Help Wanted 2010

There's been a fair amount of buzz in the Quaker blogosphere lately (and over the last five years) about Revitalizing the Message and New Wineskins. This is part of a more general debate about the fate and usefulness of old Quaker institutions. I think it is very important to have these discussions on an ongoing basis. But pontificating on the internet is not enough. What are we going to do about the state of the Religious Society of Friends?

On that note, have you noticed how many of the major Quaker institutions (and a few minor ones) have been or are now, or will be soon, looking for new executive leadership in the course of about two years?

American Friends Service Committee (2010)
Ben Lomond Quaker Center (2011)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (2010)
Friends General Conference (2011)
Friends Journal (2011)
Friends United Meeting (nominated 2010, starting 2012)
Friends World Committee for Consultation (2011)
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (2008)
Quaker House (in Fayetteville, NC) (2012)
Western Friend (2008)

There’s probably more. Which ones have I left out? (Is there a clearinghouse somewhere for announcements and job descriptions?)

***Here's two more:

QUNO Geneva [added thanks to Eden Grace, 10/9]
Earlham College [brought to my attention by Martin Kelley, 12/8]

***And even more, now with dates thanks to Kathy Hyzy, 1/27/11:

Woolman Semester (2008)
Friends Fiduciary Corporation (2011)
Quaker Earthcare Witness (2011)
Quaker United Nations Office/New York (2008)
Northwest Yearly Meeting (2012)

One Friend I know got interviewed for one of these jobs and the first question the committee asked was, “Out of all the Quaker jobs open right now, why do you want this one?”

Why do you think this is all happening at once? Is it just time in the generational cycle? Is it because the financial crisis of the last couple of years has been so hard on executive directors?

This looks like a wider nonprofit trend of long-time executive leaders leaving. About 10 years ago, there was a big fuss in the nonprofit world about a survey that showed that half of all executive directors planned to leave their jobs in the next five years. Then five years ago, another survey showed that the massive shift hadn’t happened but that most EDs still planned to leave in the next five years. I think that we are now seeing that shift starting to happen among the Baby Boomers who founded organizations in the 70s and 80s. It’s complicated by the economic recession, and by the fact that Boomers are living longer in better health and so working longer too. I highly recommend a book by Frances Kunreuther, Helen Kim and Robby Rodriguez, called Working Across Generations: Defining the Future of Nonprofit Leadership.

I don’t know enough about evangelical Friends organizations, but there aren’t any on this list. Why not? Did they already go through a shift or are they just about to enter this phase? Or am I just not in their loop?

I’m wondering how many of these jobs will go to another Baby Boomer. (It’s two out of three for the ones I know of that are already filled.) [Update: Seven out of ten as of February 2011.] What kinds of risks are the hiring committees/boards willing to take on less experienced Friends? Will they just hire another Boomer to stay another 2-5 years? Will we have another generation of 20-30 year tenures at the tops of these of organizations?

Will all these institutions survive this once in a lifetime mass shift in leadership? How many will move in new and vibrant directions? Are there too many openings at one time? Are there enough younger Friends who are ready, willing and able to take on new responsibilities? To take on the hard work and hard choices? To commit?

New wine needs new wineskins with every harvest. But not a whole new winecellar every year, just to continue the metaphor. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel just for the sake of saying “I did it my way,” or “We sure showed them.” Then again, when your winecellar starts to cave in, it may be time to move the whole house.

Organizations help to coordinate the matching of resources with missions. Structure can be helpful. Systems liberate. Creativity flourishes best without complete chaos surrounding it. One lone ranger, or a small, committed group of citizens, can do some things for a short time, but organizing materials, money and manpower takes infrastructure to run smoothly. What would a GenX Quaker institution look like? What about a Millenial Quaker organization?

Honestly, I don’t know or even have a fixed opinion on what should happen. These organizations vary widely in size, complexity and mission. Some are on firmer financial and spiritual footings than others. But all will depend on, contribute to, and have to face either the diminishment or the revitalization of the Religious Society of Friends.

In an era of reduced budgets and growing unrest, what does the future hold for the Religious Society of Friends?

Where do you see yourself?

Where is the convergent conversation now?

Baltimore? Newberg? Boston? Richmond? Salem? Philadelphia? San Francisco? Minneapolis? High Point? Pasadena? Barnesville? Berkeley? Plainfield? on the Internet?

Yes, yes and yes. All of those and more. It is still amazing to me that this phrase, convergent Friends, has struck a chord in so many places and ways. For those who are new to the conversation, for me it was originally a short hand way to refer to the commonalities between “Conservative-in-the-Quaker-sense-leaning liberal Friends” and “progressive evangelical Friends who are interested in Quaker distinctives” which I think we can all agree are really long and clunky strings of adjectives.

Linguistically, "convergent" alludes to an affinity for both Conservative Friends and the Emergent Church. Metaphorically, convergent Friends are moving closer together towards a radical understanding of the Kingdom of God embodied in our postmodern culture. I have tried out longer and shorter definitions, none of which are really precise or academic sounding, although they have frequently been peer-reviewed. It’s more of a fuzzy understanding that keeps changing, as more and more people use the term.

I see around me that Friends are (once again) examining our heritage for what is helpful to us today and what is superfluous. Friends are rediscovering and experimenting with traditional Quaker practices like plain dress, plain speech, right livelihood and traveling ministry. Friends are also testing some ancient-future practices that are common in the wider world, like sustainable economics, especially around energy and agriculture. We are looking at faithful practice in other traditions and communities – new monastics and other radical Jesus followers, engaged and Zen Buddhists, Arab-Israeli peace activists, among others, to be sure that we don’t stagnate in our own backwaters.

We are cutting doors in the institutional walls that built up in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. We are walking right through them and finding out that the rumors we’ve heard are not all true and that no side of the fence is greener and no group is monolithic. Will T points at curiosity as a convergent characteristic. I like that.

