Quaker Bridge-Building

EmilyStewart — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:15:58 +0000

In the first years of the Quaker movement, pairs of minister-evangelists set out from England to places around the world, crossing oceans and continents on trips that lasted months or years, to deliver the Quaker message as widely as they could. They crossed cultural and linguistic barriers apparently without hesitation, speaking the Truth that God gave them.... Read More

Holly Baldwin

I wasn’t always a Quaker who paid attention to Quaker diversity. But after a few years of seeking deeper connections among Friends in my meeting and yearly meeting, I found myself at the World Gathering of Young Friends in George Fox country in 2005, surrounded by other young adults who were seeking hard for connections with God and one another, and who envisioned an enlivened Society of Friends that has spiritual vitality and authenticity. And we were finding what we were seeking in worship and fellowship with one another—young Friends from across the spectrum of Quakers.

My f/Friend Raul spoke in worship one day (I paraphrase): “At home, I knew that God was powerful beyond my imagination. And yet, I thought I knew how he worked. I put God in a box. And now I can see that God has many ways that he works in the world. How foolish of me—I knew better.”

To me, the beauty of inter-visitation among the diversity of Friends is the opportunity to stretch our understanding of God, to question each other’s (and our own) traditions to find the vitality, and find the weak spots, and

The Young Quaker Christians Association (Africa) Triennial

EmilyStewart — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:08:41 +0000

Emily Stewart

Last year representatives from Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting and Evangelical Friends Church International were invited by the Young Quaker Christians Association (Africa) to attend the YQCA Triennial in Kenya. Holly Baldwin (from New England Yearly Meeting) and I were the representatives for Friends General Conference. There were over 75 young adult Friends at the conference from Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa, England, the U.S. and the Netherlands.

While attending the Triennial, I participated in an interest group session focused on our future as young Quakers, where we discussed the struggles we all face in the Quaker church and how we can work together to address them. I was shocked that almost every issue raised by young adult Friends in Africa was true for young adult Friends in the US and Canada. We talked about how to help churches support Quaker leaders, how to exchange information with other monthly and yearly meetings, how to work with older Friends, how to address the issues that are arising in our own meetings, how to nominate Friends based on spiritual gifts, and ways of reaching out to the global community of young Friends. We are doing such similar work, and though we may have different worship styles or theology, we each have a piece of the truth to bring to the table.

Singing at the YQCA Triennial

I spoke to Friends about what young people in Kenya are asking for in the Quaker church. Since many young people are not given positions of leadership (aside from leading worship and praise songs), many go to other churches. Some young Quakers are asking for a more Pentecostal style of worship, which includes altar calls (an opportunity to repent of your sins and make a new commitment to Jesus), and what is sometimes referred to as being “slain in the Spirit” (when you fall to the ground because the power of the Holy Spirit is upon you and you become cleansed of evil spirits). We were able to witness this type of experience at East Africa Yearly Meeting-North Youth Conference.

It reminded me of what a lot of young Quakers in the U.S. are asking for: opportunities to have visceral experiences of God. Though many early Friends experienced this in meeting for worship, that depth of worship-where everyone is opening themselves to be a vessel for God to enter- is less common today. I think this yearning for visceral experiences of God are why so many young people attend the conferences for young adult Friends in the U.S. The worship at the YAF conferences in 2007 and 2008 went deeper than any of my other experiences in meeting for worship. Friends were transformed by the united feeling of God’s presence and love in the room. We experienced God’s love by loving one another.

Emily Stewart lives in Philadelphia and attends Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. She serves as the Youth Ministries Coordinator for Friends General Conference.To see more photos from her trip you can check out Emily’s Kenya photos.

Read the epistle from the YQCA-A Triennial.

If you are interested in hearing more about Friends’ experiences at the YQCA Triennial, Jez Smith, one of the international visitors to the conference, has published articles in The Friend on “We are family”, “Giving thanks to God on life’s highway”, and “Young Friends prepare for leadership”.

Spirituality and Sexuality

emilys — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:05:38 +0000

How have you experienced an intersection between spirituality and sexuality in your life? What is your understanding of what faithful sexuality looks like? How do Quaker beliefs apply to our sexual identities and practices?

