{"id":4469,"date":"2023-03-25T15:43:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T15:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordquaker.com\/newsletter\/?page_id=4469"},"modified":"2023-03-25T18:16:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T18:16:52","slug":"oxford-meeting-quaker-and-answer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oxfordquaker.com\/newsletter\/april-2023\/oxford-meeting-quaker-and-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford Meeting Quaker and Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Julia Dallaway<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Julia Dallaway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who, what, when, where, and why – are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m Julia \u2013 a twenty-five-year-old living in Oxford, currently studying for my PhD in English at the University.<\/p>\n

Do you have a memory that brings you comfort in times of hardship?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few years ago, I had an experience that felt spiritually profound while exploring an abandoned church in Heptonstall, West Yorkshire. This roofless church seemed somehow like a perfect metaphor for the broken body of Christ, in both its woundedness and its openness to the world. I often return to this memory to remind me of the radical openness at the centre of my faith.<\/p>\n

How long, if you are, have you been a Quaker (or attender)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been attending for more than six years, which is hard for me to believe! My first few Meetings for Worship were at Jesus Lane Meeting in Cambridge, but I soon settled here at Oxford Meeting as a first-year undergraduate in 2016.<\/p>\n

What brings you joy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deep conversations. Reading literature, particularly memoir \u2013 I think my literary tastes can be summed up as \u201cweird women throughout history\u201d, from medieval mystics to experimental modernists. The unexpected beauties of the natural world, especially the transitions we see in spring and autumn. Rare moments of inspiration that happen when I\u2019m writing. And, of course, Young Adult Friends on Monday nights.<\/p>\n

Do you have a passage from QF&P that you would like to draw Friends attention to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I keep coming back to this 1987 passage from Marrianne McMullen: \u2018Ministry is what is on one\u2019s soul, and it can be in direct contradiction to what is on one\u2019s mind. It\u2019s what the Inner Light gently pushes you toward or suddenly dumps in your lap. It is rooted in the eternity, divinity, and selflessness of the Inner Light; not in the worldly, egoistic functions of the conscious mind.\u2019 (2.66)<\/p>\n

What was the last book you read?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to the nature of my degree, I\u2019m always reading, but the last book I read cover to cover was Suppose a Sentence<\/em> (2020) by Brian Dillon. Dillon is one of my favourite contemporary writers and I had a joyous excuse to re-read his work while working on a review of his latest publication.<\/p>\n

What would you say to someone coming to MfW for the first time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever I\u2019m bringing friends along, I make sure to stress how unthreatening and undemanding a Quaker meeting is! I think I would say: \u201ccome as you are and no one will expect of you anything in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can you describe what Quakerism is to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m quite spiritually eclectic (across various Christian traditions), but I\u2019m always compelled back to Quakerism for its simple yet radical belief in our direct experience of God. The Quaker testimony to equality is also vital to me.<\/p>\n

If you could do anything, what would you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a terrifying question, but I guess I\u2019d want to bring some sort of healing to wherever it is needed. I sometimes hope that writing can do that, if only in a small way.<\/p>\n

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Oxford Quaker and Answer Callout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Editors of Forty-Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are interested in featuring in the Forty-Three Newsletter\u2019s new Quaker and Answer section, please email<\/p>\n

newsletter@oxfordquakers.org<\/a><\/p>\n

to express your interest and we will be in touch.<\/p>\n

It is an opportunity to tell the wider meeting who you are and what you\u2019re doing!<\/p>\n

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This Month’s Forty-Three Newsletter Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n