Quaker

This piece from Friends' Journal explores some of the need for dialogue in Quaker communities around spirituality and sexuality.  Our three featured blog posts will look at these issues from a more personal perspective.

 

(Joanna Hoyt, a member of Portland (Maine) Meeting, has worked and worshiped for the last eight years at St. Francis Farm, a community in upstate New York that practices an alternative to the consumer culture through prayer, sustainable agriculture/forestry, and presence and assistance to neighbors. These are excerpts from an article that appeared in the June 2009 special issue of FRIENDS JOURNAL on Marriage, Gender, and Relationships. ©2009 Friends Publishing Corporation. Reproduced with permission. www.friendsjournal.org)

As I understand it, the central Quaker commitment is to listen to the Spirit’s promptings and act faithfully in accordance with them, however difficult or unpopular they may be. This shared commitment allows people with different beliefs, gifts, and wounds to support one another, hold one another accountable, and find true unity. I have seen Friends unite in this way across differences of class, theology, politics, and vocation. This unity is more than mutual tolerance or even respect; it challenges, deepens, and transforms all who take part in it. I believe that we need this kind of healing and transformation as we struggle with our different understandings of sexuality and spirituality. . . .

An Introduction
A core truth of Quaker theology and experience is the direct relationship of God with humanity. Whether as individual seekers or in the collective practice of worship, God can be experienced anywhere, at any time, and all people can be called on for the work of ministry. The experience of God is both sustaining and transformative, as the divine Seed in each person is met and searched and nourished directly by the Inward Light of God.  

The range of theological language and ideas at play within Quakerism, for various individuals and groups of Friends, has broadened considerably from the original Christian context of Quaker faith. What remains at the core is the intimate, know-able nature of spiritual reality, the mystical heart of faith experience.

This summary was written by Kody Hersh, who is a member of Miami Monthly Meeting and serves on the Youth Ministries Committee of FGC.

Jacob Stewart

Do I know God? Of course I know God. God whispers sweet words of silence in my heart when I am most still, as well as when I am not so still and need Her words the most. God is everywhere. I feel Her through others as well as through myself, when a tender worship is invoked from the center of my heart, while I am alone or among those whom I love, and I feel that this love from my heart is the purest form of worship.

 

God flows through rivers, and blossoms on trees. God is the words carried by wind, and the warmth of sunlight on all of our cheeks. God volunteers to serve food to hungry people in city soup kitchens, and God asks me for change on urban streets. She takes care of me when I’m sick, She holds me in the night, She loves me unconditionally. She is a lover, She is a mother, and She is a sister.

 

God is stillness and compassion, God is love and God is light, and God is life and God is death.

 

God is that which connects me to nothingness and to everything: a quiet dichotomy that is inherent among all people regardless of religion, race or romantic orientation. For me to name this God is to limit God, since God has many names and many occupations, for we are God and God is inside us all.

Jacob Stewart resides in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he actively pursues his studies both in and outside of his academic community. He is part of a neighborhood of active youths in the struggle to understand their existence and expresses his Quaker values in the form of simplicity, modest humility and thoughtful intent.

Liz Wine

My experience with God began at a young, tender age.  When I was growing up we spent countless hours on acreage in the country my parents owned.  It was in these moments when I encountered nature that I felt the presence of the divine--I knew something powerful and wonderful had to have orchestrated this beautiful land, from the cornstalks to the grasshoppers.  

 

I have always found along my journey that Quakerism emphasizes personal experience with God, the moments such as the above. This is how we learn and are spiritually shaped.  While I love to read books and feel I can relate to other's walks, there is no substitute for my own experience.

 

God came to me, in the form of a vision of his son, Jesus, while at the World Gathering of Young Friends in 2005. During the closing silent worship service I had a vision that Jesus came and sat in worship with me, which was a very special moment in my life.  I was speechless.  During this open worship, someone gave vocal ministry in a language I did not understand. I noticed Jesus was watching them intently. I asked him if he understand them and he replied, "Yes, I understand all languages, especially the language of the heart." This blew my mind, as the human heart can be so complicated! This was the first milestone of several journeys that led me to Christianity, which to me is a closer and deeper walk with God.

