You may know that the Friends General Conference Staff was in retreat this week at Pendle Hill in Wallingford, Pennsylvania this week.  I am happy to let you know that we have been rejuvenated and given language around our strengths and gifts.

Besides letting you know how great our time was with one another, a different thought crossed my mind that I’d like to share.

Many of us believe that being a Quaker is the way. That belonging to the Religious Society of Friends is not only enough, but that its practices alone suffice. That, in some sense, there is nothing else to learn about being a Friend.

Sometimes, Friends will hear me say (or see me write) that we have to be prepared to be changed by the newcomers who attend and join our meetings. That we must, in the spirit of continuing revelation, be prepared to be something new as we grow.

What I mean is that newcomers to our tradition can, and do, bring with them ideas and practices that even the weightiest of us dismiss as “jargon” or “corporate-speak.”

Let us not dismiss restorative practices, which, when used proactively, help a community remain intact, and when necessary, help members of a community be restored.

Let us not ignore project management frameworks like RACI, which can help a meeting and its committees decide who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed when a project like roof repair arrives on the horizon.

If a leadership tool like CliftonStrengths finds you some day, don’t be afraid to try it with the guidance of a professional.
What I’m saying is that nothing new out there must replace the power of worship or the simplicity of your local Quaker practice. Quaker practice can, however, overlap and overlay with what we already do to create something new—something supercharged that we didn’t even know we needed.

What do you have in your life that have you compartmentalized as separate from your Quaker experience that deserves a second chance at being folded into your Quaker experience?

In Friendship,

Rashid Darden

Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach