First call of new cohort of Quaker social change ministry
Dear Ones,
Here is our agenda for tonight’s call (7 pm ET), call in details below.
Worship
Poem read by Lucy (The Great Turning)
Check in/go round – How are you spiritually, what are your hopes for participating in QSCM? Advice and stories about forming the group – Lucy and those from experienced groups Report back on status of groups/questions
Spiritual grounding – importance of the first hour, structure
Accompaniment – thoughts and reflections
Thoughts on this moment and how to find our place – Lucy and group
Worship
(If you would like some other item on the agenda, please speak up at the beginning of the call)
Blessings, Lucy
Maine
Kansas
Central Philadelphia Quaker X
Houston Live Oak Friends Meeting
Poem: The Great Turning by Christian Fry
Check-ins how are you spiritually?
Hopes for participating in SCM
Lucy Duncan Friends Relation 6 yrs in job AFSC
Wing St Mtg Quaker X founder anti-racism?
spiritually: pain of oppression coming at us
at the crisis
what we were born for
to fight for individual and collective life on the planet
great seriousness and gravity impossible w/o joy
falling in love w/somebody grief & joy
excited for QSCM
core building blocks for change we want
Thai Amrit?
daughter sleeping on chest
Lawrence, KS
youth minister @
manhattan KS uCC church
spiritually 2 jobs & 1yr old & in school
not much time, spiritually suffered quite a bit
comedic podcasts
black lives matter involved in Lawrence
anti-spirituality dynamic hard to deal with
Maya Beal from Maine
not a Quaker, grew up in PA surrounded by it
on call with Jamie Bissonette Lewy
involved with Wabonaquie & CA tribal
member of meditation group
volunteer chaplain at couple hospitals
bkgd in activism
most family very activist
w/o spirituality crave & need
get anxious and back away
hatred and disrespect from gvt
need spiritual activist community
Claire
Burlington Iowa worship group
best school for quakers to actively engage in AFSC
ICE requiring schools to show immigrant student info
Another woman in Quaker X group
Strive drive has got up and went
hopes in relation to SCQM
apply process in my life and all involved with
general agenda great thing to apply in other group
helped come together as a people more united to do the work
Bridget Jensen attender Live Oak Friends Mtg
Houston
feeling spiritually robust
beautiful day in TX
silent retreat today
very rich
AVP training yesterday
core right now is hope anchors me
hope for participating name is Bridget – bridging things
personally and in community
put foot in a lot of different places
Arthur intro
David Poundstone Denver CO
Meeting in midst of offering sanctuary to immigrant facing deportation
2nd person being admitted to sanctuary as we speak
most others in coalition unitarians
Kirsten Holmby? active
Mountain View Meeting article in Guardian about what they’re doing
Context for what this is all about:
After election sense important to advocate for social change
not postponing joy, love, sense of community
when we are threatened or something difficult
fully awake and alive critical for transformation
model rooted in that understanding
only opposed to things we’re not generating energy of what we have to say
creating loving community
practicing transformation we are hoping to start
Importance of starting with covenant
Quaker X intentionally considering who are we, what do we want to become together
what kind of resilient culture are we that we want to create
really conscious of that
spiritual practice important part of that
“Fruit is in the seed” how we start these things really matters
Viv: group I was with already had members & standing w/in Mtg
vision related to racial healing and wholeness
process of creating the covenant & reading that together
helped us to come together in a new way
period of time …. Ghandi when work was to be harder, spent more time
in spiritual practice
Harder to accomplish things 1st hr of spiritual practice
sharing about story was so deep we were in worship
work that came afterwards flowed from that
one of most covered committee mtgs I’ve experienced
Our group… some people were un
shared agreement
Parker Palmer influence
Deep cocreation fundamentally quaker
we experience what we each bring to it
Sherry – Lansing in Michigan
quaker social action prison group here
foundation work with individual members in group
covenant new to me & manual too
in Jan we all got together and saw film Thirteen black history of civil rights mvt
Very good movie to see
Looking at white… racism…
w/in meeting 30 books distributed and collectively reviewed
about race issues
what can we do to make a difference? in prisons? hasn’t worked out
spiritual deepening programs have helped me
Lucy: looking for groups that have done anti-racist education tend to be more ready for this practice than other
AFSC normalizing whiteness
39 questions for white people
important part of group process setting aside attitudes of
Retreat has been found helpful
Really helpful in terms of being connected to each other
How are you in terms of formation?
Carol Margels – our group is in early stages
concept of having daylong retreat might be asset
feels like children that would prefer to have parallel play
Every person thinks they have… we have to get there
Lucy: recent social justice training institute for young people
at AFSC
young man started FB group racism organized rally 20000 interested
collectively
Inside palestinian, faith based members, organized in terms of march itself
made space at 3pm for muslims to pray
something very different from individual activity
Community HAS to be together to offer sanctuary in community
one of the things
AOK:
Clerking vs facilitating
large extent central Philadelphia
doesn’t do all 3 things in first hour
share experience relatively short
teaching a song, or leading
australian visit photos of aboriginal images
then a story…
you can mix them up
important to share about the story
deepest connection to others
Clerking vs Facilitation
has a clerk
rotate clerking of first hour
then pretty simple
intro person who brought spiritual practice
sharing about story closing worship and giving thanks for story before going into business
staying centered on group accompanying
Ugency of now is not going away.
Importance of connecting with each other
keeping it to an hour feel contained – caring for each other & self care
limiting to that boundary important
if you can’t do all of it
covenant spiritual practice, story,
David Mancina relationship is my religion
in terms of group and organization you work with
Sanctuary coalition in Denver built upon that
building that, understand impatience, critical for long haul
to what extent is that impatience endemic of white middle class culture
I work for jewish organization boss observes sabbath
how do you keep going when things are as they are?
on 7th day I know creation as God intended it to be
Logistics: another google poll to have calls in future for regular time
formation time is critical piece
We are in the fight for our lives
can stay in it with clear eyes and hearts important
Jack… late to call
echo what just said
North Meadow, IN
in pilot program