YAFs

An Introduction
The Quaker commitment to equality flows from two core beliefs. First, that no human should ever be given the power and deference that belongs to God alone. Second, that there is a seed of spiritual potential in every person, given by God, that gives them dignity and worth.

Quakers recognize that any attender may be given ministry in worship-- that spiritual authority issues directly, and only, from God. Therefore, all are equally welcome to speak. Quaker women are, and always have been, active and prominent ministers. Similarly, spiritual leadership is shared by people of different class backgrounds. For the first several hundred years of Quakerism's existence, a person's conversion to the faith was marked by the adoption of plain dress, which visibly rejected the conventional marks of class and social hierarchy. Friends in 17th century England were regularly imprisoned for refusing to tip their hats or use the plural pronoun "you" with their social superiors. In all these ways, Quakers have sought to affirm a social and spiritual egalitarianism that puts human dignity and equality before social convention.

On the surface, the issues and struggles of equality look different today than they did 350 years ago. Quakers mostly dress and speak like the other people around them. At the same time, we are faced in new ways with issues of equality like distribution of wealth, ecology, and sexual orientation/gender identity. The challenge remains the same: to recognize each individual, not in their own social, financial, or intellectual power, but as a creation, manifestation, and potential vessel of a power bigger and more important than the world's.

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


Betsy Blake

In my meeting, here in the Southeastern part of the U.S., we have a female pastor and many women--and men--in leadership. 

As Friends, we believe all are call upon to be ministers.  We all have a duty to seek and listen for God and amazingly, that God can speak back!  Friends have witnessed that God doesn’t just speak to pale, white men either.  So our ears perk up when any well-led voice rises from the silence, regardless of the owner.

As a woman, I have often felt diminished, objectified or undervalued in local societies as well as in my travels abroad.  It still surprises me every time. 

As a whole, the men in my meeting are kind, gentle, generous, strong, and very respectful of all.  Sometimes I wonder if this is hard for them, when a woman is speaking passionately or strongly; suggesting we take a particular direction.  The men seem to sit there so peacefully though, listening deeply and honoring the Leadings of a gender that our culture often presents as a people to be controlled or exploited.

Thankfully, these men listen to God over certain cultural ideas.

I am also happy to say that the respect is mutual.

Because of this, when we work together, appreciating one another’s gifts, viewpoints, and ability to access the Divine--everyone benefits.

Betsy Blake is a member of First Friends Meeting (FUM) in Greensboro, NC, a community that welcomes all people. Betsy has spent more than 10 years traveling and sojourning amongst the various branches of Friends around the globe and bears witness that the something powerful is stirring amongst us!  

Michael Doo

Quakers believe that there is 'that of God' in everyone and that all people have the same privileges and responsibilities regardless of race, age, creed, gender or sexual orientation. In my personal journey through Quakerism, I have faced each of these issues in various ways. They have challenged me to look inward and explore my own beliefs. At first, I was unsure how to proceed when writing this piece. But as I thought back to my first years with Quakerism, I realized I already knew how to go forward.

I came to Quakerism via Shiloh Quaker Camp in Stanardsville, VA. The campers in attendance came from all different social and economic backgrounds. More importantly, the campers came from a number of different Quaker backgrounds. Some, like myself, were from unprogrammed meetings (those that worship in the silence). Others were from programmed meetings (in the style of typical Protestant worship). However, from the very beginning, young Friends are instilled with the core value of equality. In the context of a Quaker outdoors camp, this translated to an environment that nurtured the Spirit in everyone. We were a group bound only by nature and not judged by anything, or anyone, else. This allowed campers to flourish and grow without having to worry what others thought.

My experiences at Shiloh moved me to join the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends community. It was here that my views of equality were cemented. Here was a community that welcomed Young Friends from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. During my time with the BYM YF's, the group had to tackle tough issues such as homosexuality and outreach to members of Friends United Meeting. It wasn't easy. How does one keep an open mind for such contentious subjects? Now how does a group of 70 keep an open mind? In the search for equality, Young Friends struggled to come to consensus on the issues.

Equality is one of the hardest and most complex issues Quakers deal with on a daily basis. It is also one of the most rewarding issues to study and reflect on. I strongly encourage readers to look further into it and find what equality means to them.

Michael Doo is a 3rd year Mathematics major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. He is a member of Stony Run Friends Meeting in Baltimore, MD.


