Our Area Meeting

Coming to Area Meeting

All members of the Area Meeting are encouraged to come to Area Meeting and do not need to register. Since 2016, Area Meeting has been meeting five times a year in the five Meeting Houses in different parts of the county.

Attenders (see below) are also welcome - but please ask the clerk first. When we come to certain items of business (e.g. membership applications), please note that attenders are asked to wait outside.

Area Meetings are Meetings for Worship in which we make decisions. If this is your first time at Area Meeting, it is normally a good idea to attend the preceding Local Meeting as sometimes AM business is discussed there by way of preparation.

You will normally need to bring a packed lunch, but please check as some Area Meetings have other arrangements such as a bring-and-share lunch. If you have any access requirements, please do check with the clerk in advance so that we can make suitable adjustments.

Each Local Meetings should appoint representatives to Area Meeting, so that our discernment benefits from a variety of experiences. If you are a representative to Area Meeting, you should make every effort to attend or let the AM clerk know if you cannot attend. Note that it is not necessary to be appointed a representative to attend.

Becoming a Member

Although Friends are attached to the Local Meetings where they worship on Sunday, Friends hold membership of the Area Meeting.

If you have recently become interested in Quakers, you are probably an attender (the term enquirer is also used). Some people remain attenders for several years; others soon feel sure they belong with Quakers. When you feel like you belong, we encourage you to consider applying for membership. You become a member by applying for membership of the Area Meeting. There are two ways to do this, explained in the leaflet.

Please note that each Area Meeting has its own procedure.

Children may be members if they have applied individually; they do not become members through their parents’ membership.

Members of other Area/Monthly Meetings

If you are already a member of another Area (or Monthly Meeting in another Yearly Meeting), you have three options:

• If you are visiting briefly but plan to attend a business meeting, please let the clerk know.
• If you are staying in the area for a fixed period, you can register as a sojourning member. You will remain a member of your home meeting, but you are welcome to take a full part in all aspects of the life of our Area Meeting.
• If you wish to transfer your membership from another meeting, you should contact the clerks of both meetings; the clerk of the meeting you are leaving will initiate a transfer.

Items brought to Area Meeting

Items brought to Area Meeting would normally come from:

• A minute of a Local Meeting
• A minute of Britain Yearly Meeting or Meeting for Sufferings
• A minute of another Area Meeting in Britain Yearly Meeting
• A minute of a group appointed by Area Meeting, such as:
  • The Area Meeting Clerking Team
  • The Area Meeting Trustees
  • The Area Meeting Nominations Committee
  • Elders or Overseers, either meeting collectively, or through a minute of their LM groups
• Roles appointed by Area Meeting, in the capacity in which they have been appointed, such as:
  • Individuals appointed to attend a conference on behalf of AM (typically, to give a report)
  • The Area Meeting Treasurer (about a financial matter)

Items should be sent, with supporting information, to the AM clerk at clerk@cambridgeshire-quakers.org.uk.

Reports and Minutes

It has been our custom at Area Meeting to post reports presented to AM on the website before we meet; highlights are presented when we gather so there is more time for discussion and more focus on key issues.

You should see a list of meetings below, ordered by date (Year, Month) - scroll down to see the latest. You can also find these on Google drive