Spirituality and Sexuality is the theme for our blog series this fall on Quakeryouth.org. We hope that many of you will blog or post your comments. This is also an opportunity to talk about your meeting/church/spiritual community's understanding of what faithful sexuality looks like. Do you talk about it? Is it a source of conflict? If you are interested in contributing to the series, please email Emily at emilys@fgcquaker.org

An Introduction For its first three centuries, the Religious Society of Friends was straightforwardly aligned with broader Christian orthodoxy on sexual ethics questions. There were clear collective standards, and Friends could be (and were, in large numbers) disciplined for sexual offences like adultery and fornication...Read More

Becka Haines Rosenberg

Sexuality is a journey, just like spirituality is. We grow into it, the way we grow into the experience of waiting worship. It can be uncomfortable, even painful, but it can also be transformative. I’ve been told that we should expect to be transformed every time we walk into meeting for worship, even though there are some days when it feels like no one’s talking to us at all, let alone God. I think we have to approach our sexual experiences the same way. Because sex is never simply biological. We learn things through sex: sex by ourselves, sex with other people, sex we only have in our heads. All of that is opportunity for transformation and growth, for insight into what makes us tick as human beings. It’s when we shut ourselves off to that opportunity, when we minimize it and say, “It’s just sex,” that we get into trouble. We’ve been given bodies and minds to learn in, and discounting any part of that makes us less able to do the work God calls us to.

I can’t make choices about anyone else’s sexual expression for them, and no one else can make those choices for me. But part of what living in spiritual community means is that I am surrounded by people who help me find my path. When we speak with integrity about our own sexuality, we can’t even know who we’re reaching with our words. I remember things people said at FGC Gathering ten years ago that helped me get where I needed to be then; I don’t remember their names, but I feel the influence they’ve had on how I live my life.

I’m so grateful for the breadth of experience among Friends, for the wealth of perspectives on sexuality and spirituality I heard growing up. I’m glad that there were Friends in my life called to a path of celibacy when I started to wonder what I was waiting for; that there were Friends in my life modeling Quaker marriage when I was overwhelmed by the idea of a lifelong partnership; and that there were Friends in my life sharing about other romantic and sexual relationships, long- and short-term, when I was trying to find how I fit in. I still have plenty to learn. Luckily, I still have plenty of people to learn from. And maybe my own sharing will be what somebody else needs to hear one day.

Becka Haines Rosenberg is a member of Alexandria Monthly Meeting (Baltimore Yearly Meeting). She serves on the BYM's Youth Programs Committee and FGC's Advancement and Outreach Committee. She is happily unmarried and happily dating a wonderful woman named Lucy.

Spirituality and Sexuality

EmilyStewart — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:29:55 +0000

Kathleen Karhnak

When I learned about sexuality in religious ed during my teenage years, my teacher said, “Sexuality is a gift from God.” As a teenager, that concept was way too abstract for me. I just didn’t get it. In the ensuing years, I have come to a much richer, and still maturing, understanding of that phrase. As I consider the intersection of spirituality and sexuality – and as I consider the conspicuous absence of sexuality education from most Quaker First Day School programs – I find myself drawn back to that same message: Sexuality is a gift from God. What can we learn from that message and how can we share it among Quakers?

In what ways is sexuality a gift? For one, it’s fun! God could have given us any of a number of ways to procreate. There are animals for which sexual activity is perfunctory, or for which sexual activity is painful for at least one of the participants, usually the female. God didn't give us either of those options. Instead, God gave us sexuality that we can enjoy, and all of us have the capacity to enjoy it if we define sexuality broadly enough, and are kind and patient enough with ourselves and others. We can recall that joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and when the fruits of the Holy Spirit are present, that usually indicates we have been faithful in using our gifts. In other words, to misquote a saying which is often attributed to Ben Franklin (probably inaccurately), “Human sexuality is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

I seek to remain teachable. My ideas about sexuality have expanded as I have grown older and more secure in myself and my relationship with my wife, Carrie, and perhaps most significantly, as I’ve learned to take myself less seriously...

Spirituality and Sexuality

EmilyStewart — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:13:44 +0000

Micah Bales

"Sexuality" is a complicated word. For some, it might primarily be related to sexual acts. For others, it might refer to understandings of heterosexuality and homosexuality. Many understand sexuality as being linked with gender identity. Sexuality is such a complicated word because it is all of these things, and more. Sexuality, as I understand it, is shorthand for the way in which God created us to relate to other human beings on an intimate level. Sexuality does not necessarily involve having sex, but it always involves intimacy and vulnerability to another.

