Evening Programs
All-Gathering Welcome
Saturday June 28, 7:30 PM
The clerks invite all ages to gather for brief stories, and songs of courage and faithfulness as we meet and greet one another to begin our week’s journey together.
James Lawson
Sunday June 29, 7:00 PM
James Lawson will speak to the theme Courageously Faithful, drawing from a lifetime of experience with nonviolent resistance. Lawson’s actions have been informed by deep conviction since before he served prison time as a conscientious objector during the Korean War, unwilling to claim the deferments for which he was eligible. He studied Gandhian theory first as a college student and then again in India in the mid-1950s. He has long been proponent of non-violent resistance to racism and injustice, and has been a mentor to activists throughout the nation. Martin Luther King Jr. called Lawson the “leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.”
For 25 years, Lawson served as pastor of the largest Methodist church in Los Angeles, retiring in 1999. He is currently a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University. He has extensively studied Quaker theology, and says that every time he teaches about nonviolence, he teaches about Quakerism.
Rex Ellis, Storyteller
Monday June 30, 7:00 PM
Rex Ellis is a teacher, historian and storyteller. He is currently vice president of the Historic Area at Colonial Williamsburg and former chair of the Division of Cultural History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. For years he has been fascinated with history and storytelling, and has used storytelling to educate and entertain contemporary audiences about their own times. Ellis believes that storytelling is an excellent means for teaching sensitive cultural subjects within the home and community to break down artificial social barriers. On one occasion Ellis noted, “I have seen bridges built with storytelling that invite listeners and tellers to unite in ways that are more potent than a town meeting and more healing than a therapy session. It’s pretty hard to hate someone whose story you know.” This plenary is designed for adults and teens.
Tribe1: All-Gathering Concert
Tuesday July 1, 7:00 PM
Tribe1 is an ensemble of singers, poets and drummers dedicated to performing songs of transformation—songs that nurture the soul and remind us of our interconnection, songs that inspire, and motivate us to shout for joy and vibrate with truth. Tribe1 rouses the heart, bridges disconnection, and awakens the audience to the essential joy, unity and compassion of human experience.
Tribe1 has toured the United States and abroad. Its members include community activists, conflict resolution consultants and educators, as well as singers, poets and drummers.
Interest Groups
Wednesday July 2, 7:00 PM
These small-group sessions often spark new leadings and insights. Choose from the varied topics offered by Quakers at work in and around the world—including peace, education, the military draft and conscientious objection, prayer, and the environment and stewardship of resources. To offer an interest group, submit a completed proposal by May 7.
Peterson Toscano
Thursday July 3, 7:00 PM
A refugee with deep religious roots, Peterson Toscano has found a home in Quakerism. Toscano has received much from being among Friends, and seeks to give back through his inspiring and thought-provoking work that confronts our beliefs, assumptions and practices. He has shared his Quaker faith and his performance work in diverse venues from Cameroon to Saskatoon, presenting at Friends gatherings throughout the US and UK. But his broadest reach extends beyond the Quaker world. From private meetings with conservative pastors in Scotland to the pages of People magazine, Toscano seeks to inspire truth and reconciliation through storytelling. A performer imbued with compassion and love, Toscano skillfully morphs into his zany and lovable characters. By poking fun at our human foibles, he reminds us of our human dignity.
What should you expect? Humor, theater, vulnerable storytelling, a challenging insightful message, and most likely a few surprises.
Mary Gilbert: Freshwater Faithfulness
Friday July 4, 7:00 PM
Mary Gilbert will host a program on the gift and blessing of freshwater. Gilbert has learned about international freshwater issues through representing Quaker Earthcare Witness at the United Nations and through study at Vandana Shiva’s school in India. The evening will address who owns water and look at how access to water is controlled.
We will view parts of the documentary Thirst, which gives a piercing look at the conflict between public stewardship and private profit, illustrated by communities in Bolivia, India and the United States, and at the 2003 World Water Forum in Japan. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Friends who are being courageously faithful for freshwater. The program will conclude with a discussion of how we might be led to better manage the freshwater on which life depends.
