Early Quakers created support networks to support each other and their businesses. Today we follow their examples as we build community, connection and open to spirit. in our work endeavors.
About the conference
All Quakers participate in business.
The idea of “business” often engages Quakers in thought and conversation, sometimes igniting passion.
Some Quakers try to stay away from Business as much as possible, while others embrace it. Some are so concerned with the unjust practices they have seen in the name of business, that they have retreated from it as much as possible. As a result, some of us have fashioned independent work lives, while some of us do just enough work to get by. Some of us are still trying to figure it out.
Other Friends have been so excited about business that they have built organizations that number in the hundreds of people. Some of the most famous businesses in the world were started by Quakers, and some of those continue to be run by Quakers today. Our work is an opportunity for us to live our values. Quakers work as musicians (Ahem Hozier), civil rights leaders (Bayard Rustin), politicians (Herbert Hoover), actors (We love you, Judy Dench), and so much more.
Business is a part of our lives whether we like it or not. We buy food from businesses. We purchase clothes from businesses. When we work through our emotions around business, we are left with the very practical. When we focus on the practical, we can make changes in the world.
Did you know that early British Quakers (a group of people much like us today) used Quaker values and established ways of doing business which have had a profound effect on the world?
During the conference we will explore Quaker business history and discuss the principles early Quakers developed to express their faith and values through their work. How can we apply those ideas today? The bible might have something to say here too.
Quakers are doing great things right now in the business world. Let’s share our challenges and work to explore solutions. Let’s examine topics about work and spirituality that we as Friends infrequently discuss in our monthly meetings for worship and in our professional lives.
Where and When
The Quakers & Business Conference takes place immediately before the FGC Gathering at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR from Friday, June 30 – Sunday, June 2, 2023. The Conference will only be held in-person.
Cost
The retreat fee (in addition to housing and meals) will be $100. Costs may vary depending on type of housing selected. Friends are housed in the same room for the pre-Gathering retreat as for the Gathering itself.
How to Register
When you register for the Gathering, choose the “Quakers & Business Retreat” on the page where you are choosing workshop and housing. Choose early housing (Friday and Saturday nights) to match your housing for the rest of the Gathering.
Registration for the FGC Gathering opens in early April.
Contact
Quakers and Business Conference is planned by volunteers. You can reach the organizers via the Gathering Contact form.