Faith Kelley
“That’s not fair!” was a common refrain several summers ago at the camp where I worked.  Usually uttered by a camper envious of another camper, I would sometimes respond “Aren’t you glad life isn’t fair?”  Even as I recall that, it seems like a harsh thing to say to a child.  Why dash their dreams of a fair world where everyone gets exactly what they deserve?  Why argue it is good?  The kid would often give me a puzzled look or continue to argue, but that allowed us to have a conversation about how often they have benefited from something good they did nothing to earn or have had negative consequences withheld even though they had done something wrong.  They had gained from unfairness in those circumstances, now could they let someone else enjoy a little grace or mercy?

I think that often as adults we still get confused about what we want - fairness or equality.  Fairness to, me, has its place but it is so easy to get caught up in legalistic rules.  Everyone gets exactly the same thing and exactly what they deserve under the rule of fairness.  Equality is much more complicated.  It comes not out of rules about everyone being the same, but out of our common worth as children of God. Jesus told a parable about equality versus fairness.  He said that a landowner went out in the morning and hired a bunch of works and told them he would pay them a specific amount at the end of the day.  As the day went along he continued to hire other workers and promised them the same amount for their work.  At the end of the work day the workers hired in the morning complained because they had gotten paid the same amount for a full day’s labor that others had gotten paid for only a few hours.  The landowner points out to them that they gotten what they were promised, why were they jealous of his generosity with others?  The parable ends with Jesus saying “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).

God’s kingdom is a place of equality, not the false fairness we often cry for.  As Quakers we are committed to living lives that reflect the gospel order Jesus described in this parable.  It is topsy-turvy compared to our expectations, with the first being last and the last being first.  Out of this new understanding of equality, all have gifts and all are called to be part of God’s work.  Gender, race, age, wealth, education and all the other things that divide us in the world become unimportant in the Light of Christ.  Even though I am a woman, I can preach.  Even though I am young, I can hold a position of authority.  Even though I have no formal theological education, I can write about God.  What matters most is what God has called me to, how the Spirit is moving.  That is the equality of God.

Faith Kelley is originally from Ohio but now lives and works in Washington, DC at the William Penn House.  She grew up in Shiloh Chapel Evangelical Friends Church.

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 Young Adult Friends and Leaders of Young Adult Friends,

Do you want to intentionally create a local community structure for Young Adult or Student Friends in your area?

Do you wish there were more roles for leadership for the younger generations? In connection to that, do you wish there were more ways for younger generations to engage our elders and cherish their experience and wisdom?

Do you want to engage and work with the wider Faith-based community on issues of social justice, community-cohesion, and peacemaking?

Do you wish to do more to share Quakerism with the world, and to strengthen your own Quaker identity?

Do you wish there were a network that would help you communicate among Friends of your generation to assert your collective voice and take collective action?

The letter below goes into detail about an opportunity to pursue an engagement with the WSCF, the oldest international student/young adult organization in the world. It is an opportunity to start something for Young Adult and Student Friends that could be considered a Quaker Student Movement. If people were inspired to try and build this among our generation, community by community, it has the possibility to address the concerns raised by the questions above.

WHO I AMStephen Dotson
My name is Stephen and all I want is to present this idea to Friends and see where it goes. I am a convinced Friend since 1997, a member of Goose Creek Friends Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (FGC & FUM) and a 2006 graduate from Guilford College and the QLSP program. Through my time there I became familiar with the rich history of the Religious Society of Friends and the practices of early Friends. Also at Guilford, I grew appreciative of the diversity among Friends and the building energy among younger generations to work across this diversity. We are eager to see it as a Blessing and not a burden, and found there are just as many older Friends who share that Spirit and energy.

After graduating from Guilford I became fascinated with how Young Adult Friends are asserting their Quaker principles, processes, and vocabulary to manage the challenges that the transition out of college brings. The last year and half I've been researching and interviewing YAFs to better understand and Witness to their journeys into adulthood. Through this endeavor and my attendance at the North American YAF gathering and QUIP's (Quakers United in Publication) annual gathering, I became aware of the vibrant welling-up of Spirit and Ministry that Friends of younger generations possess. By this work I have also intentionally built a large personal network of YAFs and people who work closely with YAFs.

Just after returning from the North American YAF conference in Richmond, Indiana I received an email from a Friend suggesting that I apply to be a Steward to the World Student Christian Federation's Global Assembly. I knew nothing of this organization and neither did any of my friends and mentors. After researching and deciding it was congruent with my values, I wrote an application fueled by the eager Spirit that was abound at the North American YAF gathering. I felt I had no chance at obtaining one of the few spots they offer, so I also felt I had nothing to lose and really put my heart into it. In June, I received an email congratulating me on my acceptance to the Global Assembly as a Steward. I was shocked, and unsure of what that would mean, what exactly this organization was, etc., but with the aid of my monthly meeting I went and found out.

