Adult Education Series

A Monthly Series Exploring Quakerism

Adult Education Committee hosts a monthly series of talks on Quaker topics of particular relevance to meeting members and attenders. This series is held on Zoom, typically held on the Fourth Sunday of the Month. Below you can explore recent talks hosted by our meeting and the full archive of Adult Education series on the Committee's YouTube Channel. See our Calendar for upcoming lectures.

Recent Adult Education Events

Steve Chase: The Need for Peace with Justice: Reflections From A Quaker Delegation to Israel/Palestine

The horrific events and war crimes committed by both Hamas in southern Israel and the State of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, 2023, have sent shock waves of anguish, anger, and sorrow throughout the world. Yet, while we need to address the immediate crisis, we also need to address the underlying causes of this conflict. Last June, a small US Quaker delegation, led by North Carolina Quakers Max and Jane Carter, traveled to Israel/Palestine to learn more about these underlying power dynamics and human rights situation in Israel/Palestine. Steve Chase, a member of this Friends United Meeting delegation, will share what he learned and explain why people who care about peace also need to work for justice and equality for Palestinians.

Steve Chase is a member of the Friends Meeting of Washington and the Quaker Palestine Israel Network. He has also served as an interfaith ally of the DC Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and is the author of the Pendle Hill pamphlet Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions? A Quaker Zionist Rethinks Palestinian Rights. He is currently working on a book entitled Seeking Justice in the Holy Land: The Evolution of Quaker Perspectives on Israel/Palestine

Recording Date: January 14, 2024

Hope Clark: Cruelty

Hope Clark was the Associate Artistic Director of the contemporary Dance Company STREB, touring Nationally and Internationally from 1991-1999.  She was commissioned by “Celebrate Brooklyn,” Danspace Project, and Dance Theater Workshop to create choreography.

In the Spring of 2019, Clark spent 2 weeks in Ramallah Palestine with Orient Dance Theater run by contemporary choreographer and performer Maher Al-Shawamreh. During this period, she made the work Cruelty. The studio was right around the corner from the Yasser Arafat Museum filled with original documents chronologically showing the history of Palestine from Arafat’s childhood through to his death. While in Ramallah, she attended the Quaker Meeting and celebrated Easter dinner with Ramallah Friends School staff at the home of the principal.

Recording Date: January 7, 2024

Daniel Mudd: Silence in the Christian Mystic Tradition

Explores silence in contemplative prayer and Quaker practice with Daniel Mudd, M.Div. Drawing from early and contemporary Christian traditions, Mudd and participants converse on how these might influence our practices as Quakers.

Daniel Mudd, M.Div. is an interfaith spiritual companion, retreat leader, and writer. Along with his wife Jeanne-Marie, he offers retreats and workshops in the areas of Celtic spirituality, prayer and meditation, Twelve Step spirituality, dream work, and Circle of Trust. Mudd is a leader in Experiment with Light, an organization that works with Quakers in Britain.

Recording Date: December 17, 2023

David Gray: Brummana, Lebanon. Education under Siege?

What is it like to educate children in desperate need of learning with the shadow of war in the background? What is it like to live in a desperately uncertain world in which the next day is as far as most people care to think about seriously? What do young people think about their schooling amidst the turmoil which surrounds and threatens them? Find out in David Gray's lecture Brummana, Lebanon: Education under Siege?

David Gray is the Principal of Brumanna Quaker School in Lebanon. Founded in 1873, Brumanna Quaker School is a Quaker, coeducational, day and boarding K-12 school, with Lebanese and international programmes and last Friends educational institution in the country of Lebanon.

Recording Date: December 3, 2023

Rev. Frederick Karl Boyle: The Other Side of Silence: Political Activism in Iraq During the Bush Administration

Rev. Frederick Karl Boyle reflects on his participation in a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation to Iraq just previous to the Bush administration's "Shock and Awe" invasion of Iraq in 2003. Boyle discusses The Other Side of Silence — political activism actualizing a theory of pacifism — Don't Just Do Something: Stand There.

Recording Date: November 26, 2023

Jessamyn West's The Quaker Reader

Jessamyn West was a popular writer in the 20th century. She wrote both fiction and Quaker non-fiction. In this video, Susanna Dodgson reads from her book of Quaker non-fiction, The Quaker Reader, which is a compilation of writings of influential Quakers.

Recording Date: September 24, 2023

Ned Donoghue II & Dave Unkovic: Prisoners of Congress

Ned Donoghue II and Dave Unkovic discuss Ned's book Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia’s Quakers in Exile, 1777–1778. The book is about the Quaker protest against the Revolutionary War and how the 2nd Continental Congress retaliated.

The book is for sale at PSU Press and available at a 30% discount with the code NR23.

Recording Date: July 23, 2023

Do You Have a Speaker or Topic Idea for Our Adult Education Series?

Have an idea for Adult Education? We'd love to hear it! To submit your suggestion, visit our Contact Us page to fill out the message submission form. Please ensure you select the message topic Adult Education Series: Recommend a Speaker so that your idea reaches the Committee. If possible, when recommending a speaker please include their name, contact information, and any relevant links to provide context for your suggestion. We look forward to hearing from you.