Practical Spirit-led Discernment in Daily Life

Participants will learn and practice discernment, the bedrock on which Quakerism is built. There will be a Clearness Committee option if a participant wants to discern a concern, decision, relationship, etc. The facilitator authored Pendle Hill Pamphlet #443, Individual Spiritual Discernment. Reading the pamphlet before Gathering is encouraged.

Workshop Description

Discernment is the rock on which Quaker testimonies, worship style, committee work, business meetings, etc. are all built.

My workshop objective is to help participants learn and practice personal discernment

Before Gathering, participants are encouraged to: read Pendle Hill Pamphlet (PHP) #443 “Individual Spiritual Discernment: Receiving, Testing and Implementing Leadings from a Higher Power” by Jerry Knutson. Reading about clearness committees would also be helpful (I’d recommend PHP #305 or #446).

PROPOSED SCHEDULE

Monday – Worship, joys and concerns; introductions, anti-racism guidelines, Receiving Guidance PHP#443, set up small groups that will also be Clearness Committees, guidelines for worship sharing and then worship share in these small groups.

Tuesday – Worship, joys and concerns and how are we doing with anti-racism? Testing and Implementing Guidance PHP#443, all participants worship share on Spiritual Disciplines and worship share in small groups.

Wednesday – Worship, joys and concerns and how are we doing with anti-racism? Forgiveness as a Spiritual Discipline from handouts. All participants worship share on experiences with Clearness Committees and worship share in small groups.

Thursday – Worship, joys and concerns and how are we doing with anti-racism? Participate in Clearness Committees.

Friday – Worship, joys and concerns and how are we doing with anti-racism? Focus persons worship share on Clearness Committees, evaluations, closing in large group, worship share in small groups and closings in small groups.

I will be having an elder to hold us all in the Light before and during the workshop and to assist with logistics and other concerns during the workshop.

Leader Experience

At FGC Gatherings, I presented discernment workshops in Johnstown, PA in 2003 and Amherst, MA in 2004 and I have also presented four additional weeklong workshops at FGC Gatherings. I presented a discernment workshop on Zoom for FGC Gathering in 2021.

I travel in the ministry under the care of Quakers of Orlando. This workshop will be under the care of the Quakers of Orlando, who provide financial support and an Anchor Committee which provides support, accountability, and discernment.

I was a member of FWCC Traveling Ministry Corps from 2020-21. I am the author of PHP #443 “Individual Spiritual Discernment: Receiving, Testing and Implementing Leadings from a Higher Power” –published in February 2017. This pamphlet sold out in 14 months–making it Pendle Hill’s best-selling pamphlet. After the publication, I have presented programs on discernment in Frederick, MD, Orlando, FL, Oberlin, OH, Toledo, OH, Pittsburgh, PA Ghost Ranch, AZ and Prescott, AZ. I also presented a Zoom workshop for Pendle Hill August 3-7, 2020. I presented a 90-minute discernment workshop for FWCC Section of the Americas, Section meeting on March 17, 2020. I have presented workshops in 24 states, Washington DC, Bethlehem, Palestine and Nakuru, Kenya.