Resources for Fostering Vital Friends Meetings

HOW TO USE:

Resources for Fostering Vital Friends Meetings is a compilation of materials gathered from field secretaries and religious education teachers for use by meetings to bring out the best possible learning on a wide variety of topics ranging from ministry to diversity, from reconciliation to reading lists. Educators, ministers, field workers, administrators, and workshop leaders will find this collection invaluable.

We are taking each article and putting it online individually: the linked articles in this article index are available as standard webpages. Until they're done, the entire book is available as one large file in Adobe Acrobat's PDF format:

Read and Download it Here (Adobe Acrobat format, 825 kb, approx. 5 minutes with a 28.8 modem). You can download a free Acrobat reader here!

THE PRINTED BOOKS:

These Resources are the second-part of a two-part book collection called Fostering Vital Friends Meetings.

Part 1 is a handbook ($12.00) for working with Quaker meetings. Growing from the common purpose of nurturing and encouraging meetings, Fostering Vital Friends Meetings assembles the collected wisdom of many years of fieldwork among unprogrammed meetings. This handbook provides carefully seasoned guidelines, tools and exercises that any meeting can use to strengthen its Quaker practice. Authors Marty Walton and Jan Greene distilled eight years of notes, interviews and resources assembled by field workers into a concise and user-friendly manual. Sections detail who, what, how and why people can be about the work of fostering vitality in Friends meetings everywhere.

THE FGC QUAKER LIBRARY:

FGC has a number of online publications in addtion to these Resources for Fostering Vital Friends Meetings. Please check out the Quaker Library for articles organized by topic and author. The author index includes all of the articles listed in these Resources.

Article index:

Introduction

Introduction to Resources

7: Membership

8: Religious Diversity

Renewing the Covenant: Can Our Branches Be Olive Branches?, by Douglas Gwyn
Silence and Preaching, by Janey O'Shea
A Quaker Theology?, by Kenneth Lawton
Workshop: The Boundaries of Quakerism, by Janey O'Shea
The Unity of Paradoxical Quaker Extremes, by Bill Taber
Paradoxical Understandings to Hold in Creative Tension, by Frances Irene Taber
Workshop: Community in Diversity, by Jan Greene
Discussion Questions on Unity and Diversity, by "Who We Are"
Discussion Starter on Quaker Tradition, by Anne Thomas
The Divided Inheritance, by Leonard S. Kenworthy
Where Is the Hope for the Future of Quakerism?, by Elizabeth Claggett-Borne

9: Overcoming Racism and Bias

A Call for Racial Justice among Friends, by Paul Ricketts
The View from Here: Friends and Racism, by Joan Broadfield
Our Role as Individuals in America's Racial History: Atlanta Meeting Looks at Racism, by Bert Skellie and Adelaide Solomon-Jordan
How to Facilitate Frank Discussions of Hard Issues by Diverse Participants, by Future Leaders, Future Changes Program
Resources for Working on Racism and Bias, by (various)
Anti Bias and Anti Racism Programs, by Joan Broadfield
Inclusivity Race and Class: What Are the Quaker Barriers?, by Joan Broadfield and Bill Frysinger
Queries from Young Friends at FGC Gathering 1997

10: Friends Look at the Bible

Workshops on Children and the Bible, by Anne Thomas
Getting Adults Excited about the Hebrew Scriptures
Selected Stories from the Hebrew Scriptures
Bible Study: Luke 5:17-26 (Handout)
Adults Teaching the New Testament to Children
When a Child Asks for a Bible
Biblical Readiness, by Joanne Spears
Friendly Bible Study Method, by Joanne Spears
Swords into Plowshares: A Bible Study, by Ruth Kinsey
The Good, the Bad, the Uncomfortable Book, by Adam Corson-Finnerty
A Bible Study Method, by FGC Religious Education Committee

11: Quaker Process

The Purpose of Meetings for Worship and for Business, by Paul Lacey
On Meeting for Business, by Bill Taber
Patient Waiting, by Douglas Bishop and Bonnie Deutsch
Absent Friends and the Quaker Process, by Phil Oliver
Some Thoughts on Quaker Process, by Paul Lacey
Queries on the Meeting for Business, by San Francisco (CA) MM
A Nominating Committee Process, by Eleanor Warnock
Guidelines for Preparing a Committee Report, by Margallen Fichter
Workshop on Clerking, by Anne Thomas
Handout: Notes on Clerking
Handout: Minutes: Getting Then into Friends Hands
Workshop: A Consideration of Our Quaker Business Process, by Jan Greene

12: Stewardship

About Yearly Meeting Finances and Related Matters, by Ad Hoc Committee on the Financial Health of New England YM
Some Thoughts on Money and Stewardship, by RE Committee, Phila. YM
Discussion Starter: Helping a Meeting Consider Finances, by Jan Greene

13: Working with Groups

Guidelines for Small Group Facilitators, by Steve Smith
Needs Present in Groups, by Patsy Hayes Myers and Edward Myers Hayes
Group Dynamics and Games Leadership, by Patsy Hayes Myers and Edward Myers Hayes
The Nitty-Gritty Conference Planning Checklist, by Philadelphia YM