 

Along the way, he has graciously taught me about himself by showing he is patient with me when I am not patient with circumstances, and by showing he is graceful by loving me even with my human error! God has taught me who I am, as his creation--that even though I may not always feel like loving myself, He loves me and that is adequate.

 

There is no greater joy than knowing and living in the light of God's love for me!  I could never have gotten to this point if it were not for my openness to these journeys, such as my time at World Gathering and my subsequent experience at the Young Adult Friends Conference in 2007, at which I accepted Christ into my heart. It may be uncomfortable and unsettling at times, but the end result, the daily walk with God, is worth it.

 

Liz was raised in an FGC affiliated meeting and is now currently a member of University Friends Church in Wichita, KS.  Liz is preparing to go to Rwanda for 2 years with Evangelical Friends Mission, to teach missionaries children.


Nathan Sebens

When asked to blog about God, I must admit, I had no idea about how I should go about it. I knew right away that it would be a good exercise for me, but also, incredibly challenging. This is because, God to me is mystery. Rather than understanding, God is the lack of understanding. I have found this discovery to be both liberating and frustrating. And so I think I would like to talk about that.

During my studies at seminary, my eyes have truly been opened to many aspects of my own faith. Perhaps one of the most amazing experiences came through my study of the Hebrew Scriptures. There is a great tradition of mystery in the Hebrew canon. So much so, that it is often considered taboo (if not blasphemous) to say the name of God. So now, when many Jewish people talk about God, or translate the original Hebrew, they use words like Adonai (Lord), or Hashem (literally, the name). In scholastic discussions, the name of God is referred to as the tetragrammaton (or 4-letter word). In modern times, people also will write G-d in the place of the word God. For me, the substitution of words seems a little out of place, because everyone knows what you really mean, but I think there is something to being intentional about not pretending to know too much about God.

This opening of the Divine Mystery has truly changed my views on God. Though I may find words helpful in describing my experience of God, I know that they in no way can define who God is to me, much less the world. God is both the Mother/Father/Brother/Sister/Son/Daughter/Friend/ Aunt/Uncle etc., and also is none of these things. God is simply God. God is the God of Moses and the God of Jesus. Despite the apparent discrepancies between this God of Military leader, and the God of the one who came telling us to love our enemies. God is the God of Mother Theresa, and the God of Jimmy Carter. Despite the differences between a man who served in the highest governmental position in the world, and a woman who chose to live among the “least of these”. The contradictions are rampant, and yet when you open your eyes to the darkness, when you live into the mystery, they seem to disappear.

When asked who God is to me, I think it is useful to refer to God how God answered Moses when he asked who he should tell the people had sent him. God said, in a very Popeyeish way “I am who I am”. And so, when asked what or who God is, I think from now on I will say only, “God is!”    

Nathan Sebens lives in Richmond, Indiana where he is a Masters of Divinity student at the Earlham School of Religion. Nathan enjoys volunteering at the Richmond Civic Theatre and directing the choir at West Richmond Friends.



What is Quaker Quest?
Quaker Quest is based on the idea that Quakerism is a spiritual path for our time that is simple, radical, and contemporary. Quaker Quest offers Friends an opportunity to articulate their faith, deepen relationships within their meeting/church, and share their spiritual stories with the larger community.

The public Quaker Quest sessions are structured gatherings for people interested in learning about Quakerism.  As part of the public Quaker Quest sessions, three people from the Quaker meeting share from the heart about their experiences on a particular topic.  These presentations are prepared in advance and include brief quotes from Faith and Practice or other resources.  Presenters mostly share stories that illuminate their journeys around the topic.   

How the blog series works
Each month from March until June, three Quakers will write 2-3 paragraphs on a certain topic from their experience as a Friend. I hope that the posts will spark a conversation that can continue online through people commenting on the blog posts.  Please email Emily at emilys@fgcquaker.org if you are interested in writing on one of the topics.

