Some have inquired through email and other sources regarding the status of the conference entitled "A New Kind of Quakerism". Apparently, there is a buzz out there and some excitement about this event. That's great! Here is some pertinent information that might be helpful in your planning.
1) The conference is scheduled for November 14-15 (Friday / /Saturday) at Deep River Friends Meeting in High Point, North Carolina. We are located at 5300 West Wendover Avenue, High Point, NC 27265. Our phone number is 336-454-1928. Our email address is deepriver@northstate.net. I want to just make sure that everyone is aware that the Friends Center of Guilford College and the Quaker Renewal Program gets the credit for planning this conference. We are just the site it is being held...but we wholeheartedly support it and welcome the opportunity to provide hospitality.
2) Max Carter is Director of the Friends Center and can be contacted at 336-316-2445. You can also go to the Friends Center page at http://www.guilford.edu.
3) This November 14-15 retreat / conference is being described as a time of "...intergenerational workshops on the theme 'A New Kind of Quakerism' and drawing on the energy and vision of young adult Friends as well as the new 'convergent' Friends movement. The "convergent Friends" are described as Friends that are "...seeking a deeper understanding of our Quaker heritage and a more authentic life in the kingdom of God on earth, and are radially inclusive of everyone who shares this wish." This is a quote by Robin Mohr from the Friends Journal (October 2006)
4) Practically speaking there are plenty of hotels / motels around Deep River Friends if anyone wishes to stay there. Please contact us and we'll provide information on these places. Also, please be aware, Friends are welcome to stay at our meetinghouse overnight. We do have places that folks can thrown down a sleeping bag and pillow and be comfortable. We do not have shower facilities but have more than adequate bathroom and kitchen facilities.
I hope this is helpful to those that are thinking of attending. We're looking forwards to an exciting time!
Blessings,
Scott Wagoner
Pastoral Minister
Deep River Friends Meeting
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
"New Kind of Quaker" Conference Update
Hello Everyone ~
A few of you have expressed an interest in attending the conference scheduled for November 14-15 in North Carolina. This is being sponored by the Friends Center of Guilford College of which Max Carter directs. As more information comes my way (ie, cost, etc), I can get the word out. In the meantime, I will talk to Max about publishing possible housing options. Since we have been getting the word out on the internet, this is the first time we have received interest from folks outside the Yearly Meeting - and North Carolina- for that matter. But, that is good. It's an important topic and one that needs all who feel led to be present and in attendance. So, more info is to come. If you are interested, please just post your interest level on the blog. Thanks!
A few of you have expressed an interest in attending the conference scheduled for November 14-15 in North Carolina. This is being sponored by the Friends Center of Guilford College of which Max Carter directs. As more information comes my way (ie, cost, etc), I can get the word out. In the meantime, I will talk to Max about publishing possible housing options. Since we have been getting the word out on the internet, this is the first time we have received interest from folks outside the Yearly Meeting - and North Carolina- for that matter. But, that is good. It's an important topic and one that needs all who feel led to be present and in attendance. So, more info is to come. If you are interested, please just post your interest level on the blog. Thanks!
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Christianity...and Quakerism...Worth Believing and Embracing
Right now, I'm working my way through Doug Pagitt's recent book, A Christianity Worth Believing. In it, he has some great thoughts worth mulling over. Early on, he describes the kind of Christianity that is his desire and vision. Pagitt longs for a Christianity that:
"...makes sense in the world in which we live, a Christianity that is not afraid of questions and will not resist answers, regardless of where they lead. It is my attempt to embrace a faith that is expansive, growing, and beautiful on in which God is active and alive involved in all of life. Because I believe in a Christianity where nothing is left out and no one is left behind, where humanity participates with God in the redemption of the world; where sin is more than a legal problem to be judged but a relational problem that can be healed; where we pursue harmony, centered on Jesus the Messiah, the Jew, whose life, death, and resurrection allow us to live well with God; there the Bible draws us into a story of life and healing; where we find hope for this life and life ever after; where love is alive, where love drives out fear, where love propels us towards lives lived for the betterment of the world."