At first, it was my blog-fueled, mind-opening discovery that I had more in common with some evangelical Friends than I would have ever imagined that led to this naming. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to know a few folks in the Conservative yearly meetings that have reinforced my original vision. This spring, I had the opportunity to visit with Friends in Indiana and North Carolina - FUM folks who were also intrigued and encouraged by this conversation. This feels like the final leg to my convergent table – not just three legs now, but four branches of Friends to lean on. Some would say there are five branches involved now, maybe it’s more like the five wheels on a good rolling desk chair with room for all of us to sit and spin in it together. (I don’t think I’ve met any serious Holiness Friends, but I’m hoping to read this book later this year.)

And the conversation has gone viral – did you see the latest ESR newsletter? Did you hear the keynote address at the FWCC Section of the Americas meeting in April? Did you read about the interest group at the recent FUM Triennial 2008? I didn’t really have anything to do with any of them, but I feel somewhat maternal about the phrase. I’m pleased to see it grow up and take off in the world.

I think that this phrase has become part of the current rise of Friends redefining what it means to be a Quaker – there are competing visions, to be sure, but they share a hope that what they cherish about Quakerism will not die out. I think this movement towards renewal has been going for about 20 years now; it’s gathering steam and starting to cause friction. I don’t know any more than anyone else where it will lead in another 20 or 50 years, but I hope to be around to see it.

So where IS that convergent conversation happening now?

A couple of weeks ago at the FGC Gathering, Liz Opp, Chris M. and I led an interest group intentionally called, “Where is the convergent conversation now?” It wasn’t bad, about 35 people came and participated, but it wasn’t great for me. I was tired, and I felt unprepared, and I hate that. I learned that leading a workshop is more than enough work for me for one week at the Gathering. I’m so glad that Chris and Liz held up most of the organizational work of putting it together, and thanks also to Paul L. who helped out that night.

I was expecting to see many of the same people as the previous couple of years and I was prepared to give an update – an account of what’s happened since last year. But the people who came were mostly new to the conversation and I wasn’t as prepared as maybe I should have been for that. People had really basic questions. They weren’t there to debate the fine points of the definition or to argue about the direction of the conversation. Other people, including Chris and Liz, tell me it was fine. But by 8:00 that night, I was not in a good space for noticing where God was working in others.

The main thing I learned, partly by hearing myself say it, is that it doesn’t work as well, for me anyway, to announce a discussion of “convergent Friends.” It would be better to establish a topic of something that I think is important and let the Friends come who are also interested in that. I don’t have to set myself out there as an expert on convergence. I’d rather open a conversation about specific elements of Quaker faith and practice. The convergent Friends will come.

I just read about a gathering in North Carolina coming up in November that will focus on the new expressions of Quaker faith and practice and the relationships of Quaker institutions and young adults. You can read more about it on Scott Wagoner’s blog, A New Kind of Quaker. It sounds very interesting and I hope to hear more about it, before and after!

I also want to put in a plug for an upcoming weekend at Ben Lomond Quaker Center in California with me and C. Wess Daniels, February 20-22, 2009.

I think the weekend will include time for participants, including Wess and me, to share some of our spiritual journeys, in small groups and in writing. We will walk in the redwoods, sing and laugh, have extended waiting worship, and eat together. We will take time to refine our understanding of the phrase convergent Friends. We will experiment with some traditional Quaker practices and develop some tools to take home, to help us be the change we wish to see in our meetings and the world. I am hoping that way will open for other convergent voices to join us from around the country. I expect that childcare will be available. We are open to hearing what would you want to do/see/hear if you came?

Where else do you see the convergent conversation happening now?

Reflections on my workshop at FGC

(considerations for the future will be a separate post)

I’m having a hard time thinking about my workshop now that it’s over. It seems a bit like Brigadoon and I wonder, did it really happen? Was it really as good as I think it was? Fortunately, I’ve received a couple of emails from participants that verify that it really did exist and that it really did matter to them.

First of all, I feel confirmed in my leading to offer a workshop at the FGC Summer Gathering. About a month before the Gathering, I was not at all sure that it was a good idea to put so much time and money into the journey. However, we had already bought the tickets and spent the money and told the children we were going so we could not easily back out. Plus we were able to combine the trip with a visit to my in-laws so it didn’t feel quite as frivolous as it might have. In the end I feel like it was worth all the hassle and worry. And even the money.

Second, I had planned enough but not too much. I am extremely grateful to San Francisco Monthly Meeting for allowing me to try out parts of the workshop here at home. Those evenings did not go nearly as smoothly as the weeklong version, but they were invaluable in enabling me to practice leading some creative exercises and to develop the confidence to combine some teaching along with facilitating the discussions. Plus leading those sessions in early May meant that I had to have those parts of the workshop prepared well in advance and I got a better sense of how much work would be required to prep the whole week.

Third, I am grateful to Stephen M. and Diane P. who served as my elders for the workshop. They met with me in advance to hear my plans and offered feedback after each session. They prayed for me before and during the sessions. They asked good questions, offered helpful resources and affirmed my ability to do this. I know the RsoF is working out a new understanding of the role of elders among us. I want to affirm these Friends’ gifts in this role.

In a broader sense, I’d like to thank Chris M., Charles M., Elizabeth B., C. Wess Daniels, Liz Opp, Martin Kelley, Mark Scandrette, and Adam K. for their direct and indirect support and helpfulness. I drew on the published resources of Doug Pagitt and Kathryn Prill, Claire Lynch, Carin Anderson, Iris DeMent, Mandesa, Lloyd Lee Wilson, Sandra Cronk, Richard Foster, Kody Gabriel, Amanda, Sarah, Johan Maurer, Quaker Jane, and probably lots of other people who are not mentioned here.

In the broadest sense, I’d like to acknowledge my dependence on the leadings of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus Christ. I feel well used.

Take my hands; I give them over
Make my heart an open door
Make my life a house of Spirit
Make me an instrument, nothing more.

©2000 Carin Anderson, from her album “Welcome Home”

FGC Food Issues

It seems like the in-thing to do to comment on the meals at the FGC gathering, so here I go.

As always in a cafeteria/eat all you want situation, the lines were long and, there was too much food, and too much that isn’t good for you. I tried to make some healthy choices at every meal – including recognizing that I had actually had enough, even if I might have liked more.

