Group Profile

Contact Details

Convenor: Peter Brophy
Location: Teesside
Phone: 07887 424014

About Us

We meet as a book club, exploring titles selected by our members, who come from different Christian traditions including Quakers, Methodists, Catholics, Anglicans and others.

We are a friendly, articulate, questioning group of people, very accepting of different points of view, and trusting of each other to disagree and remain good friends. We are concerned for each other, and supportive of each other. New members are always welcome.

Recent books have included “Sacred Nature” by Karen Armstrong, “Faith after doubt: why your beliefs stopped working and what to do about it” by Brian McLaren and Richard Rohr's "Falling upward". We had an interesting discussion of “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for: God for agnostics” by Paul Walker and were privileged to have the author present at one meeting. Currently we are looking at Brian McLaren’s “Do I stay Christian?”.

Other recent titles include "Morality" by Jonathan Sacks, "Days of Awe and Wonder" by Marcus Borg and "Biblical Literalism - a Gentile heresy" by John Shelby Spong.

Venue & Meeting Times

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month, gathering between 2.00 and 2.30 and meeting from 2.30 - 4.00.p.m. at The Friends' Meeting House, High Green, Great Ayton TS9 6BJ. The Meeting House is in the centre of Great Ayton, across the Green from the Royal Oak pub and the Co-op supermarket.

Group History

We began in 2005, and have met more or less monthly ever since. Until 2021 the group was led by the late Michael Wright.

Books - our discussions have ranged through works by Marcus Borg, Jack Spong, John Dominic Crossan, Karen Armstrong, Tom Wright, Keith Ward, Lloyd Geering, Brian McLaren, and Bart Ehrman.

Other Groups in North East England Region