Saturday June 28, 7:30 PM
The clerks invite all ages to gather for brief stories, and songs of courage and faithfulness as we meet and greet one another to begin our week’s journey together.
James Lawson
Sunday June 29, 7:00 PM
James Lawson will speak to the theme Courageously Faithful, drawing from a lifetime of experience with nonviolent resistance. Lawson’s actions have been informed by deep conviction since before he served prison time as a conscientious objector during the Korean War, unwilling to claim the deferments for which he was eligible. He studied Gandhian theory first as a college student and then again in India in the mid-1950s. He has long been proponent of non-violent resistance to racism and injustice, and has been a mentor to activists throughout the nation. Martin Luther King Jr. called Lawson the “leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.”For 25 years, Lawson served as pastor of the largest Methodist church in Los Angeles, retiring in 1999. He is currently a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University. He has extensively studied Quaker theology, and says that every time he teaches about nonviolence, he teaches about Quakerism.
Rex Ellis, Storyteller
Monday June 30, 7:00 PM
Rex Ellis is a teacher, historian and storyteller. He is currently vice president of the Historic Area at Colonial Williamsburg and former chair of the Division of Cultural History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. For years he has been fascinated with history and storytelling, and has used storytelling to educate and entertain contemporary audiences about their own times. Ellis believes that storytelling is an excellent means for teaching sensitive cultural subjects within the home and community to break down artificial social barriers. On one occasion Ellis noted, “I have seen bridges built with storytelling that invite listeners and tellers to unite in ways that are more potent than a town meeting and more healing than a therapy session. It’s pretty hard to hate someone whose story you know.” This plenary is designed for adults and teens.Tribe1: All-Gathering Concert
Tuesday July 1, 7:00 PM
Tribe1 is an ensemble of singers, poets and drummers dedicated to performing songs of transformation—songs that nurture the soul and remind us of our interconnection, songs that inspire, and motivate us to shout for joy and vibrate with truth. Tribe1 rouses the heart, bridges disconnection, and awakens the audience to the essential joy, unity and compassion of human experience. Tribe1 has toured the United States and abroad. Its members include community activists, conflict resolution consultants and educators, as well as singers, poets and drummers.
Interest Groups
Wednesday July 2, 7:00 PM
These small-group sessions often spark new leadings and insights. Choose from the varied topics offered by Quakers at work in and around the world—including peace, education, the military draft and conscientious objection, prayer, and the environment and stewardship of resources. To offer an interest group, submit a completed proposal by May 7.
Peterson Toscano
Thursday July 3, 7:00 PM
A refugee with deep religious roots, Peterson Toscano has found a home in Quakerism. Toscano has received much from being among Friends, and seeks to give back through his inspiring and thought-provoking work that confronts our beliefs, assumptions and practices. He has shared his Quaker faith and his performance work in diverse venues from Cameroon to Saskatoon, presenting at Friends gatherings throughout the US and UK. But his broadest reach extends beyond the Quaker world. From private meetings with conservative pastors in Scotland to the pages of People magazine, Toscano seeks to inspire truth and reconciliation through storytelling. A performer imbued with compassion and love, Toscano skillfully morphs into his zany and lovable characters. By poking fun at our human foibles, he reminds us of our human dignity. What should you expect? Humor, theater, vulnerable storytelling, a challenging insightful message, and most likely a few surprises.
Mary Gilbert: Freshwater Faithfulness
Friday July 4, 7:00 PM
Mary Gilbert will host a program on the gift and blessing of freshwater. Gilbert has learned about international freshwater issues through representing Quaker Earthcare Witness at the United Nations and through study at Vandana Shiva’s school in India. The evening will address who owns water and look at how access to water is controlled.We will view parts of the documentary Thirst, which gives a piercing look at the conflict between public stewardship and private profit, illustrated by communities in Bolivia, India and the United States, and at the 2003 World Water Forum in Japan. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Friends who are being courageously faithful for freshwater. The program will conclude with a discussion of how we might be led to better manage the freshwater on which life depends.
This page is part of the FGC Gathering online archives - for information on this years conference visit
FGCgathering.org
FGCgathering.org