Schedule of topics
February- An introduction to Quaker Quest
March-Quakers and Equality
April- Quakers and God
May- Quakers and Pacifism
June- Quakers and Worship

For information on Quaker Quest, email quakerquest@fgcquaker.org or call 215-561-1700. Quaker Quest in the US and Canada is a project of Friends General Conference http://www.fgcquaker.org/quakerquest/organizers.

Dear Friends,

I am conducting research for the final paper I am writing in my Archives Seminar class this semester at the iSchool at the University of Maryland, College Park. The paper is about the importance of Quaker journals, letters, and blogs to the spiritual guidance and nurture of Quakers both historically and today.

I am hoping to get input from Quakers of all ages regarding their interest and involvement of Quaker journals and blogs during the course of their spiritual journey with Quakerism. I have complied a set of questions that I am hoping you will be able to fill out for me.

Learn more about the survey 

In Light,

Mary Crauderueff mcrauder@umd.edu

What is Quaker Quest?
Quaker Quest is based on the idea that Quakerism is a spiritual path for our time that is simple, radical, and contemporary. Quaker Quest offers Friends an opportunity to articulate their faith, deepen relationships within their meeting/church, and share their spiritual stories with the larger community.

The public Quaker Quest sessions are structured gatherings for people interested in learning about Quakerism.  As part of the public Quaker Quest sessions, three people from the Quaker meeting share from the heart about their experiences on a particular topic.  These presentations are prepared in advance and include brief quotes from Faith and Practice or other resources.  Presenters mostly share stories that illuminate their journeys around the topic.  

How the blog series works
Each month from March until June, three Quakers will write 2-3 paragraphs on a certain topic from their experience as a Friend. I hope that the posts will spark a conversation that can continue online through people commenting on the blog posts.  Please email Emily at emilys@fgcquaker.org if you are interested in writing on one of the topics.

Schedule of topics
February- An introduction to Quaker Quest
March-Quakers and Equality
April- Quakers and God
May- Quakers and Pacifism
June- Quakers and Worship


For information on Quaker Quest, email quakerquest@fgcquaker.org or call 215-561-1700. Quaker Quest in the US and Canada is a project of Friends General Conference http://www.fgcquaker.org/quakerquest/organizers.


Typically we will have three people write on a specific topic in order to illustrate the diversity of beliefs among Quakers. However, in February we are featuring an example of one Friend’s experience participating in a model Quaker Quest session. Christina Repoley was one of three presenters at a workshop on Quaker Quest that took place at the FGC Gathering in 2008. Along with the two other presenters, she wrote up her presentation, which was then published in the December ’08 issue of Friends Journal.


My Experience with Quaker Quest by Christina RepoleyChristina Repoley presenting at the FGC Gathering

I was introduced to Quaker Quest before the 2008 FGC Gathering when I was invited to be part of a Quaker Quest workshop, which simulated what a Quaker Quest session might be like in a local meeting. I was invited to share on the topic of "Quakers and Jesus." For me, it was a wonderful way of having the time to think intentionally about a specific aspect of my faith and what I would want to share with people new to Quakerism about it. It also gave me the chance to get to know other Friends and hear about their beliefs in a fuller way. I learned more about what these Friends think and believe about Jesus than what I know about most of the other members of my own meeting. Quaker Quest provides a wonderful model for open and deep sharing with newcomers as well as those already part of a meeting.

This is an excerpt from Christina’s presentation on Quakers and Jesus at the 2008 FGC Gathering, which was printed in the December issue of Friends Journal.

Hi folks. I have to say that Jesus did not play a very big part of my spiritual life when I grew up in my Quaker Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up, we just didn’t talk about Jesus very much, if at all. I learned a lot about other faith traditions and I learned some really important lessons about community, peace, and justice, but very little about Jesus and radical Christianity.

So, because of the religious education approach of the adults in my home meeting, I grew up feeling pretty ambivalent, not having very strong feelings one way or the other about Jesus. The only time I really remember studying the Bible was when the kids in the Meeting went to see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Seriously. I remember sitting there with a tape recorder, listening to the soundtrack, stopping it and flipping to the Bible story that that song corresponded with. And that was really the entirety of my exposure to the Bible within my Quaker meeting. This is not true of all Quaker meetings, and it is not even true of that meeting today, but it was true at the time.

