Friends Bulletin- Building the Western Quaker Community Since 1929-April 2008

2008·3.1 MB·English

April
Building
2008 Friends
The Western
Qu
a k e r
Community
Since 1929
Bulletin
$ 3.95
interview with Catherine Whitmire,
author of Plain Living and Practicing Peace
Editorial Living lainltj and (jivingAbundantly.
Friends Bulletin |
TheofficialpublicationofPacific,
North Pacificand Intermountain I’m delighted to publish this interview with Cathy Whitmire and welcome
YearlyMeetingsofthe her among Western Friends. Her books Plain Living and Practicing Peace have
Religious SocietyofFriends (Quakers) already made her widely known since they’ve sold over 17,000 copies. Not a huge
(Opinionsexpressedarethose
sales figure by bestseller standards, but nonetheless impressive when you realize
oftheauthors,
notnecessarilyoftheYearlyMeetings.) that most Quaker books sell a couple ofthousand copies at best, and then mostly
to Quakers. Cathy’s books are spreading the message ofQuakerism among non-
AnthonyManousos, Editor
3223 Danaha St Quakers. This is an achievement worth acknowledging and celebrating.
Torrance, CA 90505 Although I met and spoke with Cathyonlybriefly at an IntermountainYearly
310-325-3581 Meeting annual session, I feel I know her through her books. She writes in a
E-mail: [email protected]
down-to-earth, friendly style; and her stories and quotations are extremelyengag-
www.westernquaker.net
ing.
CorrespondingEditors During my travels on behalfofFriends Bulletin when I’m obliged to spend
,
long hours in airports and on planes, I often bring along Cathy’s books as my
JeanTriol (Montana Gatheringof
traveling companions. They are ideal for contemplative reading in solitude, and
Friends)
Joe Morris, SantaMonica, CA, no doubt would servejust as well for group study and reflection.
Meeting (PYM) As the time approaches for my retirement from Friends Bulletin, I’ve been
thinking about, and trying to practice more intentionally, “plain living” and the
BoardofDirectors simplicity testimony. Because my wife and I are selling our home in preparation
for our move to Pendle Hill this September, we’ve decided to reduce drastically
StephenMatchett, San Francisco, CA, our possessions. Our goal is to store everythingwe own in an 8x8x16-foot storage
Meeting (PYM), Clerk POD.We were amazed, and dumbfounded, to realize howmuch stuffwe’ve accu-
Tom Vaughan, Durango, CO,Meeting
(IMYM),Treasurer mulated during our two decades ofmarriage! When I came from Pendle Hill to
SandyFarley, Palo Alto, CA (PYM), California to marry Kathleen 20 years ago, everything I owned could fit into a
Recording Clerk hatch back car. And Kathleen didn’t own much more than I did. Now our things
Polly Kmetz, Phoenix,AZ, Meeting have multiplied to the point that they can barely fit into a full-size 53-foot mov-
(IMYM)
ing van!
JeanTriol, Kalispell,MT,Worship
Group (NPYM) As we seek to simplify our lives and reduce our stuff, one ofthe biggest chal-
Rob RoyWoodman, Davis (CA), lenges has been to downsize my library. Like many Friends, I’m an ardent book
Meeting (PYM) lover and acquire books almost unconsciously, like inhaling. Over the years, I’ve
Jessica Bucciarelli, Bridge City Now
Meeting, Portland, OR (NPYM) “inhaled”thousands and thousand ofbooks. it’s time to“exhale.” Since Christ-
PeterAnderson, Durango,CO, mas, I’ve given away to libraries and to f/Friends over 2,500 books, and there are
Meeting (IMYM) still many hundreds more to give away.
I thought it would be difficult to part with these dearlybeloved books, many
of which I regard as old friends. But as I reflected, I realized that most of my
books have been imprisoned in boxes or gathering dust on bookshelves, unread
Friends Bulletin (USPS 859-220)is and unregarded for manyyears. Howfriendly is that? So I took some boxes offree
published monthlyexcept Februaryand books to my meeting, and Friends gathered around eagerly like birds to a bird
August bythe Friends Bulletin Corporation
ofthe Religious SocietyofFriends at 3223 feeder. Itwas wonderful to watch thejoy on their faces as they grabbed books that
Danaha St,Torrance, CA 90505. Phone: I loved and enjoyed.
W3h1i0t-t3i2e5r-,3C58A1.90P6e0r1io-d2i2c2a2ls.postage paid at I’ve come to see that the simplicity testimony is notjust about “getting rid of
clutter”but also about sharing the gifts which God has given us, and which we in
Subscription Rates: $28 peryear for turn can give to others.To live plainly and simplygives us the opportunityto share
individuals. $21 peryearforgroup
abundantly.
subscriptions throughyourlocal Friends
meeting. $18 introductoryrate. Checkwith I’m sure there’s a great quote about this somewhere in Plain Living, but my
editorfor a student orlow-income copy ofthis book has probably been given away. I hope that whoever has it now
subscription. Firstclass postage $10 enjoys it as much as I did!
additional. Foreign postage varies. Individual
copies: $3.95 each.