I experimented with a few desserts that didn’t involve chocolate, on the general assumption that any chocolate served in the dining hall was not procured through fair trade channels. My favorite was the root beer float, but I shudder to think about the calories in soda AND ice cream. Iced coffee with a vanilla ice cream float was almost as good. The carob soy milk was tolerable; thanks Peterson for recommending it. But institutional pie is not worth eating, in my opinion.

We ate frequently in the room next to the Silent Dining area – not because it was any quieter but because there were longer tables that would allow a family of four to sit with other people. It seemed like our children were less attached to their friends this year, or at least we didn’t have as many requests to eat with so and so.

One highlight was the blogger dinner which has already been blogged about.

We tried to have a SF Meeting dinner, since there were about 15 of us at the Gathering, but it rained on our outside dining plan, and we gave up on trying to save seats in the crowded dining hall.

Apparently the availability of ice cream at all meals is a Gathering tradition. I heard several Friends repeating the story – I don’t know if it’s really true or not – that at some previous Gathering, the cafeteria staff reported that Friends had eaten more ice cream in one week than their students had eaten in a whole semester. In any case, one of my sons was a regular in line – but he’s too short to scoop his own, so Chris or I had to go with him. In light of that, can you find me in this video?

Authors at the FGC Gathering

One of the things I did at the FGC Gathering this year that I hadn’t before was attend several presentations by authors at the bookstore.

The first was Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment with J. Brent Bill. Brent did such a good job that the director of the Ben Lomond Quaker Center invited him on the spot to lead the Year End Retreat. It was the lovely way Brent talks about his wife Nancy that really did it. I’m hoping she’ll come too – they would make a great team. And of course, spiritual discernment is an obvious theme for a year end retreat. The registration information is not available yet, but the dates will be December 27, 2008 – January 1, 2009.

The second was by my dear Friend and writing buddy Elizabeth Boardman, for her second book, Where Should I Stand?, which was just released at the Gathering. It’s about the daily life of clerking a Quaker meeting. Not so much about how to run a business meeting, although it does cover that some, but more about how to relate to other people, how to deal with one’s apparent and secret fears, joys and expectations.

We’re also having a release party for Elizabeth in SF on July 20, 2008. I expect there will be cake and she’ll sign the books that will be available for purchase at the Ninth Street Meetinghouse in SF. You can also get it through Quakerbooks.org, of course, but if you can come to the party, we’d love to see you.

The third was for the upcoming youth book that will be published by QUIP and FGC. Three members of the editorial team were there: Harriet, Katrina and Angelina. They spoke about the book, handed out the call for submissions, and lead a mini writing workshop on the question “How has technology made a difference in your spiritual life?” (My answer? The Quaker blogosphere, of course!)

I didn’t get to stay for the end of the third one, but I want to give my kids credit for sitting and drawing quietly at the back of the room through the ones we did stay for. Thanks, guys!

Post FGC

But not home yet.

Our week at the FGC Gathering was followed by a ten hour trip to Grandma's house.

It was a good week, cool and damp outside, but warm with Friendliness. We all made new Friends and saw some people we know only from the last two years of going to the Gathering. One of the fun parts was seeing Friends from our own meeting every day for a week, which rarely happens at home.

My workshop went really well. People laughed. People cried. People used the words "strengthened" and "emboldened" and "transformed." I couldn't ask for more. I will write more about it next week.

Liz Opp and Chris M. and I facilitated an interest group called "Where is the convergent conversation now?" It went fine, but not magical. Not like two years ago. But I learned a good deal in the process. I will write more about that next week too.

Now I'm going to help assemble Lego creations at Aunt Debbie's house.

Running on Overload

The blog is suffering from real life overload. I'll be at the FGC Gathering next week. I'll try to write something then.

Where is the convergent conversation now?

What is it? Who else is in it? How do I get into it? Is it only online?

I’ll answer that last question first. NO. The convergent Friends' conversation has been going on in a number of places IRL – at large Quaker gatherings and at various Friends’ kitchen and picnic tables.

Next month, July 2 to be exact, we’ll open another chapter at the FGC Summer Gathering. There will be a Wednesday night interest group by this very same title.

Liz Opp and I are facilitating the discussion. We’ll tell a little more of our stories. We’ll ask Friends to share their questions and then we’ll choose the best of some semi-prepared ways of answering them. We’re interested in other people’s answers. If you’re going to the Gathering, we hope you’ll join us. We're looking for Friends who have been following the "conversation" who might be able to help us out.

If you’re not going, and most people on Earth aren’t, we’re still interested in your questions and your answers. Feel free to chime in here or on Liz’s blog. If you’re not registered for the Gathering, but you’d really like to come for this discussion, send me an email at the address in my profile, and I’ll see what we can do.

Here’s the official 50 word description:

Convergent Friends are talking about renewal and a Quakerism that bridges our schisms. Where and how is this conversation happening? Who else is having this conversation? Do you want to be a part of it? Bring your questions and let's share in the answers.

Primitive Quakerism / Postmodern World

This is a description of the workshop I will lead at the 2008 Summer Gathering of Friends General Conference in Johnstown, PA. Registration for the Gathering begins March 27, 2008.

The catalog will list it like this: Primitive Quakerism/Postmodern World

Explore the re-emergence of primitive Quakerism in the postmodern era. Experiment with traditional and new spiritual practices to help us fearlessly live up to the Light that we have been given. Daily hour of worship, plus reading, writing, animated discussion, singing, new media, some homework. Expect inclusive and Christian language.

The format will be more or less like this: Most days we will begin with a song. I will provide some reading material and facilitate a discussion on the daily theme. After a short break, we will have (almost) an hour of unprogrammed worship. Then we will experiment with some relevant spiritual practice(s) and close with briefly praying for each person in the group.

Below is an outline of the workshop. For each day, I have listed some of my guiding queries or theories for the theme in the first paragraph and then listed some of the planned activities in the second and third paragraphs. We will allow the Holy Spirit to direct us as needed.

Sunday: Introductions, Terms & Definitions (a shorter session)

What do you mean “post-modern”? And what is “primitive Quakerism”? And who are “convergent Friends”? Plus my pendulum theory of renewal in the Religious Society of Friends.

We will introduce ourselves, in words and movement, review the outline of the workshop and learn the song for the week (Teach Me To Stop and Listen).