I guess when I read this, it is very easy for me to also plug in the identification of "Quakerism" when I see the name "Christianity." For not only do I long for this type of Chrisianity, I long for this kind of expression of Christianity..a Quakerism that is not afraid to ask questions or resist answers regardless of where they lead...a Quakerism that is expansive, growing, and beautiful and one where God is active and alive and involved in all of life...a Quakerism where nothing or no one is left behind and all of humanity participates with God in the redemption and mending of the world...a Quakerism where love is alive, love drives out fear, and love propels us towards lives lived for the betterment of our world...and our communities!
"...makes sense in the world in which we live, a Christianity that is not afraid of questions and will not resist answers, regardless of where they lead. It is my attempt to embrace a faith that is expansive, growing, and beautiful on in which God is active and alive involved in all of life. Because I believe in a Christianity where nothing is left out and no one is left behind, where humanity participates with God in the redemption of the world; where sin is more than a legal problem to be judged but a relational problem that can be healed; where we pursue harmony, centered on Jesus the Messiah, the Jew, whose life, death, and resurrection allow us to live well with God; there the Bible draws us into a story of life and healing; where we find hope for this life and life ever after; where love is alive, where love drives out fear, where love propels us towards lives lived for the betterment of the world."
I guess when I read this, it is very easy for me to also plug in the identification of "Quakerism" when I see the name "Christianity." For not only do I long for this type of Chrisianity, I long for this kind of expression of Christianity..a Quakerism that is not afraid to ask questions or resist answers regardless of where they lead...a Quakerism that is expansive, growing, and beautiful and one where God is active and alive and involved in all of life...a Quakerism where nothing or no one is left behind and all of humanity participates with God in the redemption and mending of the world...a Quakerism where love is alive, love drives out fear, and love propels us towards lives lived for the betterment of our world...and our communities!
Monday, July 7, 2008
New Kind of Quaker Conference - November 2008
Hey Everyone,
Just letting you know that Max Carter is planning a Quaker Renewal conference in November to be held at Deep River Friends Meeting in High Point, NC. It's theme will be "A New Kind of Quaker" and is intended to bring together young adults, seasoned (old) adults, and others that have an interest in what a "new kind of Quaker" looks like for the 21st century. The following is a "teaser" of what to expect in terms of interest groups, speakers, etc:
"A New Kind of Quakerism?"
A Quaker Renewal Program Workshop
November 14-15, 2008
Deep River Friends Meeting
Sponsored by Friends Center at Guilford College (Preceded by a three-week book study of Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's "Jesus for President")
Friday, November 14
6:45 pm Registration and refreshments
7:15 pm "A New Kind of Quakerism? Convergent Friends and Young Adult
Friends' Concerns" - Betsy Blake (tentative "yes," pending
discernment)
8:15 pm Worship-sharing groups, with word exercises and discussion
starters.
9:00 pm Closing worship
Saturday, November 15
9:00 am Pastries and drinks
9:15 am First workshop offerings
1. Building intergenerational community in the RSoF: initiatives of FGC's youth ministries committee - Maia Hallward
2. A new technology for a new Quakerism - Scott Wagoner?
3. The experience of YAF gatherings at Lancaster, Burlington, and Richmond - Rebecca Sullivan (yes); Megan Fair? Nathan Sebens? Betsy Blake?
10:30 am Break
11:00 am Second workshop offerings
1. So what are we afraid of? - Dave Mercadante?
2. Sharing the experience of QLSP alumni and current students - Evelyn Jadin, et. al.?
3. Panel of YAFs from different branches - Megan Fair, et. al.
12:15 pm Lunch break.
1:00 pm "A Spiritual Journey from Unprogrammed Friends through QLSP
into Programmed Friends" - Evelyn Jadin?
2:00 pm Worship-sharing groups.
3:00 pm Break
3:30 pm Third workshop offerings
1. What's our place as YAFs in the RSoF/ What are YAFs doing now? - Erin Wagoner and Stephen Dotson (yes)
2. "Emergent" and "Convergent": the broader Christian context for a new Quaker movement - Tony Lowe and April Baker
3. The making of "Can We All be Friends?" - Betsy Blake (yes,
pending discernment)
4:45 pm Closing semi-programmed worship.