Now I find myself in a position of being a connector. I have seen the tools that the WSCF offers, I am aware of the opportunities my generation is seeking, and I have clear access to the networks on both sides of this possible relationship. I have never had such a clear and sobering Leading as to write the following piece.

We have witnessed a hunger in this rising generation. We have witnessed a willingness to worship and work together amidst difficulties, and despite differences. In my peers and in myself, I see an eagerness to serve Love, Faith, and Community that has few avenues for full expression. We have witnessed an eagerness to speak Truth to power. We have witnessed a desire to build intergenerational connections, but few opportunities. We are interested in these relationships because we're aware of the truth: we can't know where we're going if we don't know where we have been. We have also seen how Quakerism's insular nature can produce in-fighting, and perhaps more seriously, often fails to engage the larger community of Faith and share the gems and tools that our Faith has produced. We are a shrinking tradition because of these boundaries, but we are a vibrant and inspired generation.

I am writing this letter today because I have found something that I hold to be a vital opportunity for the rising generations of Quakers, a tool that could help address those needs and concerns.

My aim is not to take credit for anything that comes out of this, but to be a catalyst, a spark. I am Called to equip Friends with more tools for deepening their relationship with each other, the world, and God. We have all seen instances where Friends turn their deeds, words, gifts, and leadership into badges that adorn their pride and ego, but I want to be explicit in asking you all to hold me and each other accountable to serving Spirit as we approach leadership within the Religious Society of Friends.

Below there are sections entitled:
-WHAT IT IS
-HOW IT MAY SPEAK TO OUR CONDITION
-HOW WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD

WHAT IT IS
This August I spent 3 weeks of my summer in Montreal working with the World Student Christian Federation at their global assembly. Briefly stated, the organization is an ecumenical, grassroots-based organization of different student/young adult communities enacting their beliefs around social justice, humanitarian, and peace issues from the basis of Christian-rooted Faith. It emphasizes local community engagement with a perspective for global concerns. They believe in putting faith in to action in the context of autonomous community-based groups that communicate and congregate occasionally in national, regional, and global gatherings. Not all members are Christians, and not all members are still students, but the name remains.

2008 WSCF Stewards

The WSCF is the oldest international student organization in the world and was the starting point of the World Council of Churches. It has been a critical link between people of Faith, all over the world for over 100 years. It was one of the last channels of communication between war-torn Germany and America during WWII, used by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to inform his colleagues at Union Theological Seminary in New York of the full extent of Nazi atrocities. It has been the facilitating organization for countless dialogues of cease-fire, peace-making, and relief work on the local level. On the global level it's international office in is Geneva and it consults with the U.N. and various global aid organizations. Here are some useful links to familiarize yourself with the organization:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Student_Christian_Federation
http://www.wscfglobal.org/news.php
http://www.wscfglobal.org/wscfInAction.php

Not many people have heard of this organization because the WSCF hasn't been around in North America for the last 40 years. In 1968, the members that made up the North American region were convinced that by participating in "the institution" of the WSCF they were part of the problem (remember, 1968 = hippies). They proceeded to vote themselves out of existence, and in the 40-year absence of an organization for progressive Christian/spiritual young people, the "religious right" (I use this term for lack of a better one) has super-organized and re-shaped Christianity in America.

In 2005 the North American Region was restarted and the Canadian Student Christian Movement was formed. Luciano Kovacs was made Secretary of the region at that time and describes the region as follows:

Members of the WSCF-North America (WSCF-NA) are called together in a common cause of ending injustice and oppression through grassroots and student-led activism. We seek to live out the vision of our Christian faith while supporting ecumenism and diversity in spiritual practices. The North American Region is set to re-emerge as a vibrant, functioning entity of the WSCF and to take its place in the continuing struggle for liberation and justice for all peoples. We are non-dogmatic and are accepting of diverse spiritual backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual and gender identities and economic situations.

The weekend of January 30th, 2009 there will be a conference in San Francisco to discuss how movements will be started and organized in the United States. If Friends are so moved as to become involved, this is the event that you should attend. At this event we could determine how we would want the (hypothetical) Quaker Student Movement to be structured, we would bring our concerns and our leadings from our home Meetings (yearly and monthly). This would be the beginning of intentionally structuring communities and local leadership among Young Quakers that could span the branches, and involve Quakers in the re-invention of a United States coalition of progressive Christian/spiritual young people. Simply put: it is all up for discussion, and we can’t have a voice if we don’t come to the table.