Monday: Plain!

How did traditional practices like plain dress or plain speech affect early Friends? What are the postmodern equivalents? What criteria can or do we use? How do we get the exteriors of our lives in order so that we (and God) can do the inner work?

We will read some explanations of old and new testimonies of plainness/simplicity and discuss our own postmodern criteria for plain living. We will experiment with holding the intention in worship of seeking a leading in simplification. You can choose a practice to "try on" for the week [I am collecting examples, suggestions are welcome], and write your own manifesto of your beliefs & commitments in this area.

Tuesday: Individual Preparation: Study & Beyond

Some say that George Fox knew the whole Bible by heart. How many of us have any in-depth knowledge of the Bible, Fox’s Journal or any other spiritual writings? What other individual preparation do we need to put a strong foundation under whatever work God is leading us to?

We will read some of the plain statements from yesterday and discuss how individual development affects a group/monthly meeting. We will hold the intention in worship of seeking a leading in individual improvement. We will each try to memorize the Beatitudes as an example and choose an individual spiritual learning task for the future.

Wednesday: Discipline/Submission: Queries & Community

What community support do we want or need? How do you feel about concepts like discipline, obedience, submission? What did early Quakers think/say/do? Where do we learn about or practice them?

We will recite our newly-learned Beatitudes out loud. We will discuss the hardships and benefits of discipline, community, submission. (Sandra Cronk’s pamphlet on Gospel Order , Tom Gates’s pamphlet Members One of Another, Lloyd Lee Wilson’s essays on community & ministry, and my blogpost on Parenting as a Vocation will be resources.)

We will hold the intention in worship of Love. We will symbolically and physically serve one another by washing each other’s feet. You will have an opportunity to compose queries for a community you are regularly part of.

Thursday: New Wineskins: media, prayer/worship

We will try two different forms of spiritual teaching: body prayers and watching a Nooma film, both products of emerging church practices. We will hold the intention in worship of inviting innovative ideas. We will discuss how technology is a part of our spiritual lives, for good and ill. We will consider how we are open (or not) to new forms of worship and prayer. You will have an opportunity to compose a blogpost or traditional epistle or draw a self-portrait or diagram about something to do with the workshop.

Friday: Prophetic Witness: spiritually grounded social action

Where do we hear Creation groaning ? Where are you called to bring God’s love and healing to the world? If we only aim to improve ourselves without sharing that with the suffering world, our efforts are certainly incomplete and maybe ultimately wasted.

We will read passages from the Bible, John Woolman and Isaac Penington about the cry of the Earth and its people, and the Divine response of Love. We will share our complaints with God, ask for healing and literally groan in growth and rebirth, based an exercise I learned from the Re-Imagine community in San Francisco. We will hold the intention in worship of seeking our own personal point of intervention, large or small, where we feel God is calling us to service.

You will have a time to journal briefly about what you have learned and where you want to grow in the future. There will be a final time for worship-sharing about "where do we go from here?"
------

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send an email to the address in my profile. I am still developing the details of the week. I am open to suggestions, concerns, questions, and praise.

If you decide to come, this is what to bring:

• an open, experimental attitude
• writing paper or your journal
• pen or pencil
• a Bible if you have one
• a towel
• courage and enthusiasm

Even if you aren’t coming, please hold me and the future participants in the Light.

A workshop for convergent Friends at FGC Gathering

Have you ever thought about going to the Friends General Conference Summer Gathering? It’s an opportunity to live for a week surrounded by 1500 Quakers, mostly from unprogrammed meetings in North America. As a percentage of our denomination, it’s a HUGE gathering of Friends. One Friend called it a Quaker themed summer camp for grown-ups and their families.

I've only gone twice, but I have enjoyed it and learned a lot both times. You can read more of my experience if you click on the category FGC in the sidebar. Even more is available in the QuakerQuaker.org archives in the Events section, under FGC.

The Gathering is always the week of the fourth of July. This year, it will be held at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, PA. Arrangements are already being made for eco-friendly travel options. There will be multiple daily opportunities for worship, Bible study, singing and interesting conversations. The FGC bookstore sets up shop on campus. There are great programs for children, teens and young adults. The evening speakers haven't been announced yet but last year they included Marcus Borg, a famous scholar, and Joanna Hoyt and Kody Hersch, two inspiring young adult Friends.

The central element of the Gathering are the morning workshops. Every morning (most) of the attenders join a small group (10-30 people) for a weeklong focus on a specific topic. This year, for the first time, I submitted a proposal to lead a workshop, and it was accepted by the committee. Eventually, you’ll be able to read about it in the catalog and online. But you heard it here first.

The title is “Primitive Quakerism/Postmodern World.” If the title could have been longer, I'd have re-used the title we chose for the FWCC workshop last year: "Reclaiming the Power of Primitive Quakerism in a Postmodern World." The topic and the content of this summer's workshop arose from some of the questions that interest me, and that I've been exploring on this blog and with convergent Friends in various places. Like:

• What are the expressions of primitive Quakerism that are emerging around us?
• How are they different and/or the same in the post-modern world?
• What can we learn from other religious traditions and non-traditional groups that are also examining their roots and flying into the future?
• How do we develop the strength and power to live up to the Light we have been given?
• Where and Who is God calling us to be?
  

In this workshop, we will examine our current spiritual practices, experiment with traditional and new spiritual practices, and claim our Quaker heritage as part of our future. Friends will leave this workshop with tools and companions in our mission to live up to the Light that we have been given. I think we will have fun, but then I have kind of a crazy idea of fun.

So here is my short workshop description, that will be in the catalog:

“Explore the re-emergence of primitive Quakerism in the postmodern era. Experiment with traditional and new spiritual practices to help us fearlessly live up to the Light that we have been given. Daily hour of worship, plus reading, writing, animated discussion, singing, new media, some homework. Expect inclusive and Christian language.”

The format will be more or less like this: Most days we will begin with a song. I will provide some reading material and facilitate some discussion on the daily themes. After a short break, we will have (almost) an hour of unprogrammed worship. Then we will experiment with some relevant spiritual practice(s) and close with briefly praying for each person in the group.

