Western Gathering:
FGConnections Fall 2006
An Unlimited Supply of Love
By Maya Campbell-Unsoeld
 Maya Campbell-Unsoeld and Rosa Ostrom |
Tacoma, Washington. Not really considered a destination by many where I live, an hour south in Olympia. Friends General Conference, 2006. That holds more allure. A week of Quakers from all over the country. How could I resist? The High School program. 150 teenagers who care about the things I care about and who accept you unconditionally without any hesitation. This is really why I went to Gathering this summer. I had never been before and I did not know what to expect, but I knew that, no matter what, it would be a wonderful experience and worth going. Truthfully, it is very hard to describe how much I enjoyed Gathering. It was definitely the highlight of my summer and one of the most powerful experiences of my life.
Young Friends are the most involved, talented, caring, and accepting group of people I have ever met. The community we created this summer was one of powerful love and laughter that carried us across all barriers. Outdoor sports were a very popular activity, soccer and ultimate Frisbee in particular. Though I had only played ultimate Frisbee once before, I found myself welcomed into that group without pause. There were people knitting, singing, and playing games everywhere.
Young Friends know how to have fun, with massage circles, dances, and games, but we also know when it is time to slow down and think about the world around us. The high school program planned an all day peace vigil for the whole gathering when we learned that North Korea had tested a missile. We mourned the lives lost all over the world to war and we prayed for peace. Also, a group of about twelve people in the high-school program figured out, with our advisors and parents, how to take public transportation to Olympia so we could participate in a counter protest against a small Neo-Nazi rally. We felt led to make this statement and we made it happen. I was one of the twelve who, along with our adult presences, took buses down to Olympia and sat in silence wearing white shirts with “Quaker Youth Speaking Truth” on the back. On the front, each person wrote a personal truth that they felt was important. These included peace, love, hope, justice, compassion, and many more. We made a peaceful, non-provocative statement on an important issue. We planned, organized, and carried it out by ourselves with the support of many helpful adults. It was amazing.
It’s funny how the rest of the world views Quakers. A misconception of oatmeal is one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about people’s reactions to hearing that I am a Quaker. Many believe that, since we are peaceful and helped free slaves, we must have nothing else to do. We only sit around and sing folk songs. All of the men have beards and we can’t have fun. Ok, so we do sing a lot and…many Quaker men have beards, but we are not confined to homespun clothes and pious games. During the week we played many games that may not be considered “Quakerly.” Wink is one that, when I describe it to my non-Quaker friends, brings expressions of surprise. It really is mostly harmless and it allows us to get out pent up feelings without causing others to become angry or resentful. And since we play it, it is a Quaker game, whether peaceful or not!
Another thing that added to my enjoyment of the week was our business meetings. Maybe I’m unusual, but these events gave me a sense of peace, cooperation, and hope. I’d heard about FGC business meetings. They were said to drag on for hours, into the early morning, and without consensus, it was hard to move on from item to item. But business meetings were just as important to me as anything else. Granted, they were long (though not unusually so), but they are what really brought us together as a community. We listened to every person who felt a need to speak, no matter what, and mutual decisions were made on everything. Quaker process is an incredible thing. I only wish the rest of the world understood its importance and effectiveness. I don’t think anyone left our meetings with a feeling of anger or frustration. We worked everything out to the very best of our abilities and tried to accommodate everyone.
FGC Gathering connected me with Quaker youth from all over the United States and Canada. It gave me a community where I feel comfortable being myself, speaking up and acting on issues that are important to me. I find that leaving these types of communities is the hardest thing imaginable. These communities include tears, laughter, healing, growth, and an unlimited supply of love. Reentering a “normal” society is hard. No one is able to measure up to the special people I left and I get frustrated with petty disagreements that should easily be forgotten. But I smile and get through without anger because I know that next summer, and at my other Quaker gatherings, I will be reunited with the wonderful people who make my world special.
See you in Wisconsin!
Maya Campbell-Unsoeld lives in Olympia, Washington and is an attender at Olympia Monthly Meeting. She has been playing a lot of soccer lately and working insanely hard at school. She is excited to join other FGC high school clerks for a clerking workshop at Pendle Hill in November.
Western Gathering
- Expanding Circles by Aimee Bucholz
- Listen and Obey the Spirit by Rubye Howard Braye
- Touching others … others touching us by John Helding
- Water Has Memory by Raelyn Joyce
- Living Water Cards
- Sailing to Gathering by Linda Hill and John Scull
- More Reflections from the Western Gathering