Just letting you know that Max Carter is planning a Quaker Renewal conference in November to be held at Deep River Friends Meeting in High Point, NC. It's theme will be "A New Kind of Quaker" and is intended to bring together young adults, seasoned (old) adults, and others that have an interest in what a "new kind of Quaker" looks like for the 21st century. The following is a "teaser" of what to expect in terms of interest groups, speakers, etc:
"A New Kind of Quakerism?"
A Quaker Renewal Program Workshop
November 14-15, 2008
Deep River Friends Meeting
Sponsored by Friends Center at Guilford College (Preceded by a three-week book study of Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's "Jesus for President")
Friday, November 14
6:45 pm Registration and refreshments
7:15 pm "A New Kind of Quakerism? Convergent Friends and Young Adult
Friends' Concerns" - Betsy Blake (tentative "yes," pending
discernment)
8:15 pm Worship-sharing groups, with word exercises and discussion
starters.
9:00 pm Closing worship
Saturday, November 15
9:00 am Pastries and drinks
9:15 am First workshop offerings
1. Building intergenerational community in the RSoF: initiatives of FGC's youth ministries committee - Maia Hallward
2. A new technology for a new Quakerism - Scott Wagoner?
3. The experience of YAF gatherings at Lancaster, Burlington, and Richmond - Rebecca Sullivan (yes); Megan Fair? Nathan Sebens? Betsy Blake?
10:30 am Break
11:00 am Second workshop offerings
1. So what are we afraid of? - Dave Mercadante?
2. Sharing the experience of QLSP alumni and current students - Evelyn Jadin, et. al.?
3. Panel of YAFs from different branches - Megan Fair, et. al.
12:15 pm Lunch break.
1:00 pm "A Spiritual Journey from Unprogrammed Friends through QLSP
into Programmed Friends" - Evelyn Jadin?
2:00 pm Worship-sharing groups.
3:00 pm Break
3:30 pm Third workshop offerings
1. What's our place as YAFs in the RSoF/ What are YAFs doing now? - Erin Wagoner and Stephen Dotson (yes)
2. "Emergent" and "Convergent": the broader Christian context for a new Quaker movement - Tony Lowe and April Baker
3. The making of "Can We All be Friends?" - Betsy Blake (yes,
pending discernment)
4:45 pm Closing semi-programmed worship.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Open Source Spirituality
In his most recent book, "Finding Our Way Again", Brian Mclaren writes about our spiritual lives as being "open sources." Here's what he has to say:
"The term 'open source' draws from the world of technology where in 1998, some software developers in Palo Alto, California, instead of keeping their codes secret as propietary information under their control, offered them to the general public and invited willing volunteers to participate in their ongoing development and adaptation. A similiar process (using the term 'request for comments' instead of 'open source' ) was used to develop the Internet in the late 1960's, and open-source methodology has played an expanding role in the development of the Internet in the years since, especially in projects like Wikipedia and YouTube."
Then, Mclaren makes this connection with our spiritual journeys:
"As more and more of us open our lives to be sources of inspiration and examples for one another, we being to seize the unfulfilled promises of the Reformation with it's open-source concept of 'the priesthood of all believers'....It's true that not everyone can go to seminary. Not everyone can go live in a monastery. But all of us can wake up to the people around us, whose lives embody - not perfectly but authentically - practices of the spiritual life. And each of us can aspire to become an open source of embodied spiritual practices for the benefit of others."I like this idea - of being an "open source" of inspiration. It puts a nice, contemporary spin on the whole idea of the "priesthood of all believers." I think most people can connect with the terminology of being an "open source" rather then the "priesthood of all believers."
Going into my day with the vision of being an "open source" of inspiration invites me to think about how I have sometimes been a "closed source" - how I have cut off myself from being an open source of inspiration.For Quakers, it also becomes important that we see others as "open sources" of inspiration - ones that can embody to us the presence of God. We may not even agree completely with their theology but they can still be those "open sources" of light and love to us.