Sexuality is one of the most powerful forces in human existence, for good and for ill. People frequently have their lives made miserable by abuse of their sexuality - through jealousy and betrayal, exploitation and callousness. But our sexuality, when treated as a holy and precious part of our lives, is also one of the most important ways that humanity relates to God. Our nature as sexual beings has the potential to disrupt our relationship with God, or to bring us more completely into Communion...

Spirituality and Sexuality

emilys — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:15:25 +0000

This piece from Friends' Journal explores some of the need for dialogue in Quaker communities around spirituality and sexuality. Our three featured blog posts will look at these issues from a more personal perspective.

Sexual Ethics: What Is Our Goal?
by Joanna Hoyt

(Joanna Hoyt, a member of Portland (Maine) Meeting, has worked and worshiped for the last eight years at St. Francis Farm, a community in upstate New York that practices an alternative to the consumer culture through prayer, sustainable agriculture/forestry, and presence and assistance to neighbors. These are excerpts from an article that appeared in the June 2009 special issue of FRIENDS JOURNAL on Marriage, Gender, and Relationships. ©2009 Friends Publishing Corporation. Reproduced with permission. www.friendsjournal.org)

As I understand it, the central Quaker commitment is to listen to the Spirit’s promptings and act faithfully in accordance with them, however difficult or unpopular they may be. This shared commitment allows people with different beliefs, gifts, and wounds to support one another, hold one another accountable, and find true unity. I have seen Friends unite in this way across differences of class, theology, politics, and vocation. This unity is more than mutual tolerance or even respect; it challenges, deepens, and transforms all who take part in it. I believe that we need this kind of healing and transformation as we struggle with our different understandings of sexuality and spirituality. . . .

Weaving Sacred Wholeness Slideshow

EmilyStewart — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:55:39 +0000

Quakers from the U.S and Canada came together in March 2009 for the conference Weaving Sacred Wholeness: Exploring our Diversity as Friends. It was such a powerful experience to be on the grounds of the Penn Center worshiping, singing, playing and listening to Friends of all ages tell their stories of struggle and celebration within their Quaker communities.

Although there may always be times when Friends intentionally or unintentionally hurt or offend one another, it is in how we respond in these instances that we have an opportunity to truly be vessels for God’s love. If we commit to holding each other accountable for our actions, being witnesses, advocates, listeners, and confronting one another in loving ways, then we move a little closer to weaving sacred, whole communities that support and nurture the diversity among us.

~Emily Stewart

To find out more and to view the slideshow, click on the photo below.

Quaker History Skit at FGC Gathering 2009

EmilyStewart — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:33:23 +0000

A Short History of Quakerism in 10 easy parts from Friends General Conference on Vimeo.

Hey Friends,

Some of you may remember the awesome skit that Maya Wright wrote for the 2008 Young Adult Friends' Conference.
We are excited to announce that it will be performed at the opening plenary of the 2009 Gathering of Friends!

Anyone is welcome and encouraged to re-perform this skit, with or without alterations. Enjoy! In peace, Emily

DOWNLOAD THE SCRIPT

This slideshow accompanies the script.

| View | Upload your own

Awesome Summer Speaker Series at Pendle Hill

emilys — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:21:08 +0000

The Kin-Dom of God: Living into the Covenant

Pendle Hill's summer speaker series will take place on Thursday evenings from June 18 - July 23, 2009, from 7:30 - 9 pm in the Barn.

Featured speakers include Shane Claiborne, co-founder of the Simple Way Community and author of Jesus for President; Zachary Moon, Quaker student at Chicago Theological Union; Carl Magruder, a.k.a. The Earth Quaker; Noah Baker Merrill, Quaker founder of Direct Aid Iraq; Will O'Brien, founder of The Alternative Seminary in Philadelphia; and Debby Churchman, Quaker and resident of the Disciple House of Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. The series is free and open to the public. More info here

Quaker Youth, Quaker Quest Series

EmilyStewart — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:34:23 +0000

Quakers and Worship

An Introduction

The form and essence of Quaker worship comes from a distinctive Quaker understanding of the sacraments, particularly the nature of communion. In Quaker sacramental practice, worship is communion: the faith community uniting in a single body to dwell deeply in the presence of God. We affirm that spiritual reality can be accessible, even palpable, without the intervention of symbols and rituals. Instead of wafers and wine, Quaker communion consists of hearts and minds and spirits, opened to the in-dwelling of the divine.

