Bringing Forth the Wonders of the Spirit: Broadcasting the Truth

By Mark Judkins Helpsmeet

When I was 13, I was a Boy Scout, like Steve Chase. However, at 13 Steve did something that I had no inkling of doing—he took a principled stand against the War in Vietnam, to the disgust of his scoutmaster, and got tossed out of the institution to which he was passionately connected. One of the protesting Quakers present to witness the scoutmaster’s tirade made a wise and rewarding decision. She went to Steve and told him he’d always be welcome at the Quaker meeting. It was the right moment and invitation for Steve. He tracked down the local Quakers, found which home they were meeting in, and became a lifetime member of the Religious Society of Friends—starting at 13.

Anna Sandidge was obviously not a Boy Scout, but she was another principled young person. At 12, she wrote a letter to the pastor of the church her family attended, taking him to task for engaging the police to keep the homeless out of the church’s entryway at night. Didn’t Jesus say we should care for the poor and needy? By 15, Anna was looking for a spiritual home that fit, and she was fortunate enough to know a librarian who invited her to attend Friends meeting. Anna met all of her parents’ conditions (attend their church first, finish all homework, etc, and then she could go to Quaker meeting) and found a spiritual home that fit for her.

Friends, there are amazing and inspiring spiritual stories all around us, most of them ignored by the media. The liberal/radical media is often religiousphobic. The mainstream media is often materialistic, conformist and has little interest in a religion that is off-the-beaten-track. The religious media is canted to the right so far that they seem to ignore the liberal-tinged, Spirit-led, end of the spectrum. There are, of course, exceptions, but they are few and far between.

The first generations of Quakers were known as Publishers of the Truth and they proliferated wildly. Most of today’s Quakers are more cautious about evangelizing, and a lot of our publishing is either inwardly directed, or politically specific. However, a new day may be dawning.

The two stories above were from interviews I did for my Spirit in Action radio program. In these programs, I search out the spiritual roots and fruits of folks faithfully doing the work of the Spirit. Some are Quaker, but many are not. Peace, justice and care of creation are regular topics, but I have had guests whose work is theology, midwifery, bodywork, spiritual direction and many other forms of healing and activism. Even when my guests are non-Quakers, or even non-religious, the Quaker thread is always woven into the fabric, and regular listeners end up knowing much of the spirit of Quakerism.

I do a second program called Song of the Soul, and this series seeks the Light and ministry of each guest through the music that speaks of their spiritual path, journey or beliefs. It is an exercise in listening deeply. My work is to invite out their ministry, to help bring forth the wonders of Spirit that Quakers recognize is universal—and music is a beautiful vehicle for that expression. Whether my guest is a musician like Holly Near, Susan Stark or Peter Blood or an unknown non-musician, it is a great opportunity to call forth “that of God in all.”

For the past three years, I have been producing these radio programs under the name Northern Spirit Radio and they are all available at www.NorthernSpiritRadio.org. What started out as a clearness committee on my vocational direction turned into a support committee for Northern Spirit Radio. My monthly meeting then passed care and direction to an anchoring committee set up by Northern Yearly Meeting. It is made up of dear Friends who help test my leadings, challenge me to go deeper, help me find my true ministry and encourage me in the work. One concrete outcome of their guidance is the interviews I have been conducting in front of audiences at the FGC Gatherings for the past two years, a suggestion that emerged from the committee. I have also joined with a group of Friends of all flavors to create Friends World Media with our web site, www.SpeakingTrouth.org, hosting audio and visual media by or about Quakers.

Friends mostly tend to avoid self-promotion, and that is something many of us respect most about Quakers. Many of us find enthusiasm and energy for the peace and justice causes that Friends support, but supporting public ministry draws mixed reviews. One critique of our religious society is that we fail to preach what we practice. There is some deep internal conflict here. Yet Way may be opening for a new wave of Quaker ministry. The Quaker Quest outreach program is getting lots of support and promotion through FGC. Quaker blogs are growing. The Broadcasters of the Truth workshop I led at the 2008 FGC Gathering drew in many extremely enthusiastic Quaker liberal evangelists. Could it be that we will find increasing clearness to support modern day Publishers of Truth? If we do, I believe it could be a blessing for Quakerism and for all of our society.

Consider some of the ways you can help Quakers find their voice:
• Post a link to Quaker-based programs and media, like NorthernSpiritRadio.org, HeatlhyMediaChoices.org, WarNewsRadio.org and SpeakingTruth.org
• Sponsor Quaker programs on local stations. For example, I just found out that the Friends worship group on Lopez Island, Washington, is sponsoring my Spirit In Action program on their community radio station.
• Provide clearness and support for your members led into public ministry.

The 1955 minutes of the AFSC board include reports that they provided lots of guest spots on commercial broadcasts—419 programs, 91 guests, 283 stations played 10,174 times! Perhaps we could match and surpass that by harnessing the power of the Internet and our considerable creativity and Spirit. Let us all become Broadcasters of Truth!

About the Author(s)

Mark Judkins Helpsmeet is a member of Eau Claire (WI) Friends Meeting, a terminal extrovert and a passionate folk dancing computer programmer. His main focus is now producing Quaker-inspired radio programs as Northern Spirit Radio.