FWCC

Christina Repoley

308 Friends from 41 countries, representing many Friends traditions, gathered in Ireland from the 11-19 of August 2007 to fellowship, do business, and consider the theme “Finding the Prophetic Voice for Our Time.” It was a full and rich gathering. In our daily worship we heard messages from seven Friends on this theme. We were presented with the concept of prophecy from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and early Friends. We wrestled with examples of contemporary prophetic witness and saw that our understanding of the call to prophetic ministry differs nearly as much as our practices and theologies differ. We had interest groups, working groups, singing, worship sharing groups, excursions, and conversations deep into the night.

I felt blessed and challenged by all of the speakers on the theme of prophetic ministry. A few thoughts on the theme that stick with me from the talk by Marion McNaughton of Britain Yearly Meeting:

One does not choose to be a prophetic, it is a calling from God, and often one that is resisted and unwelcome;
Prophecy is rooted in the religious values of the community, it reveals where the community has been faithful and where it has failed to be faithful.