In FGC-speak, the workshop will consist of
40% Worship / 10% Lecture / 25% Discussion / 25% Experiential

I expect that the kind of people who would choose this workshop will already be engaged in the ongoing renewal of interest in the religious aspects of the Religious Society of Friends. I do not expect that they will know much about the emerging church movement in other denominations. That's okay. My knowledge of all of this is still growing - I expect I will learn a lot in the workshop too.

I am both excited and nervous about this whole project. Honored and freaked out that my proposal was accepted. Especially since I saw the list of other workshops that will be offered and the people who are leading them. Who would want to come to mine when they see what else they could do? I think that some humility is good for me, and I am trying to remember just to breathe. I am not in charge of everything. God will be with me and the whole workshop.

Lord, help us all.

[I have posted the outline of the workshop separately, so that Friends can read more specifics about it. I also put links about the workshop in the sidebar for future reference until the Gathering starts at the end of June.]

Friend in Residence for Junior Gathering: So what exactly do you do?

That is a good question. The one thing I knew I’d have to do when I agreed to take the position was to set up the chairs for the early morning meeting for worship for Junior Gathering staff. 6:30 am is a little early for me to report to work, but not impossible.

I had a couple of official duties which I will write about later.

Mainly, it was walking around, visiting all the different children’s groups, just listening and praying for people. I had two main questions for staff: How are you doing? What are you doing to feed your spirit today? (On Wednesday, that was modified to, “How are you going to get some rest today?”) Just asking and having time to listen to the answers seemed to be enough. One of the things I found myself saying was, “I have no authority to fix your problem, but I will pray for you.” And people would smile and say “That’s enough. Thank you.”

Two important tools for the week: a package of tissues, and sandals I couldn’t run in. I had this sense of walking across campus infused with the Holy Spirit, of holding each group, each Friend I had been with in the Light. It felt really good. (Ok, not all the time, I had moments of irritation and confusion too, but I had more time feeling held by the Spirit than not.)

My most important tool for the week was a smile. I tried to walk into each room, whether classroom, office or bathroom, and just smile at people. Partly because I was having fun and felt like smiling. But also because I wanted to be clear that I wasn’t coming in with another problem for the staff, just an offer to be of service. Smiling also gives the other person a chance to re-find their smile. Most days, I also made a trip to the room with the babies, just to refill on smiles, so I’d have enough to go around the rest of the day.

Convergent Friends: From Small Nudges to Faithful Obedience

Tonight at the FGC Gathering in River Falls, WI, the two proposed interest groups on Convergent Friends with Laura Melly and Faithful Obedience with Robin Mohr and Liz Opp have been merged to meet together. (7:00, in the UC Ballroom, just beyond the Gathering store. In case you're planning to come.) We'll probably also meet up afterwards with folks who attend the Intrafaith Work Among the Various Branches of Quakerism interest group with Erin McDougall and Andrew Esser-Haines, and anyone else who wants to explore classic Quakerism in a postmodern context.

For me, these topics were always connected, at least in my mind. I've come to understand that this might not have been as clear to other folks. It is a pleasure to work with Liz and Laura to pull it all together. Please hold us in the Light.

This morning, I am able to post this because I'm working on my computer in the Junior Gathering Office to print out my schedule as Friend in Residence for Junior Gathering. More to come.

More Possibilities Are Emerging

One of the very first posts I ever read in the Quaker blogosphere was Martin Kelley’s post on the Emergent Church Movement: The Younger Evangelicals and Quaker Renewal. Over the last couple of years, I’ve come to articulate much more clearly my own understanding of the intersection between the emerging church trend and the Religious Society of Friends. I would call this convergent Friends; you may have your own words for this.

Last week, I met way more emerging church folks than ever before. (Here I should say that I am not an expert on the fine points of distinction between the terms emerging or emergent, nor do I know much of the history or who’s who in the internecine squabbles. I am not inclined to debate them either. Let’s say that to me they all refer to postmodern religion. Whatever that means to you, so be it. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it.)

I went to lunch with the presbymergent crowd – Karen Sloan invited me to tag along, and I’m really glad I did. It was very, very interesting to me to hear another denomination talk about the emergent trends among them. They sounded a lot like the conversations I have had with folks about convergent Friends – the internet/non-geographically based conversations, the cooperation across various divides within the denomination, the concerns that maybe the denomination is dying, all sound familiar. Are we trying to reform the whole thing? to renew a particular concern? just the last gasp of a dying beast? I recognized the concern that this be just seen as a conversation that is happening – a series of parties in conjunction with a bunch of other conferences. And especially Karen’s own description of how this ministry of connections is what is exciting to her and so she’s just doing it, even though it’s not a paid position. Gee, that really sounds familiar.

After lunch, Karen talked to me a little more about getting more involved with the emerging church conversation – how that is possible and helpful and difficult all at the same time, possibly especially for me as a Quaker and as a mother.

The whole thing made me think more seriously about being more organized about convergent Friends. About taking it more seriously. About being more explicit about what it might mean to be an emergent Quaker. I realized I have not really focused on the emergent part of convergent lately – this year I have really been focusing on the Conservative (in the Quaker sense) part of convergent. But this turn in the conversation was good for me. Each emergent church person struggles with something a little different, and finds different necessary resources in the movement. For some of them, it is looking for a less hierarchical form of leadership and more equality in ministry. For some, it is looking for more relevant, maybe ancient but now uncommon, forms of worship. For me, it is looking for examples of a different way of being Christian. Both different from the historically-minded folks of the Christian Friends Conference in northern California and different from the exclusive/elitist, just-war-justifying, culturally conformist folks of many mainstream and evangelical traditions. I’m interested in how to be a follower of the Way of Jesus, in simplicity and integrity, with harmony and equality, and forcefully pacifist.

When I look at the emergent folks, some of the things they are searching for are elements we Quakers take for granted. And some of the things they take for granted are hard for us to articulate and agree on. We have so much to learn from each other.