Quakers, even those who are called "unprogrammed", practice both open and programmed forms of worship: waiting (sometimes called "silent") worship, and meeting for worship with a concern for business. Starting in the mid-19th century, Quaker worship broadened significantly from earlier forms. Many contemporary Quaker meetings sometimes include planned singing, scripture reading, corporate vocal prayer, or preaching in their worship. What characterizes all Quaker worship, regardless of form, is the intention to submit to God as head of the worshiping body, to become one in the Spirit, and to be faithfully used as the bearers of whatever ministry God gives to the gathered Friends.

This summary was written by Kody Hersh, who is a member of Miami Monthly Meeting and serves on the Youth Ministries Committee of FGC.

Lisa Rand
My aspiration is to be conscious of God throughout my day, every day. Meanwhile, times of intentional worship, with Friends and on my own, help me to cultivate this consciousness.

In the 16th century, Hindu poet Mirabai wrote a beautiful phrase that captures a sense of my experience of worship: “The energy that holds up mountains is the energy I bow to.” When I sit in the meetinghouse or in my home, and try to open the ears of my heart to hear Spirit, I am connecting with my life energy. It makes me feel grateful, humble, and connected to the rest of creation. The life energy that is in me is also in my neighbor, in the grass, in the mountains. When I pay attention to this reality, I am filled with awe and reverence for my Creator, the source of this life energy.

Worship can potentially occur in any time and place where we are filled with wonder and love for something larger than ourselves. For me, some worship takes place in silence and physical stillness, while other worship involves movement and sound.

Since the natural world triggers a sense of wonder in me, walks outdoors are an important part of my personal worship. These walks refresh me, and I have found that refreshment to be an important spiritual tool. When stress is minimized, I am more likely to be able to deeply listen to others, to be fully present to others, and to respond as my best self.

My first experience that felt like true worship caught me off guard, for it came at a time when I had lost my faith and was feeling rather agnostic. I was singing “Kyrie eleison” in a school chorus. I felt awestruck that our Creator gave us the ability to discover music, and bodies that could produce these sounds. When we sang, the physical spaces between our bodies blurred; my voice joined and danced with the others. We were one body, in true communion. I learned that even in times when we feel lost or spiritually dry, worship—in whatever form speaks to us—can help us to cultivate awe and reverence.

When we come together to worship as Friends, part of the beauty for me is that our different conceptions of God do not change our ability to come together and drink from a living stream, to come together and connect with Spirit, to come together to fill our wells of wonder and love.

Lisa Rand is a member of Unami Meeting (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting). She has worked at Friends Journal and at Friends schools. Lisa writes, teaches yoga, and plays with her family on their small organic farm.

Greg Woods
"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."- Matthew 18:20

My deepest experiences with worship, when I have felt totally immersed with the Holy Spirit, have happened when I have been worshiping amongst a group of people. I remember once being out in South Dakota and a group of us met for silent worship after a long workday. During the worship, we witnessed an amazing sunset and animals in the wild. Another time I sat in worship for ten hours with a group of peers discerning clerks for the next year's FGC High School Gathering. When we left the room, it had felt like only an hour had passed.

When I try to pray while I am alone, it is a difficult experience, I cannot keep focused, I feel antsy, but when I am in worship sharing the Holy Communion with fellow Friends, it is much easier to explore the Divine. This is why I love the above Bible passage from the Book of Matthew, because worship is a way to strengthen bonds within a community while seeking Divine guidance. This is why Friends have always placed a great emphasis on community a part of the religion

In thinking about my experiences in worship, I have realized that a majority of my deepest worship experiences have happened outside of a regular meeting for worship at monthly meeting. These experiences have happened at conferences, retreats, or occasions when I have gathered with a small group for potluck and worship. Recently I reflected on this with a small group of Friends, I realized, during our discussion, that in regular First Day meeting for worship, we let time break the silence, instead of the Holy Spirit, as early Friends did. Instead, we say that we are open to worshiping together only for an hour on the morning of First Day, no matter what God is calling to us to do together. Instead, we should listen for God's guidance for when we should end.

