A Guided Tour of FGC’s Fall 2020 Virtual Offerings

Want to deepen your Quaker spirituality and connection to other Friends virtually? You’re in luck! FGC is planning an enriching slate of online offerings this fall. Here are some of the highlights you and your Quaker community can look forward to. We’re expecting events to fill up fast, so register as soon as you can.


Spiritual Deepening eRetreat Offerings

FGC’s Spiritual Deepening Program is partnering with the Ministry on Racism Program to offer an expanded slate of virtual offerings, starting in the month of September. 

Seasoned Friends and friends who are new to Quaker spirituality are invited to form an online community and take their shared experience of faith with one (or all!) of these five online offerings:

  • Weaving a Wider Welcome eRetreat: September 27 – October 23, 2020
  • Understanding & Healing White Supremacy eRetreat: October 25 – November 20, 2020
  • The Kingdom of God Is… Worship Sharing Group: November 1 – November 22, 2020
  • Silence & Light for Quaker Newcomers eRetreat: starts mid-November
  • Building a Meaningful Life eRetreat: November 8 – December 11, 2020

Our virtual Book of Joy book discussion this summer was so popular we’ve decided to offer TWO virtual book discussions this fall. We’ll be taking a closer look at How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi​ (Saturday, September 12 to Saturday, October 10, 2020) and See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur (Tuesdays, October 13 – November 10). Both titles are available for purchase at FGC’s online bookstore, QuakerBooks.

In what’s bound to be an insightful series of conversations starting, Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee Co-Clerk Carolyn Lejuste and Jeanne Burns will lead a discussion on Anti-Racism in Popular Films (Thursdays, October 15 – November 19). 

A New 8-Week Affinity Group – White Friends Receiving the Ministry of Friends of Color

Are you a white Friend who wants to go deeper in your reflections on racism and white supremacy in a challenging yet compassionate virtual space? Join us for an 8-week virtual affinity group, “White Friends Receiving the Ministry of Friends of Color: The POC Pre-Gathering Epistle,” to engage with the queries posed in the Epistle.

The co-facilitators, Liz Oppenheimer and Marijke van Roojen, intend to create a space for shared expertise and mutual learning, in order to build capacity for addressing and disrupting systemic racism in the Religious Society of Friends. Size is limited to 16 participants who can commit to the full 8 weeks. They are seeking representation across the United States and Canada, and to engage together with folx who are already considering their own role and purpose in terms of racial justice activism.

Apply online by September 9th, 2020 to participate.

UPDATE: This affinity group is currently full. 


Save the Dates: Fall Retreats for Friends of Color

The Ministry on Racism Program is planning not one, but two weekend Fall Retreats for Friends of Color. They will be open to Friends of Color from any region and held virtually, and to ensure that as many people can participate as possible, It will be the same program for both retreats. Mark your calendar now for:

  • Friday, October 30th to Sunday, November 1st, 2020
  • Friday, November 13th to Sunday, November 15th, 2020 

The registration form will be available soon online, so check back in the coming weeks!

The Ministry on Racism Program is also planning a one-day virtual Retreat for Youth of Color and their Families for Saturday, October 10, 2020. We hope to publicize the details of that retreat soon.


Friendly Fences: How Making Assumptions Prevents Us From Making New Friends

On Saturday, September 12th, Spiritual Deepening Program Coordinator Rachel Ernst Stahlhut and Communications Manager Marta Rusek will present Friendly Fences: How Making Assumptions Prevents Us From Making New Friends as part of Caln Quarterly Meeting‘s virtual Quaker outreach series. Friendly Fences will be an interactive 90-minute exploration of the barriers that stand in the way of welcoming visitors and newcomers into the life of your Quaker meeting, and how to overcome these barriers effectively. 

This event has occurred. Thank you to everyone who participated virtually!

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