14: Young Friends

Some Thoughts on Teaching Teenagers, by Luther Conant
Queries on Relating with Youth, by Betsey Kenworthy
Organizing Programs for Quaker Teenagers, by Marsha Holliday
Some Observations and Suggestions Regarding the Status of Young Friends, by Doris Blossom
Betrayed by the Quaker Community, by Bruce Yarnall
How Quakers Can Regain Their Youth, by Anthony Manousos
A Beginning Proposal for Seventh Day Schools, by Anne Thomas
Notes about Working with Young Friends, by Jan Greene
Preventing Burnout, by Lissa Field
Healing the Teenager Within, by Judith Randall
Needs of Young Friends, by Cynthia Taylor
Being a "Significant Other Adult" in the Life of a Young Friend, by Jan Greene
A Young Friends' Guide to Worship Sharing, by Phila. YM Young Friends
Setting Priorities for Meeting Support of Quaker Youth, by Sandy Parker

15: Workshops, Programs and Activities

Nurturing the Spiritual Life of Friends, by Jan Greene
Meeting Renewal, by Jan Greene
Some Characteristics of Vital Friends Meetings, by Leonard S. Kenworthy
"Envisioning Our Future" Workshop, by Buffalo (NY) MM
Observing Our Meeting, by (source unknown)
On Membership, by Nancy Middleton
How Do We Express Our Faith to Others?, by Adam Corson-Finnerty
So, You've Been Asked to Speak about the Religious Society of Friends?, by Bob and Susie Fetter
The Fishbowl: A Program to Help Groups Work Through Conflict, by Lynne Woehlie
Sharing about One's Spiritual Journey, by Anne Thomas, CYM
Another Activity on Sharing Our Spiritual Journey, by PYM Quaker Studies
Creative Sharing Questions, by London Grove (PA) MM
Paradigms of Calls and Discoveries of Gifts, by Philadelphia Gifts Group
Worship Seeing: Drawing Out Gifts (multi-session), by (source unknown)
Exercise on Drawing Out Gifts (one session), by (source unknown)
Journaling Workshop, by Marsha Holliday
Peacemaking with Your Religious Past (five sessions), by Jan Greene
Your Spiritual Journey
The Haunting Church
Companions on the Way
From the Past to the Present
The Growing Edges
Handouts for above workshop
Owning Our Religious Past and Present (one session), by Anne Thomas
Spiritual Development Through Play, by FGC Religious Education Committee

Intergenerational Activities

Introductory Activity, by (source unknown)
People Hunt, by (source unknown)
Quaker Fruits and Nuts Treasure Hunt, by Betsy Muench
Yarn Toss Group Builder, by Shirley Dodson
Listening and Decision-Making Activity, by Chris Jorgensen
Meeting Quiz: A Light and Lively, by (source unknown)
Recipe for a Nurture Workshop in Your Home Meeting, by Anita Baker
The Great Valentines' Day Race, by (source unknown)
Toss a Feeling, by Winston Press
Tetrahedral Kites, by Daryl Bergquist

Meetings for Learning

Four Doors to Meeting for Worship, by Anne Thomas
Gifts and Ministries, by Anne Thomas
We're Going to Meeting for Worship, by Anne Thomas
The Quaker Meeting for Worship, by Anne Thomas
Answering That of God in Our Children, by Anne Thomas
Addressing Sexual Abuse in Friends' Meetings, by Anne Thomas
Testimonies and Traditions: Some Aspects of Quaker Spirituality, by Anne Thomas
The Wounded Meeting, by Anne Thomas
Questions of Integrity: A Quaker Perspective, by Anne Thomas
God is Silence, by Anne Thomas
Guide to Quaker Practice, by Anne Thomas
Meeting Needs, by Anne Thomas
Friends and Worship, by Anne Thomas
The Mission of Religious Education, by Jan Greene
Planning an Adult Religious Education Program for Your Meeting, by Shirley Dodson
Meeting Expectations: “Our Classroom Covenant,” by Anne Thomas
A Christmas Program: Echo Pantomime — “We Found Him,” by Anne Thomas

16: Queries and Quotes that Might Be Used in a Program or Workshop

On Faith, by (see Queries for sources)
On Prayer
On the Spiritual Journey
On Discernment
On Spiritual Gifts
On Pastoral Care
On Caring for Our Youth
On Meetings Serving Families
On Conflict
On Meeting for Worship
On Meeting for Worship With a Concern for Business
On Work as a Committee Member
On the Wholeness of the Monthly Meeting
On Meeting Renewal and Outreach
On Quaker Diversity
On Witness
On the Use of Language
On the Environment

17: Reading Lists

A Brief Reading List for Attenders, by Philadelphia YM
Meeting for Reading: A Beginning List, by Anne Thomas
Spiritual Nurture in the Religious Society of Friends, by Spiritual Nurture Conf.
Resources for Spiritual Friendship, by FGC Religious Education Committee
Keeping A Spiritual Journal: Some Suggested Readings, by (source unknown)
A Selected Bibliography for Quaker Families, by Philadelphia YM
The Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, by (source unknown)

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