And Friends meet together, and know one another in that which is eternal, which was before the world was.
– George Fox, Epistle 14
Imagine what it might mean to build more trust and connection with Friends and newcomers in your Quaker meeting. Imagine inviting greater meaning, guidance, and growth into your own life. Imagine the ripple effect in our meetings and communities as we live our faith in the world.
The Spiritual Deepening Program gives Friends and newcomers opportunities to rediscover Quaker faith and thought, connect with Spirit, and build relationships with each other through sharing and deep listening. Through exercises, discussions, introspection, and creativity, participants share their spiritual stories, explore how Quaker thought and spiritual practices can transform lives, and go deeper together into the life of the Spirit.
There are two ways to go deeper with Spiritual Deepening:
The Spiritual Deepening Library
The Spiritual Deepening Library is a collection of experiential activities and resources. The program grew as a response to a deep hunger among Friends for spiritual relationships, improved sense of faith community, and a better understanding of the roots of our Quaker faith and spiritual practices.
Program materials are designed for participants of all ages and stages in their spiritual journey. Participants engage in activities, discussions, role-plays, spiritual practices, art and music exercises, and worship sharing. Inviting newcomers to join a Spiritual Deepening small group can serve as outreach and offer a way to integrate newcomers into the life of the meeting.
Spiritual Deepening eRetreats & Online Offerings
Join a Spiritual Deepening eRetreat, together or as individuals, to build spiritual community and explore Quaker practices and faith over a 4-week online session led by a seasoned facilitator. eRetreats are offered on topics such as Silence & Light, Living into Wholeness, Becoming Patterns & Examples, and Understanding and Healing White Supremacy.
The Spiritual Deepening eRetreats are flexible and affordable. The suggested fee for participating in the program is $35-45 per participant, on a pay-as-led basis. Pay-as-Led is a method of offering sliding scale pricing so that paid events are more accessible for people with a wide range of abilities to pay.
From FGC’s 2017 Annual Report
Interested in Learning More?
Join the Spiritual Deepening mailing list to receive announcements about program updates and opportunities to register for upcoming eRetreats.
News
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Yearly Meeting News Update for August 25, 2023
Friends General Conference shares the following news that may be of interest to Friends and the Quaker-curious.
Read More about Yearly Meeting News Update for August 25, 2023 -
Meet the Staff: nova george and Johanna Jackson
Thanks to the generosity of donors to FGC’s Gathering Together campaign, our community has been enriched by two new staff members.
Read More about Meet the Staff: nova george and Johanna Jackson -
What’s Next in FGC Events?
Shifting social, financial, ecological, spiritual, and public health realities call us to experiment with new practices in how we gathering together as Friends.
Read More about What’s Next in FGC Events? -
FGC is Hiring a Communications Assistant
The Communications Assistant will work closely with the Communications Manager and other FGC staff and volunteers to support the development of communications content, including social media and newsletters.
Read More about FGC is Hiring a Communications Assistant
Events
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Holding Space, Holding Silence: Friendly Facilitation
As facilitator, you hold a group in space and in silence by offering the “container” through which group participants can deepen their relationship with the content and one another. Holding Space, Holding Silence invites you to get curious and deepen your skills and ideas regarding facilitation. As virtual and hybrid events become more common, how are we keeping Quaker values and practices at the center as we hold space for all we bring to programming? How are we making room for Spirit through our active space curation and our intentional silence?
This workshop was dreamed up and designed thinking of:
- Anti-racism rooted practices and processes
Program Details
- Offered September 24th and October 1st, 2023
- Two weeks, $45 pay-as-led** participation fee
- Readings, queries, resources, and activities will be available on FGC’s eRetreat website, Matrix
- Community Calls begin at 4pm EST / 3PM CT / 2PM MT / 1PM PT / 10AM HST
**Pay-as-Led is a method of offering sliding scale pricing so that paid events are more accessible for people with a wide range of abilities to pay. Participants choose how much to pay for the registration fee.
Community Building Calls
Each week, the facilitators will lead Community Building Calls using Zoom. During these calls, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the eRetreat content, worship together, do additional eRetreat exercises, and build connections with each other.
Holding Space, Holding Silence will be facilitated by nova george and Rachel Ernst Stahlhut
Sign up for the Spiritual Deepening email list to be notified about upcoming eRetreat opportunities.
As facilitator, you hold a group in space and in silence by offering the “container” through which group participants can…-
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
- Virtual
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Invitational Spirituality eRetreat
eRetreat Details:
- Offered October 2-23, 2023
- Four weeks, $45 pay-as-led** participation fee
- Weekly readings, queries, resources, and activities available on FGC’s eRetreat website, Matrix
- Community Building Calls: Mondays from 7-8:30pm Eastern / 6-7:30pm Central / 5-6:30pm Mountain / 4-5:30pm Pacific, starting October 2nd.