In his most recent book, "Finding Our Way Again", Brian Mclaren writes about our spiritual lives as being "open sources." Here's what he has to say:
"The term 'open source' draws from the world of technology where in 1998, some software developers in Palo Alto, California, instead of keeping their codes secret as propietary information under their control, offered them to the general public and invited willing volunteers to participate in their ongoing development and adaptation. A similiar process (using the term 'request for comments' instead of 'open source' ) was used to develop the Internet in the late 1960's, and open-source methodology has played an expanding role in the development of the Internet in the years since, especially in projects like Wikipedia and YouTube."
Then, Mclaren makes this connection with our spiritual journeys:
"As more and more of us open our lives to be sources of inspiration and examples for one another, we being to seize the unfulfilled promises of the Reformation with it's open-source concept of 'the priesthood of all believers'....It's true that not everyone can go to seminary. Not everyone can go live in a monastery. But all of us can wake up to the people around us, whose lives embody - not perfectly but authentically - practices of the spiritual life. And each of us can aspire to become an open source of embodied spiritual practices for the benefit of others."I like this idea - of being an "open source" of inspiration. It puts a nice, contemporary spin on the whole idea of the "priesthood of all believers." I think most people can connect with the terminology of being an "open source" rather then the "priesthood of all believers."
Going into my day with the vision of being an "open source" of inspiration invites me to think about how I have sometimes been a "closed source" - how I have cut off myself from being an open source of inspiration.For Quakers, it also becomes important that we see others as "open sources" of inspiration - ones that can embody to us the presence of God. We may not even agree completely with their theology but they can still be those "open sources" of light and love to us.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
New Kind of Quakerism and Convergent Friends - Mutations of Hope
The following quote is taken a Pendle Hill Pamphlet entitled Rethinking Quaker Principles. It's written by Rufus Jones. I share it because it offers an interesting look at what it means to be "new" and how this connects with the idea of "emergent".
"It is not often that something wholly new comes to our world. We can probably say that something absolutely new never happens. The newest form always bears some marks of the old out of which it sprung."
Quick thought: that's how I envision a "new kind of Quaker". We're not necessarily seeing something "brand new" that is so against what has come before. A new kind of Quaker more or less bears some marks of the old. We are not creating something completely different but springing out of what has come before. Okay, here is some more of Rufus Jones:
"The new, like the new moon, is born in the arms of the old. We have a new word for the breaking in of the new out of the existent old. We call it a mutation. A mutation is a unique and unpredictable variation in the process of life. It is the unexpected appearance of a new type in an old order. It is a leap and not a mere dull recurrence of the past. Something emerges that was not here before. something that is not just the sum of the preceding events."
This previous quote helps me to further understand a "new kind of Quaker" as well as Convergent Friends. I'm not so sure the word "mutation" works for me but the definition certainly does. In fact, if we were to use the term "Convergent Friends" or even "New kind of Quaker" in place of "mutation", we may have something. For example:
A "new kind of Quaker" is a unique and unpredictable variation in the process of life. It is the unexpected appearance of a new type in an old order. It is a leap and not a mere dull recurrence of the past.
Both the "new kind of Quaker" and "Convergent Friends" are "unique and unpredictable" variations in the process of life. We're not sure where they will end up, but they are "in process" and we trust God is leading that process. They are also unexpected appearances of a new type - in an old order! I am reminded of the words of God in the book if Isaiah, "Behold, I am doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it?" We don't just want to remake the past. That's succumbing to romantic nostalgia and turning it into an idol. We want to take a "leap of faith" into the new that God has called us as Quakers - this new order growing out of the old.
If you want to find more on these wonderful pamphlets, just go to www.pendlehill.org
"It is not often that something wholly new comes to our world. We can probably say that something absolutely new never happens. The newest form always bears some marks of the old out of which it sprung."
Quick thought: that's how I envision a "new kind of Quaker". We're not necessarily seeing something "brand new" that is so against what has come before. A new kind of Quaker more or less bears some marks of the old. We are not creating something completely different but springing out of what has come before. Okay, here is some more of Rufus Jones:
"The new, like the new moon, is born in the arms of the old. We have a new word for the breaking in of the new out of the existent old. We call it a mutation. A mutation is a unique and unpredictable variation in the process of life. It is the unexpected appearance of a new type in an old order. It is a leap and not a mere dull recurrence of the past. Something emerges that was not here before. something that is not just the sum of the preceding events."