Postmaster: Sendaddresschangesto:
Friends Bulletin,3223 DanahaSt,
CA
Torrance, 90505.
, .
April2008 Friends Bulletin. 3
Interview
Catherine Whitmire
author of plain Livingand f*racticing f*eacc
by Angelina C^onti
7
f riends (jeneral CLonkirence
Editor’s introduction: Theauthoroftwopopularbooks shethoughtaboutPacificYearlyMeeting, she responded: “Ireally
about Quakerism Practicing Peace Plain Living, Catherine enjoy the emphasis on spiritual renewal and community. It’s a
Whitmiremovedto Washington State in2006 afterhavingspent wonderfulway to conduct a Yearly Meeting, andvery different
thepastfew decades in New EnglandYearly Meeting. from whatIam usedto atNewEnglandYearlyMeeting, where
This is not Cathy’sfirsttime in thePacificNorthwest, how- the emphasis is on conducting business.”
ever. In the 1970s she came to central Washington to work as a Wendy Sanford, presiding clerk ofthe Friends Meeting in
community organizerfor the War on Poverty. She assisted un- Cambridge, MA, writes ofWhitmire’s work:
documentedfarm workers andstartedan alternative highschool “Iam delightedto reportthatPracticing Peace offersguid-
that is stillin operation. She also directedafamilyplanning or- ance in the mostaccessible, human andun-preachy way, through
—
ganization. the voices ofa whole range of Quakers some heroic, some as
In 1983 Cathy moved to Cambridge, MA, to attend stumbling asIam”(Teacework,July-August 07).
Harvard Divinity School. After graduating with an M.Div. It shouldbe noted that Whitmire is donating profitsfrom
shespentfiveyearsat CarneyHospital, an inner-cityhospitalin Practicing Peace to peacemaking organizations around the
Boston, where she was a chaplain in thegeneralhospitalanda world.
pastoralcounseloron a lockedpsychiatric unit. In 1998she mar-
ried Tom Ewell (who was director ofthe Maine Council of AC: How is your new book, Practicing Peace, different
Churches) and moved to Maine. Within a week ofbeing mar- from your first book, Plain Living? How are they in dia-
ried, she receivedan invitation to write a book fPlain Living) logue?
for Sorin Press. Over the next eightyears, she wrote Plain Liv- CW: I see them as companion books. They each came
ing andPracticing Peace anddid individualandgroup spiri- out ofa leading, but it was clear to me that one leading led
tualdirection. to the other. They are similar in that I wanted the tradition
Cathy currently attends the WhidbeyIsland (OR) Worship
to speak for itselfand I wanted to use the words ofFriends
Group (which draws 20 attenders each FirstDay). Askedwhat
directly. Both of these books are written for non-Friends
Used with permission from FGC Quaker Books (http:// about Friends testimony. And because we are an experien-
www.quakerbooks.org/interviews/). New interviews (such as tial people, I wanted readers to experience directly what it
Angelina’s recent interview with MargaretHopeBacon) are regu- means to reflecton the words andjournals and spiritualjour-
larlyposted.
Inside this Issue
15 Nurturingthe Seed ofChrist
3 Interviewwith CatherineWhitmire. byBrian Drayton
.
byAngelina Conti
17 Book Reviews
7 SeekingUnity: DiscernmentandDecision-
19 Memorial Minutes
makingin OurQuakerCommunity
byMary Klein 22 Classifieds
10 FriendlyNews by Nancy McLauchlan 22 Call to Intermountain Yearly Meeting
by PennyThron-Webber
12 From Pakistan,with Love
byJim and Elfie Shuman 22 Calendar
4 Friends Bulletin. April 2008
neys ofthose who have gone before. And as I was doing that, I have to confess, I yelled “Oh,
In terms ofhow they are different, there are more sto- no!” out loud in my study.
ries in PracticingPeace. Eachchapterbeginswithboth a Bible I’m an author, but I don’t consider myselfto be a writer,
quotation and a storyofFriends response to the various top- and the idea ofdoing a second book had never occurred to
ics. I would say that’s the primary difference. me. All ofa sudden I knew that what I had been doing was
AC: What has been your process for gathering writing the beginning ofa secondbook. I was in total denial about it
excerpts, both for Plain Living and Practicing Peace? How for the first forty-eight hours, thinking, “This can’t be hap-
did you gather the stories you use to introduce sections in pening,” even though I knew it was.
