“Friends are most in the Spirit when they stand at the crossing point of the inward and the outward life. And that is the intersection at which we find community. “ —Parker Palmer
Who are we to each other in the community of our meeting, and in the broader Quaker world? Come and listen, reflect and explore the world of Quaker community.
Introductory Exercise
What has been important to you about communities that you of which you have been part?
What are your hopes for the community of FMC?
What has your experience of the FMC community so far?
Presentations
We will talk about topics such as the testimony of community, organization of the meeting, Quaker decision-making and approach to unity, diversity and conflict, the wider Quaker community, and membership
Question & Answer
Whole group discussion
Sharing in small groups
Topics that have come up tonight
“Parking lot” for unanswered questions
Reflections on the evening and worship to close
Reference Material
Web-based written materials
- The testimony of community, from the Faith and Practice of Northern (upper midwest) Yearly Meeting
- Historic Roots: Testimonies and Structure of the Religious Society of Friends, from Friends General Conference sponsored “Quakerism 101” web page
- A Brief Introduction to Quakerism, from QuakerMaps.com
- S-P-I-C-E-S: The Quaker Testimonies, from Friends Journal
Corporate Discenrment from the New England Yearly Meeting provisional Faith and Practice- The Agony & the Ecstasy, by Richard Foster. “Any group of disciples who becomes serious about loving and caring has to deal with hurting and forgiving. This is the agony and the ecstasy of any real group experience…”
- The Footwashing at Marlboro. A story from Sandra Cronk’s Pendle Hill Pamphlet (#297), “Gospel Order,” about a disagreement between two Quakers in Pennsylvania at the time of the American revolution.
- “Gospel Order — I insist,” a blog post by C. Morningbear Cullimore Mercer.
- The Angel of Your Meeting/Church: Moving from Passive Aggression to Using Conflict as a Transformational Tool, by Jonathan Vogel-Borne (from “Seeds,” the online publication by Good News Associates)
- An Introduction to Quaker Business Practice, a paper presented to the World Council of Churches by Eden Grace, a member of Beacon Hill (MA) Friends Meeting.