This previous quote helps me to further understand a "new kind of Quaker" as well as Convergent Friends. I'm not so sure the word "mutation" works for me but the definition certainly does. In fact, if we were to use the term "Convergent Friends" or even "New kind of Quaker" in place of "mutation", we may have something. For example:
A "new kind of Quaker" is a unique and unpredictable variation in the process of life. It is the unexpected appearance of a new type in an old order. It is a leap and not a mere dull recurrence of the past.
Both the "new kind of Quaker" and "Convergent Friends" are "unique and unpredictable" variations in the process of life. We're not sure where they will end up, but they are "in process" and we trust God is leading that process. They are also unexpected appearances of a new type - in an old order! I am reminded of the words of God in the book if Isaiah, "Behold, I am doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it?" We don't just want to remake the past. That's succumbing to romantic nostalgia and turning it into an idol. We want to take a "leap of faith" into the new that God has called us as Quakers - this new order growing out of the old.
If you want to find more on these wonderful pamphlets, just go to www.pendlehill.org
Friday, April 4, 2008
Connected Rather Then Separate - New Kinds of Quakers
The following quote is from a post by Jim Palmer on his website / blog www.divinenobodies.com
Jim is an excellent writer ("Divine Nobodies" and "Wide Open Spaces" are his two books). He is a former pastor and also one who grew up in the evangelical world. Recently, his spiriual journey has taken him down a much wider road spiritually. As I read him, I can't help but think of we could be as "new kinds of Quakers" as we digest his thinking and understanding of the spiritual life. Read what he has to say about how we tend to view each other as separate from us rather then connected. What would it be like if we saw other Quakers as connected to us rather then separate.
"do we have to override the sensory data fed to us through our physical senses to process spiritual truth as we go about life? for example, sensory data is continuously telling me that all people are separate and independent beings. i am separate from you. Jesus used metaphors like a tree and a human body to emphasize our connectedness. the same divine life is the sap of the tree running through all the branches. there are many different body parts, but it’s all one body. you and i both share in the same divine image. you and i are drawing life from the same and one and only life support system. we derive true love and peace from the same source.
whether you think of this oneness as only existing among certain people, or you feel it applies to all people, i have a question.
what would be different if you stopped seeing others as separate from you, and began seeing others as part of you? again, maybe your field of application would be other Christians you go to church with, fine. maybe your field of application is everyone you come in contact with, fine. i’m not interested on this post of debating who we may or may not be one with. i am purely interested in the following:
if you saw yourself and others as one, rather than two totally separate beings what would be different. if this is where you are, describe what is the difference you experience. if you’re not quite there in practice, what do you imagine might be different. how would that awareness of your oneness with others manifest in your life?"
Jim is an excellent writer ("Divine Nobodies" and "Wide Open Spaces" are his two books). He is a former pastor and also one who grew up in the evangelical world. Recently, his spiriual journey has taken him down a much wider road spiritually. As I read him, I can't help but think of we could be as "new kinds of Quakers" as we digest his thinking and understanding of the spiritual life. Read what he has to say about how we tend to view each other as separate from us rather then connected. What would it be like if we saw other Quakers as connected to us rather then separate.
"do we have to override the sensory data fed to us through our physical senses to process spiritual truth as we go about life? for example, sensory data is continuously telling me that all people are separate and independent beings. i am separate from you. Jesus used metaphors like a tree and a human body to emphasize our connectedness. the same divine life is the sap of the tree running through all the branches. there are many different body parts, but it’s all one body. you and i both share in the same divine image. you and i are drawing life from the same and one and only life support system. we derive true love and peace from the same source.
whether you think of this oneness as only existing among certain people, or you feel it applies to all people, i have a question.
what would be different if you stopped seeing others as separate from you, and began seeing others as part of you? again, maybe your field of application would be other Christians you go to church with, fine. maybe your field of application is everyone you come in contact with, fine. i’m not interested on this post of debating who we may or may not be one with. i am purely interested in the following:
if you saw yourself and others as one, rather than two totally separate beings what would be different. if this is where you are, describe what is the difference you experience. if you’re not quite there in practice, what do you imagine might be different. how would that awareness of your oneness with others manifest in your life?"
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