Am I called to do something about this? Yes. What will that look like? I’m praying hard about this. And I’m not that skilled at anything called prayer. Mostly I have a sense of opening my heart to the universal breath of life and love and hoping that something will come to make sense. Maybe the reason for all this housework this summer is to give me the physical, repetitive work that is often conducive to more open-ended thinking. I’m trying to keep my little notebook handy to write down insights as they come to me. The zoo has also been quite a productive place to think.

I’m also entering a period of discernment about employment. I sense (from some external markers) that I have about another year to be free to pursue unpaid ministry. Or shall we say another year for homemaking to be my sole economic contribution to our family. I’m thinking a lot about how my gifts and calling to religious teaching and evangelizing ministry could become paid work. There are a number of crazy possibilities that occur to me and Chris, but most of them involve a lot of other people changing to make them possible. One of the things I learned in Weight Watchers was about the benefits of writing down a Winning Outcome (a vivid and concrete description of what you want to see happen) – but one of the criteria is that it must be based on changes I can make, not dependent on other people to change. So this is going to be a long process.

I’m off to the FGC Gathering in a few days. (All those other posts I was hoping to write? Probably not going to happen before I leave.) I’m really hoping and expecting to have more conversations about convergent Friends with folks from a wide range of places and perspectives. If you’re going to be there, you can leave a note for me on the message board – my last name is actually Mohr – and we can arrange something. Look for me around the Junior Gathering in the mornings and at my Tuesday night interest group with Liz Opp: On Fire! From Small Nudges to Faithful Obedience.

Homemaker, writer, minister?

If you were to ask me my occupation, I’d probably say, “I’m a homemaker, a writer and a Quaker minister, of sorts.”

This month, it seems like the homemaker role is taking over my life. Well, I did edit my first Meeting Newsletter, which is now my primary Meeting responsibility, as of this month, after five years on the Ministry and Oversight committee, and it did involve some writing. But it felt more akin to preparing my weekly shopping list than any deep kind of ministry.

This is the last week of school for both my boys. H. is gone on the third grade overnight camping trip tonight, tomorrow is S.’s graduation from preschool and my last ever cooperative nursery school work day. (Last week was my last ever nursery school parent meeting!) On Friday afternoon, we will all attend the largest annual meeting for worship in San Francisco. I'm expecting about 400 people this year at the San Francisco Friends School closing meeting for worship in Golden Gate Park – 200 children plus all staff and most of the parents. (That reminds me I need to call H.’s friends’ parents and coordinate our picnic.) At the end of that meeting for worship, S. will officially be a kindergartener and H. a fourth grader: their first and last years of elementary school! And I’ll be a full-time mom for the summer.

A very busy summer at that. We’re probably moving to a new apartment, so that will be quite a process. It’s not that far away, but enough to disrupt all our daily/weekly routines. And of course, all the purging/packing/unpacking to be done.

Our zoo membership expires at the end of June, so I’d like to take as much advantage of that as possible. The new Grizzly Gulch opens June 14^th!

I’m sure we’ll play more baseball and tennis in the park across the street. I hope it still works out to have both boys in swimming lessons at the same time, so I can swim on the lap side of the pool. I want to find a way to continue walking by myself a few times a week even though the boys aren’t in school.

There are a few bright spots in my summer plans. In addition to FGC’s summer gathering in Wisconsin, we’re heading to PYM at the University of Redlands in southern California in August. I’m hoping to have another convergent dinner on August 4^th, somewhere in the L.A. area, but Chris Frazier and I are still looking for a suitable location. (The Daniels family is moving that week and can’t host this year. If you have any suggestions, let me or Chris F. know.)

Also, next week, I’m really looking forward to attending a meeting of emerging church leaders, called The Spiritual Ecology Project: A day of conversation about the emerging church and God's mission in our world. Including Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones and our own local Mark Scandrette. I’ve read these people’s blogs, and now I’ll get to talk to them in person. I think. I don’t know how many people are coming, but I don’t think it’s going to be one of those 500 people in the audience listening to speeches kind of events. The venue isn’t that big. I think it’s going to be small group discussions, but hey – I’ll see when I get there. This week, I’m just trying to arrange childcare for the day – of course, this had to happen the week AFTER school gets out.

The hard part this summer is going to be writing. How to carve out a room of my own, or at least an hour or two of my own, in the midst of normal family chaos? Can I write when the Spirit says write? How can I organize my days and nights to maintain some discipline and balance around this?

This story helps:

“Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, ‘Stay here while I go over there and pray.’ Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, 'This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.'
Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, ‘My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?’
When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.’
He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, ‘My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.’
When he came back, he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.”

Matthew 26:36-44 (The Message)

I want to be like Jesus in this story, but I know I’m more like Peter and the sons of Zebedee. Even if I can’t maintain focused discipline, I’m not alone.

Faithful Obedience at FGC Gathering?

Have you noticed a little theme going on around here over the last week or so? It’s not just coincidence. This question keeps coming up for me: how does paying attention to the small nudges from the Holy Spirit prepare us to be faithful in the big moments and movements? All through my preparations for my workshop at the FWCC meeting, when I was in Boston, here at home, it seems to be a theme in my spiritual life these days.

Another theme in my spiritual life is the growing interest in convergent Friends. It seems like everyone has a different idea of what it means. I am hearing rumors that there are folks who would like to get together to talk about it this summer. I read somewhere that Martin and Wess are leading a workshop [on? for?] convergent Friends at Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative). I’m working on organizing another convergent dinner after PYM. But when someone asked Liz Opp if we were planning another interest group at this year’s FGC Gathering, we talked about it some and I thought about it a lot, but there was no life in the idea for me. I didn’t feel much like expounding on what is or is not convergent.

Then Liz mentioned that she was thinking about the topic of faithfulness. Oooooooh! I thought. That’s it! I immediately had six ideas for what we could talk about, and how to put it together.

I still hope some of the same folks will come who came last year. I hope we’ll have some of the same Spirit, Life, and Power. In the meantime, this feels like one step in the right direction, a small example of following the small nudges that may be part of the path of faithful obedience.

Here is the formal description of the interest group:

On Fire! From Small Nudges to Faithful Obedience

Faithfulness and obedience in small things is what makes obedience and faithfulness in the big things possible. Phrases and queries such as "Not my will, Lord, but thine" and "How might I be of service?" help us in our yearning to be faithful. How might we support one another to stay faithful amidst busy lives and chaotic times? How might our individual faithfulness support the renewal of the Religious Society of Friends?