My view of Quakerism changed when I was eighteen years old and went on a Quaker Youth Pilgrimage, which brought together young Quakers from all over the world, representing the whole spectrum of belief among Friends.  We spent a month together, primarily in the area of northwest England where Quakerism began in the 1650s. This was really the first time that I encountered Quakers with a strong Christian identity who took the Bible very seriously. It was also the first time I really studied Quaker history and learned about the deep Christian roots of my faith.

We had regular Bible study and we talked openly about our own spiritual journeys. I loved it! I remember being so intrigued to study the life of Jesus and see how these ancient stories could have so much power and relevance for us today. I wondered why I had never learned this kind of thing before. It was exciting to me and I began to crave more of this kind of knowledge and experience.

Shortly after that I started at Guilford College, a Quaker school, where I was part of the Quaker Leadership Scholars Program, again bringing together Quakers from many different backgrounds and experiences. I continued to find a lot of inspiration from Scripture study and in discovering more about who Jesus was and is.

Still, I get that one of the gifts of my experience growing up, without much theological formation, was that when I did finally encounter the Bible I was able to come to it without any baggage. I did not have a previous negative experience that I had to overcome, like so many of my friends. I got to start fresh. So the perspectives I got through study and dialogue with others was the basis of my understanding of and experience with Jesus, and it was energizing and inspiring. I particularly focused on Liberation Theology and Feminist Theology, and was continually amazed, challenged and inspired by Jesus, this radical teacher who has guided so many in struggles for justice and liberation.

I began to feel that following him, trying to live my life in some small way as a disciple of Jesus, was what I was being called to do. This is not just a rational conviction. I’ve come to love Jesus and feel him move in my life and heart.

As I became more personally interested in scripture and exploring who Jesus was, I focused a lot on the historical Jesus, on learning as much as I could about the context in which he lived. I also learned that most of what the Bible says really doesn’t make much sense without some level of understanding about what was going on historically, what cultural assumptions and practices were, and how Jesus' actions and teachings were interpreted in that context.

And the more I understood this, the more I believed that he was truly a nonviolent radical revolutionary. So I got the political messages, but I was still unclear as to what I thought about Jesus being the "Son of God," or even whether or not he was divine, or just a person like you or me. I was sure that I loved him, admired him, and wanted to follow him, but I was not sure if I believed in him, at least not in the way that it seemed like a whole lot of other Christians did.

Then I took a workshop on the early Quakers and Jesus. That really changed things for me. We were talking about language, and how the Biblical text has gone through so many translations. I knew about the ways in which translators of the Bible had used their power to utilize language that would favor their interpretations and their own theologies of power and privilege.

What was new for me though, was how certain seemingly insignificant words could have been translated in more ways than one. For example, we were told that the word in Greek that usually gets translated as "in" could just as easily have been translated as "of." Ok, seems like not a big deal, right? But think about how many times the Bible tells us to have faith in Jesus. What if we were instead advised to have the faith of Jesus. To be faithful to God in the way that Jesus was. This changed everything for me!

I now understand Jesus to be an example of what we might all be capable of if we were so radically faithful, so open to and in touch with God's spirit and movement in our lives.  This also helped me understand the meaning of the Kingdom of God, or the Beloved Community of God. I believe that Jesus calls us to lives of faithfulness and communion with God and others. The Kingdom of God that Jesus teaches us about is always present and always available, if we open ourselves up to participation in it.

When Jesus tells the rich young man that he will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven, that’s not because rich people can't get in. No, it’s simply because when we live in material affluence that deprives other of their basic needs, while deadening us to the interconnectedness of life, we simply do not participate in the Beloved Community. It’s our choice and we can always choose differently.

I see examples of these choices in my own life and in the lives of many Friends. I lived in Philadelphia for a few years after college, and while I was there my car was stolen. Now I wish I could say that I chose to stop driving my car for moral or environmental reasons, but this was simply a “choice” that chose me. What it meant, though, was that instead of getting in my car and driving to work, I walked more, I talked to my neighbors more, I had interesting interactions with people on busses, trolleys, and subways, and in short I was a more fully alive participant in my community.