The difference is at conferences and retreats we generally have more opportunities to gather for worship over the weekend or during the week. Before we meet in worship at those events, we have prepared ourselves. On First Days, we might have spent the morning reading the newspaper, listening to NPR or doing something other than preparing ourselves for worship. I know that before going to meeting, I have usually read the front section of the Washington Post, which doesn’t prepare me to worship, because my mind usually becomes focused on whatever I read that morning, like politics or which famous person was seen around the city.

Quakerism is a unique religion. Our religion was founded on the basis that each person can have a direct relationship with God and each of us can be called by the Holy Spirit to give messages to the gathered community. The religion has changed in many ways in the last 350 years, but this element remains a key part of worship. I have no concrete answers on how to directly address how we find more time for worship, but I think if we try to operate more on God's time, instead of manmade time, we can improve the spiritual depth of our regular First Days.

Greg Woods, a member of Columbia Monthly Meeting in Missouri, now attends Friends Meeting of Washington. When he isn't working as the Coordinator of Washington Quaker Workcamps at the William Penn House, he can be found attending demolition derbies or monster truck rallies.

Mary Crauderueff
In my experience as a Quaker, speaking out of the silence during meeting was something that as a child I wanted to do, as a teenager I was intimidated by, and as a young adult I have started to actually do. It was not until I was 20 years-old, after returning from a life-changing conference (the World Gathering of Young Friends 2005) that I finally did so. For me, knowing that I need to rise and speak comes from the literal shaking that I get sitting in meeting for worship. I often put it back down, but if the quaking is persistent enough, I know that God has a message not only for me, but for the whole meeting. As an unprogrammed Friend, I learned that one does not bring anything into meeting with the intent to speak - one's message should come from God during that sacred time. However, over the years, as I’ve listened to and been a part of other worship services, I have come to realize that words brought to a service can be just as powerful as those that arise during the silent worship hour. Until almost exactly a year ago, I never thought those words could be mine.

I was asked to write an introduction of unprogrammed meeting for worship for the young adult Friends conference in Richmond, Indiana in May 2008. During the course of the conference, it became clear that what I had originally written was not going to be adequate enough to convey what I wanted. Throughout the weekend there were many worship times and other spaces where I felt God, and his Spirit moving through the conference. Although I enjoyed the other worship services, I felt discouraged that when we had silent times, they were not treated the way I felt unprogrammed worship should be.

On the last morning of the conference, I went into the worship time ready to do the introduction for unprogrammed worship like I am used to, as a former stage manager. As we settled into silence, however, I felt a quaking inside of me. Part of what I knew I needed to say was not going to be easy, and I was scared. A lot of work had been accomplished by the group during the course of the weekend. I did not want to take anything away with offending Friends in my introduction. As I prepared to stand, God shook me. I stood ready to speak, shaking, and as I started to read, tears flowed down my face. I am not used to having a message that was already written down be, or become, a message from God. Although the worship time was short, as I settled in after my message, I could tell that there had been a shift in the tone of the worship.

To read Mary’s introduction to unprogrammed meeting for worship, click on the attachment below.

Mary is a member of Radnor Meeting (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting) and a recent graduate of the University of Maryland's iSchool with a specialization in Archives and Records Management. She has many Quaker-focused research interests, recently including Quaker blogs as an extension of Quaker Journals and the role of Quaker children's book in guiding Quaker identity.

Share your thoughts on the articles or the topic by commenting below!

What is Quaker Quest?
Quaker Quest is a program that explores how Quakerism is a simple, radical, and contemporary spiritual path for our time. Quaker Quest offers Friends an opportunity to articulate their faith, deepen relationships within their meeting/church, and share their spiritual stories with the larger community.

The public Quaker Quest sessions are structured gatherings for people interested in learning about Quakerism. As part of the public Quaker Quest sessions, three people from a Quaker meeting share from the heart about their experiences on a particular topic. These presentations are prepared in advance and include brief quotes from Faith and Practice or other resources. Presenters mostly share stories that illuminate their journeys around the topic.

For information on Quaker Quest, email quak..reveal emai..reveal email..@fgcquaker.org or call 215-561-1700. Quaker Quest in the US and Canada is a project of Friends General Conference http://www.fgcquaker.org/quakerquest/organizers.