(Actually, this is more than 50 words so they made us cut it back a little bit for the official listing, but this is my blog and I wanted to post the whole thing.)

Liz and I are both posting about this today, here is the link. We are also already working on a reading list of related books, pamphlets, articles and blogposts on the subject of faithfulness and holy obedience. If you have a favorite you’d recommend, please tell me about it in the comments.

FGC Gathering: It's Not Too Late!

Unlike last year, you can still register for the 2007 summer gathering of Friends General Conference in River Falls, Wisconsin, even with kids... The deadline for registration with children is May 31, or whenever the program is full, whichever comes first, but my impression is that “there’s plenty of room for everyone, plenty of room for you.” (Five points to whoever can name the Tom Chapin song I’m quoting. If you have or know any children between the ages of 5-12, you should know about Tom Chapin.)

We had a really good time at the FGC gathering last year, it was busy and fruitful in many ways. (I met a LOT of Quaker bloggers.) But Chris wasn’t sure he could justify taking a week off of work to go to a “Quaker-themed summer camp for grown-ups and their families.” We already take a week in August to go to Pacific Yearly Meeting, plus there’s cost of registration and the plane tickets, etc.

But then, an entirely unexpected opportunity arose. I was asked by one of the co-clerks of the Junior Gathering to serve as Friend-in-Residence for the Junior Gathering. (Who me? Yes, you!) He explained that it involves facilitating early morning worship for the staff of the children’s program, including some “ministry of the chairs,” as Chris and I like to call the physical setting up for worship, and attending worship opportunities with the children during their programs, and generally being available for consultation with anyone who needs or wants it. It would be instead of taking a regular workshop, but it comes with a full work-grant.

My rambling answer went something like this: “Gosh, I’ve never done anything like that before. Are you sure you want me? I’d have to talk to Chris. We aren’t sure we’re even going this summer. This would be a growth opportunity, that’s for sure. I’m really honored to be asked. I think I’d like to do it. When do you need to know by?”

Since then, we decided that we will take our whole family. It’s a lot of money, but we have asked for assistance from our Meeting and FGC. (Another one of my commitments in life is to (try to) be unashamed about asking for assistance when we need it.)

Things I didn’t know I was supposed to do when I agreed to take the job include attending one of the Gathering Planning Committee meetings. But there’s only one left, it’s going to be in Wisconsin, and it’s the same weekend as my last session as clerk of the children’s program committee for our Quarterly Meeting. So I got an exemption.

I still don’t know exactly what the work will involve. I’ve only been to the FGC gathering once before, and I didn’t know there was a Friend-in-Residence. Do I just walk around radiating Friendliness? I know I get a cool t-shirt that matches the rest of the Junior Gathering staff. Do I get to wear a special hat? I guess I’ll find out when I get there. In preparation I will be contemplating the theme of the gathering, “And who is my neighbor?” and possibly writing something for the Gathering Blog soon.

I would have liked to spend a couple of extra days in the Minneapolis area, visiting the Laughing Waters Worship Group and Solomon’s Porch, but since I have to go early to work at the orientation for the Junior Gathering staff, Chris can’t take more time off to stay afterwards too.

Anyway, I encourage Friends to come – there’s a lot to learn by being with 2,000 Quakers for a week. There are some wonderful workshops being offered. I always hear good things about the early morning bible study. The afternoon worship sponsored by FLGBTQC is an opportunity for daily refreshment. I don’t know how many of the evening speakers I’ll get to hear – I still think it’s awfully late for young children to be up, even in their age appropriate programs, but I am very tempted. And Liz Opp and I are exploring how to be faithful to our concern for faithfulness. :-) I know Chris is looking forward to the Sacred Harp singing again, but I’ll let him tell which workshop he signed up for. (I am a little bit envious – I wanted to take the same one last year, but it was full before I registered.)

As they say, see you at the Falls!

The other stuff at FGC

So did anything else happen at FGC besides the convergent Friends interest group? Of course. This was my first time, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but I’m really glad I went.

My week-long morning workshop was on The Blessed Community in the Epistle of James. I enjoyed the work we did in triads, some role playing, some worship sharing. One of the interesting things was comparing the translations in the King James version (KJV) and The Message version (TMV). The leader, Max Hansen, pointed out that the King James would have been the version the earliest Friends would have been most familiar with, and so it is well worth reading it to understand more of their allusions. But then frequently, he would ask me to read the same passage in the Message and we would compare. If this hadn’t become a useful pattern, I’d have stopped carrying such a hulking book around by the second day. Since Chris had his (our?) Oxford Study Bible, the “scholarly” version, I had thought it might be interesting to bring something completely different to my workshop. I have a tiny KJV that I used too, to be able to tell where the verses are, since there aren’t any verse numbers in the Message.

Probably the best part of the workshop was the worship that occurred on the final day. We started with our usual opening silence, then Max read an epistle from George Fox, then the fifth chapter of James (KJV), then I read the fifth chapter again (TMV). Max hesitated and then explained that what he really wanted to give us couldn’t be workshopped. He admitted that he feared for his evaluations if he was open. He wanted us to feel the presence of the Living Christ and if not, the emptiness that might lead into seeking out the Presence. And from there, we moved into deep worship-sharing and then we closed. This description doesn’t convey the sense of covering, of gathering I felt. You just had to be there.

Chris and I talked a little bit about the testimony of simplicity in regards to dorm sleeping & eating. Having two twin beds and the boys on the floor is not ideal sleeping conditions, but no one was cold and no one (that I heard) complained. When I was frustrated with the sheets that were too short for the bed, I remembered when I lived in Mexico and was grateful to have a mattress at all. In the college cafeteria, there were many, many options. I had to make a point of choosing healthy options and not all fried foods. But the salad and vegetables were good. In the adjacent middle school cafeteria, there were fewer options, but the fish was delicious and the produce was locally sourced and largely organic. No one went hungry. We made the trek most evenings, enjoying both the walk and the calmer environment for eating. Ironically, on the day that the college was serving just rice and beans for the official simple meal, with the savings going to Right Sharing of World Resources, the middle school was the place that Friends could have the usual plethora of options.