This choice could be seen as a sacrifice. But, in reality, it is a choice that allowed me to participate more fully in the Beloved Community of God. I remember one day in particular during this time when, as I walked the streets of the city and as I interacted with people in the subway, I felt a deep knowing and recognition. I can only describe it as an intense opening of love and joyfulness. It felt like I saw and recognized Jesus in each person I encountered. It was an ecstatic and exhilarating experience, and it lasted all day long.

How amazing is it that this is the kind of community and life that Jesus calls us to? For me, this is what Jesus means. For me, Jesus shows me a way to live that is radical, nonviolent, challenging, and ultimately life-giving. He helps us to more courageously open the doors of our hearts and minds to the beautiful and joy-filled world of love that is always present, always available, if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear. And if we strive to lead faithful lives, the kind of faith that Jesus practiced.

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts about this piece by clicking the "add new comment" button below. 

 

©2008 Friends Publishing Corporation.  Reprinted with permission.  To subscribe: www.friendsjournal.org

Australian Young Friends Camp
December 28th 2008-January 2nd 2009
Werona, New South Wales

To dear Friends everywhere,

In the beautiful Kangaroo Valley, in south-eastern Australia, 24 Young Friends gathered in the spirit of friendship. We met at the collectively owned property, Werona, and while not all of us had been there before, its familiarity was welcoming and relaxing for all.

Nestled on the Shoalhaven River, the beauty of the *insert number here* property that is Werona, was a delight for us. We were blessed by the presence of many of our co-habitants of the ‘more-than-human world’ and delighted in the visits from Goannas, Echidna, Kangaroos and even the ticks and leeches. Time spent quietly watching these creatures, allowed them to relax and then continue to go about their business, as we become part of the bush. It allowed us a chance to really be present and to witness the extra-ordinary-ness of the world we live in.

Working together is always a key element of our gatherings, and this was no exception here. We came together many times throughout the day, and whether it was to prepare food, wash dishes, construct steps to the river or sweep the top hut, we appreciate the opportunity these times present to continue the conversations, sharing and deepening of friendships that we have with each other.

Our time together as Young Friends is always precious, and even more so as we draw closer to the Backhouse Lecture, which Young Friends will be presenting at Yearly Meeting in 2010.  We see the BHL as an opportunity to reflect on ourselves as individuals and as a group.  We recognise that many elements make us who we are and that we can learn and grow by reflecting on and sharing about these.

We work to balance our time and make space for all the things we want to do. It is clear that our play time is as important as our work time, so time spent jumping off the rope swing, sharing meals, in workshops, playing games, gazing at the stars and in discussion groups, are all equally important in our preparation for the lecture.

We ask that you hold us in the light especially, over the next 12 months, as we enter our Backhouse year and the joys and challenges this will present us. We hope to see many of you in Adelaide in 2010.

With much love,

Australian Young Friends

Friends between the ages of 15-35 (approx) are invited/reminded to submit their creative nonfiction writing and visual art to the Quaker Youth Book Project (see www.quakeryouth.org/quipbook) by Febuary 28th, 2009! The QYBP is an anthology of creative work by teenage and young adult Friends from all around the world and across the theological branches of the Religious Society of Friends.

Friends may submit up to 5 (five!) pieces of writing and/or art, and should include their name, age, postal address, e-mail, telephone number, and Friends affiliation with each piece.

Possible submissions include...

NONFICTION WRITING - prose, poetry, essays, personal stories, vignettes, treatise, statements of faith, blog posts, articles, lyrics, sermons, mini-essays, etc etc. Written pieces should be 200 - 2000 words or 4 typed pages. Poems should be no more than 100 lines.

VISUAL ART - paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, collages, etc., or good photos of sculpture and other three dimensional work. Digital images should be a minimum of 300 dots per inch (dpi).

Submissions can be e-mailed to Quip...@gmail.com or send them to 1216 Arch Street #2, Philadelphia PA 19107.

