one day in Tavistock's Pannier Market, and the Meeting House open in the morning on that day and every day the following week, with a large new 'Quakers here' banner above the entrance.