One of the joys of going to a Quaker gathering, for me, is visiting with other families. Eating together, doing laundry together, watching our kids play with dolls, or spinning tops or tag on the lawn together. It’s hard to have deep, coherent, spiritual conversations that are regularly punctuated with phrases thrown over your shoulder like slow down, no fists, do you need to go to the bathroom? But we try.

On Wednesday evening, our boys were playing happily on the big lawn after our picnic dinner & concert. Chris and I sat with first one group, and then another, and then another from about 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. When we finally called it a night, our boys were playing with some other kids their ages and a small group of older teens who were taking turns spinning them around and swinging them up in the air. They had met basically because the little kids had been throwing ice up in the air and at some point it had landed on the teens and they had responded congenially. The other parents agreed with us that we were so glad for the young arms and backs who were able to spin over and over and over again to the mutual delight of teens and kids.

In many ways and in many places, our kids have made friends with other Friends. In fact, about half the people who usually go to our yearly meeting went to the FGC gathering this year. For sure, we met a lot of new people. But there were enough familiar faces that it didn’t feel like swimming in a sea of strangers. One of my favorite moments was introducing two couples, one from our Meeting and one we had just met, to each other. They’d all been attending the Gathering since the early 80’s and had seen each other but never spoken to each other before.

We also connected with old and new friends. Like Liz Opp and Paul L., I enjoyed seeing Peggy Senger Parsons and meeting Alivia Biko from Freedom Friends Church. I was delighted to run into Peter Crysdale, who now lives on the East Coast, but who was a spiritual teacher to me some years ago. I also met two young women from Northwest Yearly Meeting who had been to the World Gathering of Young Friends, and Holly B. from New England Yearly Meeting who they came to hang out with. I only made it once to the afternoon worship sponsored by Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns. I would do that more often the next time.

One of the interesting points for me over the week was telling people I’m going to Newberg, Oregon on Friday. Sometimes I let it go at that, and sometimes I was quite specific that we were going to meet Friends from the evangelical Friends church there that we had gotten to know through our blogs. People were all supportive about it, if sometimes a bit surprised. Carl Magruder and I talked quite frankly about going to Newberg and Northwest Yearly Meeting, since he had been there before. He reminded me to listen more than I speak. I tried, but probably failed. I’m still writing about that experience, but it’s coming.

Dropping names

This is the list of bloggers I met in person in the last two weeks. Read 'em and weep:

Aj Schwanz*
Art, Life and the Universe by Alivia Biko*
Boundless Stores of Grace by Linda
Can you believe? by Johan Maurer*
Christian Alternative by Max Hansen
Confessions of an Earthquaker by Carl Magruder
Dan McCracken*
Delonna*
The Good Raised Up by Liz Opp*
Gregg’s Gambles by Gregg Koskela*
Homefries by Kenneth Sutton*
Leaves of Grass by Mitchell Santine Gould*
Life 103 by Kathy*
Marta's Musings by Marta*
One Quaker Take by Timothy Travis*
The New Young Elder by Rebecca Sullivan
Quaker Ranter by Martin Kelley
Reaching for the Light by Pam aka Earthfreak*
Redwood Dragon by Dave Trowbridge
Showers of Blessings by Paul L.*
A Silly Poor Gospel by Peggy Senger Parsons
Tables, Chairs and Oaken Chests by Chris Mohr
Unwavering Bands of Light by Kody Gabriel*

* means for the first time!

P.S. I will probably keep adding to this as I remember more of the Gathering...

On Fire: Renewing Quakerism through a convergence of Friends

So what can I say about our interest group? Martin, Chris, Dave, and Liz have already posted about it. I suspect there is more blogging to come.

I can say that it was an honor and a pleasure to work with Liz Opp and Martin Kelley live and in person. I had met Martin once before, briefly, but Liz and I met for the first time on Saturday evening, July 1. On Sunday July 2nd, the three of us sat down together for the first time and asked, "So what are we going to do tomorrow night?" I had brought a few ideas and we considered them, adopting some and not needing others. Even this planning meeting was graced by the presence of Spirit. We were able to share a little of our own interests and concerns and to reach a level of conocimiento, of comfort with each other that boded well for our interest group.

One of our clearest agreements was that we should arrive early enough to get set up and to settle into worship before everyone arrived, and to stay in silent gathering prayer for at least fifteen minutes after 7:00. As people arrived, they too would be able to center down, to Be. Here. Now., and to understand that this was a serious attempt at Quakering. We figured that the folks who would be attracted to our interest group would get it. We were right.

I will follow this with three related posts:
1) the list of spiritual practices and disciplines that participants named as bringing them strength and/or joy
2) the text I wrote out with my spiritual journey that I shared as part of the interest group
3)the list of some Quaker books that we think are important that we handed out.

God's tender mercies are over all.

Spiritual Practices from FGC participants

At the beginning of our interest group, Friends were asked to state their name, their monthly and yearly meeting, and "to name a spiritual practice or discipline that brings you strength and/or joy." These are my notes on the responses.

Maybe you will recognize some of your own spiritual practice. Maybe something will call to you to try it. Maybe some will sound foreign to you. Remember this is not a to-do list. If something specifically irritates you, try to think of some way that it could be a spiritual practice for someone else.

reading the bible out loud
reading Quaker journals
daily journaling
listen to religious music
centering prayer
centering prayer
qi gong movement
contemplative prayer
singing scripture set to music
listening in tongues
sing shape note music
meeting for worship
hike in mountains
reading Quaker writings
hosting worship group in home
journaling
quilting
gratitude
preparing to teach
holding people in the Light for healing
participating in the life of the meeting
praying at least once every day
thanking God on the way to work
painting outside
devotional magazine
studying scripture
consciously open self to God
holding people in the Light
corporate discernment
singing
enumerate things I'm thankful for
baking
tree hugging
pottery
meeting for worship
shape note music
time for centering
Thank you God for a portion of this day
nature
morning prayer, before anything else
acknowledging grace before meals
facilitating groups and witnessing transformation


You are welcome to add to the list in the comments, even anonymously.