This Project is dedicated to lifting up the voices of young Friends for broader consideration by Friends young and old, to fostering cross-branch dialogue among Friends and, most importantly, to empowering the next generation of Quaker writers, artists, ministers and leaders. QUIP envisions a book that will spark discussion and dialogue, speak to and lift up a growing youth movement in Quakerism, and act as a catalyst for growth and renewal within the Religious Society of Friends.

Sound like something you might want to be involved in?
Read the Call for Submissions (www.quakeryouth.org/quipbook), send your writing or art today (or at least before February 29th, 2009) and encourage other young Friends you know to submit their work!
--
Angelina Conti
Project Coordinator
Quaker Youth Book Project of
Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP)

QUIP...@gmail.com
www.quakeryouth.org/quipbook

Hello Friends,Canadian Young Friends

Please check out the new Fall 2008 Sporadical Edition! It is the first online edition of the Sporadical and, wow, is it a magnificent one!! I hope you enjoy it! It may take a long time to download if you have a dial-up connection. If you would like one that can be printed out into a beautiful little zine, you can soon go to www.yf.quaker.ca to download a copy. You can print it out double- sided, and read it on the bus, show it to your friends, etc.

The Sporadical is a publication sprouting out of the rich community of the Canadian Yearly Meeting of Young Friends. The very first Quaker periodical in Canada was the Young Friends' Review, which was published from 1886 by Coldstream Young Friends, 18 years before The Canadian Friend. This summer I was honoured to be nominated as the co- editor of the Sporadical along with Grace and Brigid Egan-Pimblett and to help continue this long-established tradition.

At the beginning of November, I gave a talk after Meeting at the Yonge Street Meeting House. It was called “Communication within the Society of Friends: Intra-Faith dialogue”. I called it this because I was able to talk about visiting with Friends in Guatemala, the May 2008 Young Adult Friend (YAF) gathering in Richmond, IN, as well as my work at Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM) gathering reviewing CYM’s participation, relevance, and affiliation with Friends United Meeting. Much of my diverse work amongst Friends these days seems to be about making personal connections across the wide spectrum of the Society of Friends, and realizing that despite our ideas and stereotypes about different ‘types’ of Quakers, no one fits neatly into a box and in every interaction and connection there is much to be learned. I believe that the Sporadical can be a place for Quakers across the 9.9 million square kilometers that make up Canada to find connections. I hope this little zine provides a conduit for laughter, for learning, and for love. I hope it is a place to listen deeply and build relationships among Canadian Young (Adult) Friends.

If you have something to say to Canadian YF/YAFs, there is another edition coming out in January. We'd love to have your photos, drawings, articles, poems, etc. Deadline: December 20th 2008. See www.yf.quaker.ca/ for further details about submissions, or email me at: rebe...@gmail.com

Much Love to all,

Rebecca Ivanoff,
Yonge Street MM

WrenFour months ago, I was in the fields of Scattergood Farm in rural Iowa, contemplating the diversity of the plants and animals there, oblivious to the possibility that soon I would find myself in a cubicle at FGC in urban Pennsylvania, supporting Quakers in contemplating and nurturing the diversity within the Religious Society of Friends. Yet here I am, involved with a project that seeks to help Friends realize, understand, and grow from the history and present day realities of prejudice, privilege, and social justice pioneering within Quakerism.

 

Over the past three months, I have been working as an intern for the Ministry on Racism and Publications programs of Friends General Conference (FGC). My primary role entails a variety of tasks that support the production of FGC’s newest book publication, Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice. This position called to me through a variety of ways. Having graduated from Scattergood Friends School in Iowa I have stayed intimately connected to that community and the Quaker values I learned there--silence, service, community, and simplicity. While in college in Arizona, I took classes on race ideology, multicultural education, human rights, and Quakerism, among others and at times was involved with work surrounding border and immigrant concerns. Finally, witnessing acts of discrimination steeped in ignorance have deeply affected me throughout my life. It’s been both a difficult and rewarding process to work on understanding my un-earned privileges and my role in harmful ideologies, while simultaneously trying to find my own identity. Thus, finding a job that fuses Quakerism, racial justice, and a challenge to do my own work on these issues—all through the venue of a book—seemed a deeply fitting opportunity for me.