HOW THIS MAY SPEAK TO OUR CONDITION
This organization could provide us with a framework to intentionally develop Young Adult Friends and Quaker Student communities on the local level, and network them with other local YAF and QS communities across the nation. There would be leadership opportunities widely available for those so Moved as to try and organize their community. These are just my own ideas, others are welcomed.

With these leadership positions for our generation would come opportunities to engage the wisdom of our elders and ask for their complementary support. It is my sense that an endeavor such as this can only be successful if it is supported on the local community level by our elders. By this I mean that any organizer/clerk of a local unit of the (hypothetical) Quaker Student Movement would be asked to have a support committee of elders AND one particular Mentoring Friend. Moreover, there would be no threat to the current leaders in our communities (who are now living and staying in positions of leadership longer than ever before) because this organization is somewhat outside the structures of the yearly meetings, conferences, etc. In my eyes, this is a huge asset as it provides us the opportunity and flexibility to do things and exercise voice in a way that those other organizations can't, to work together in spite of differences that have pushed those organizations apart, and both challenge the larger community and be tempered by its wisdom.

Also, already existing in the WSCF is a body of older (mostly former-WSCF members) who are referred to as "senior friends"! They range from 35 to 100 years of age and have their own conferences and assemblies to complement the work of the WSCF with their wisdom, networking, and fundraising. They draw tremendous energy from bearing witness to the work of young adults and staying current with the pressing needs of their communities and the world.

In this way it could help us tie Young Adult communities closer to the existing Friends meetings and churches in their locality, which all too often lack roles or relevance for Young Adult Friends. Lastly, as a student organization, high-school students (Young Friends) can participate also, which helps increase the participation and engagement between generations and ensures the continuation of the community structure. Newell Pledger-Shinn put it very aptly when he told me that, "The last thing we need is an isolated young adult ghetto that fails to draw youth up as teens or fails to look both backwards and forwards, as people age but don't change in their essential thirsts and hungers for spiritual food."

If Young Adult Friends became involved in this organization, we could have a structure for upcoming generations to assert collective voice for common causes and values that transcend the differences among Friends. We could have a network to communicate between different local Young Adult and Student communities around the United States. It would also help us engage the wider ecumenical community and provide opportunities to Witness to the power of Quaker principles and processes. Undoubtedly, we would attract some new people to Quakerism through such Witness.

It can strengthen our sense of identity as Quakers by living our Quakerism out in the larger context of the faith-based world. By my experience in the General Assembly I became more and more aware of what unique empowerment Quakerism offers and better understood how to be Quaker "in the world" and the ways it guides me to not be "of the world". It helped me further understand and own my Quaker identity and unique approach to the God/Christian gospel, by exposing me to what else is out there.

I'm sure the emphasis on Christian identity may challenge some of my fellow FGCers and non-theist Friends, but I would point out that this organization understands how complex and personal our relationships with God are in this day and age. Quakers are welcome to participate in this organization because we are a tradition that has grown forth from Christian roots, not because all Quakers are Christian, or use Christian language. This organization is about empowering young people to live out what they believe not telling them what to believe. The diversity of people I encountered there at the general assembly reflected a spectrum of belief and spiritual vocabulary just as diverse as that of Quakerism. It's not a place where people are saying: "wow isn't it great that we're all Christians and good people and can get along in spite of our differences", it's a place where people were saying: "Look how differently we interpret and live out our communion with God revelations! Let's see how our diverse sets of tools from differing interpretations of this relationship with (Christ, Light, God, Spirit, Creator, Liberator, etc.) might better the world in fundamental and profound ways."

HOW WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD
As I mentioned earlier, there is a conference that will be the jumpstart of the United States region in San Francisco the weekend of Jan. 30th. If Friends feel a Leading to start and organize a local community unit of Quaker Students/Young Adults in their area, then I would suggest they come to this conference, contact me for more information (swil...@gmail.com).

I have also thought that it might be helpful for Friends to seek the embrace of their monthly meeting to attend the conference, and this would come in the form of a travelling minute. Any other thoughts are encouraged and welcomed.

Short of coming to the conference, if Friends wanted to support the concept and birth of this structure, I think the first step would be to put the word out in your monthly meeting, in your circles of Friends (both digital and analog) expressing a desire for something like this to be made real. If you can't go, encourage someone in your meeting that might be able to and whom you could envision taking on the role of organizer and servant leader for your community. Perhaps, encourage your meeting to help by financing someone to go.

Thank you for listening. And please help spread the word!