**Pay-as-Led is a method of offering sliding scale pricing so that paid events are more accessible for people with a wide range of abilities to pay. Participants choose how much to pay for the registration fee.
Learn more about FGC’s eRetreats here: eRetreat FAQs and What to Expect
eRetreat Schedule and Weekly Themes
Module Begins: Community Building Call, 7pm Eastern on Mondays Introductory Call October 2 Module 1: The Invitation October 2 October 9 Module 2: God’s Invitation to Us October 9 October 16 Module 3: Our Invitation to God and Others October 16 October 23 Community Building Calls
Each week, the facilitator will lead Community Building Calls using Zoom. During these calls, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the eRetreat content, worship together, do additional eRetreat exercises, and build connections with each other.
The Invitational Spirituality eRetreat will be facilitated by Rachel Ernst Stahlhut.
Rachel Ernst Stahlhut (she/her) is the coordinator of the Spiritual Deepening Program of Friends General Conference and also serves as the assistant presiding clerk of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting. She has traveled in the ministry with a concern for outreach and deepening the spiritual vitality of meetings and individuals. Rachel lives with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio where she spends her time sitting on the porch and hosting game nights with friends. Her favorite Quaker quote is from Isaac Penington: Give over thine own willing, give over thy own running, give over thine own desiring to know or be anything and sink down to the seed which God sows in the heart, and let that grow in thee and be in thee and breathe in thee and act in thee; and thou shalt find by sweet experience that the Lord knows that and loves and owns that, and will lead it to the inheritance of Life, which is its portion.
Sign up for the Spiritual Deepening email list to be notified about upcoming eRetreat opportunities.
How is Spirit inviting us to go deeper in our worship, our relationships, and our daily lives? How do we…-
Monday, October 2nd, 2023 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
- Virtual
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Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers to Quaker worship practices as well as allow them to ask questions and reflect on their experiences as they flow through their journey in worship spaces with Friends from the seasoned to the seeking.
Audience: Worship for Newcomers is for folks who are curious about Quaker worship and are eager to learn in community. It is also a great companion experience for attenders of SD programming, such as the Silence and Light eRetreat for Newcomers.
Background: After review of data from evaluations of the April 2022 and May 2021 Silence and Light eRetreats, one noticing is that attenders crave more worshipful connection. This meeting is Spiritual Deepening’s response to that noticing.
How to attend: If you are interested in attending Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers, please fill out the registration form so we can keep you updated. There is no registration fee required to attend this Spiritual Deepening offering.
**Worship for Newcomers and Seekers will be held on Mondays at 7pm EST/ 4 pm PT **
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers…-
Monday, October 9th, 2023 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Virtual
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Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers to Quaker worship practices as well as allow them to ask questions and reflect on their experiences as they flow through their journey in worship spaces with Friends from the seasoned to the seeking.
Audience: Worship for Newcomers is for folks who are curious about Quaker worship and are eager to learn in community. It is also a great companion experience for attenders of SD programming, such as the Silence and Light eRetreat for Newcomers.
Background: After review of data from evaluations of the April 2022 and May 2021 Silence and Light eRetreats, one noticing is that attenders crave more worshipful connection. This meeting is Spiritual Deepening’s response to that noticing.
How to attend: If you are interested in attending Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers, please fill out the registration form so we can keep you updated. There is no registration fee required to attend this Spiritual Deepening offering.
**Worship for Newcomers and Seekers will be held on Mondays at 7pm EST/ 4 pm PT **
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers…-
Monday, November 13th, 2023 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Virtual
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Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers to Quaker worship practices as well as allow them to ask questions and reflect on their experiences as they flow through their journey in worship spaces with Friends from the seasoned to the seeking.
Audience: Worship for Newcomers is for folks who are curious about Quaker worship and are eager to learn in community. It is also a great companion experience for attenders of SD programming, such as the Silence and Light eRetreat for Newcomers.
Background: After review of data from evaluations of the April 2022 and May 2021 Silence and Light eRetreats, one noticing is that attenders crave more worshipful connection. This meeting is Spiritual Deepening’s response to that noticing.
How to attend: If you are interested in attending Meeting for Worship for Newcomers and Seekers, please fill out the registration form so we can keep you updated. There is no registration fee required to attend this Spiritual Deepening offering.
**Worship for Newcomers and Seekers will be held on Mondays at 7pm EST/ 4 pm PT **
Goal: Spiritual Deepening’s Worship for Newcomers aims to support Friends and seekers new to Quakerism. This program will introduce Newcomers…-
Monday, December 11th, 2023 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Virtual
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