 

Fit For Freedom

As the title suggests, Fit for Freedom documents the relationship between Quakers and people of African descent in the United States from the mid-1600’s to modern times. As a historical text I found that it debunks the commonly held myths about all Quakers being abolitionists, strong proponents for equal rights, and inclusive in opening their meetings and schools to people of African descent. Ultimately, Fit for Freedom reveals that there is a much more complex and difficult truth to this relationship. As a way to facilitate what I believe is greatly needed dialogue, it asks Friends to look at the injustices and discrimination still prevalent in the Society of Friends today, to reflect on their testimonies in relation to these, and to work on healing the wounds that those injuries have been inflicting on people within and outside of Quakerism. Lastly, Fit for Freedom honors those individuals who over the centuries have struggled for an equitable Religious Society and nurtured the diversity that exists today. I believe that this is an invaluable faith-based text for those, Quaker and not, striving for a more equitable and peaceful society today, and for those who will inherit the history we will leave behind.

 

Weaving the Present from Our Past

In the epilogue of Fit for Freedom, Vanessa Julye, co-author of the book and coordinator for the Committee for Ministry on Racism (CMR), shares her sentiment regarding the state of Quakerism today.

Now that I have a better understanding of our history I see that the Religious Society of Friends is not now and has never been the Blessed Community that I was led to believe existed. This is wonderful news for me. Why? Because it means we have not lost anything. What we need is there ready and waiting for us—a Religious Society of Friends where its members honor our testimony of equality and truly see that of God in each person no matter how deeply it may be buried.

There are many who have come before us who, individually and collectively, scattered the seeds of justice and those of prejudice that we are sowing today. Their lives are still speaking, inviting us to ask ourselves what our lives will be saying a decade or a century from now. It is the hope of the Committee for Ministry on Racism that this religious society is asking and discerning which seeds it wishes to nurture.

 

As I sowed seeds throughout the season on the farm, I watched them sprout through extremes of environmental conditions, from insects, diseases, flooding, drought, and everything in between. It warmed me to know that those buds that survived would grow into food that would nourish not just the squash beetles and tomato hornworms, but the human consumers as well. It is heartening to see that there is a similar phenomenon happening here. I believe that Friends are planting new seeds into the soil of Quakerism through worship, ministry, and fellowship that will grow beyond the extremes of the social conditions of today and continue to nurture the spirit of the Religious Society of Friends.

 

Ways to Be Involved

It is a deep hope of CMR that meetings across the country will engage in the issues and messages presented in Fit for Freedom, its study guide, and the experiences that individual meetings face in light of their unique communities and situations. I strongly encourage you to be involved with your meetings in this work.

Listed below are many other ways in which we can all be a part of helping facilitate this dialogue:

• In January, the Committee for Ministry on Racism is hosting a three-day facilitator training workshop designed to train Friends who are called to guide meetings in delving into the issues and messages presented in the book and its corresponding study guide.
• February 5th marks the book’s official publication. We’ll be celebrating at Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia, from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Included will be a keynote address from storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston; words from authors Donna McDaniel and Vanessa Julye; musical performance by Tribe1, led by Niyonu Spann; author book signings and more.
• Over the weekend of March 6-8, 2009 FGC’s Youth Ministries and Ministry on Racism committees will be hosting an intergenerational conference called Weaving Sacred Wholeness at Penn Center on St. Helena Island. Friends are invited to explore diversity through deep conversation and experiential activities and help identify ways to strengthen this faith community and build a more whole Religious Society of Friends.
• During the week of April 19-23, 2009, Pendle Hill will host a short course with both authors of Fit for Freedom, entitled, “Our Quaker and African American Ancestors”.
• There will be many other book events, workshops, Gathering events, and a pamphlet focused study series that will engage discussion in new directions. FGC’s Fit for Freedom website will soon be getting a new look and will include updates on these events, as well ways to interact with the material and dialogue on-line. Stay tuned to www.fgcquaker.org/fit-for-freedom.

Please feel free to be in touch if you would like more information on any of the upcoming events. I can be reached at wrena@fgcquaker.org, 215/561/1700, ext. 3055. 1216 Arch St. STE 2B, Philadelphia, PA 19107.