Practicing Peace? I do spiritual direction groups. I was doing one for Port-
CW: Practicing Peace took me about five years. It grew land Meeting, so I went to the group and during the twenty
out ofa leading that followed 9/11. After 9/111 found my- minutes ofsilent worship before we began somebody said,
selfled to do watercolors of oceans oflight over oceans of “I have a message for Cathy and I have no idea what it
dark, and Ijust did one after another. I decided that I would means.” And she said, “What is the pace?” Well, I knew
turn them into cards for friends who were full time activists what the pace was, it was torrent. Anytime I left the com-
and were already feeling burnt out after the first week. puter I felt such energy going through me it was uncom-
I was going to put the fortable. I could hardlysitstill.The
woman who spoke was somebody
George Fox quote about seeing —
who did body work, and some-
othfedaorcke,a[naboofulti]ghhtoowvehrethhaedogcreeaant It’s reallyhard to explain a Quakerleading thingelse thathad nev—erhappened
to non-Quakers. Everybodywent around in the group before she came
openings, [on the watercolor]. It
felt to me thatthe message ofthat taalnkdedtaablkoeudtahboowutIthhaeidrtmhaisnusspicrriitpuatlannuddIge oauntdtsotuocohdinbgehmie,ndpumtehearnhd,anwdistbh-y
time was that it was [and is] a
to write and I was waiting to find outwhat. my shoulders. At meeting three
time of great opening in the
midst of all of the chaos. So I days later she said to me, “I just
started making these cards, and want you to know, I don’t know
then I thought, “I have some quotes left over [from Plain what’s going on in your life, but
you were emitting so much energy that my muscles ached.”
Living]that I never used, on peace andjustice and so on, so
I will run those offand include them with the cards so that At that point I was not ready to say there was anything
people can use them.” going on. I was in dialogue with God, to be really honest,
And when I went to run them off I discovered that I saying “I’ve done a lot of things, this seems like a lot, and
had sixty five pages. It was the only topic where I had over- I’m not sure I’m prepared, there are lots ofbetter people.” I
collected. I simple couldn’t believe it. And so I looked at it actually actively prayed the names ofother Quaker authors.
and I thought “Oh good grief, no one will ever get through The sense of really being nudged didn’t go away. In a
Much way ofsort ofproving, I took about two hours one morning
all this,” so I started organizing it into little chapters.
to my surprise I found myselfputting Bible verses at the top and wrote up a really short book proposal and sent it off,
andwent and had lunch and came backtwentyminutes later
of each chapter. I was absolutely compelled. I felt like I
and there was a reply from the publisher saying “How fast
couldn’t leave the computer. So finally I looked at it and
thought, “Now it needs a little table of contents so people can you do this book?”
know where to find things.” So when—I told my Quaker writers group,Jan Hoffman
just laughed they’d been listening to me say “never again”
and she said, “Do you remember that leadingyou had walk-
Books For Your Book Group ing on the beach in prayer one day that you told us about?
The leading that said the first bookwould make the second
A QuakerDeclaration of War, book possible? And at the time you said you couldn’t imag-
Vitveisdticmaosneysitnudpireasctoicfe.th$e6p.e95a.ce ine whatthat meant?”And forme thatwas what that meant.
So I started with those first sixty-five pages and then I sat
WithoutApology, liberal
Quaker theology presented and I prayed about it. I went through different catalogues
with humor and depth. $12.00. ofQuakermaterials andlooked to seewhatI couldgetonline,
again making lists ofpeople I wanted to contact for stories,
Tom Fox Was My Friend. Yours, Too. and I kep—t praying about it. The first version of the book
Letters from and Reflections on the witness
of a modern Quaker martyr. $7.95. —that I did I will be honest, I was trying to get it over with
Iwas a book forpeace activists, and I knewthatwasn’t the
BKiymCohuPcreksFs,aqBeor.x A1s3k44Y,ouFrayBetotoekvsielllleerN,Co2r8w3ri0t2e: book I was supposed to write. I had to go deeper and find
—
April2008 Friends Bulletin. 5
more about the spiritual roots ofthe testimony. I spent prob- asked for the quotes and not the lecture series. For Christ-
ably the most librarytime at Harvard Divinity School and I mas that year I gave him a book of quotations. Then my
spent about a week down at the Peace Collection at parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I said,
Swarthmore College. I was on a first name basis with the “Well, you know I’m doing this database project for Zach
librarians in Cape Elizabeth who did all ofmy interlibrary and I actuallydon’thave a database that’s reallygood.” That’s
loans. Asljust kept following certain threads, I became clear what I got for Christmas. I started collecting Quaker quotes
that I was looking forpeople who reflected and talked about and about that time I signed up for a class called “So You
the spirituality ofpeacemaking.Those are the people whose Want to Write a Book.” When I went, everybody but me
voices I tended to use, because that was what I was led to was there with a manuscript.
write about. It was a wonderful process and the sense of It’s really hard to explain a Quaker leading to non-
leading stayed through the whole five years, even when I Quakers. Everybody went around and talked about their
got reallytired. I feltlike I could meet God at the computer. manuscript. I talked about how I had a spiritual nudge to
For awhile I complained loudly about doing this. But write and I was waiting to find out what to write. Whatwe
toward the end I began to realize that I was going to miss learned that night was how to write a book proposal, and
the closeness that being so clear that what I was doing was thatwas reallyhelpful. In the next six months I remarried
—
a leading that I began to worry, “Where am I going to meet we’d been planningon it for a numberofyears andI moved
the Spirit with this intensity, everyday in my life, again?” to Maine.The day that we got back from our honeymoon I
It was a very powerful process for me. When I would turned on the computer and. much to my amazement .there
go to, let’s say, Harvard, there were times when Iwould stand was an e-mail from a book publisher asking me to write a
in front ofthe bookshelfand pray. I always came with long book! That was when I discovered that among the disciples
lists of things that I had researched and wanted to read: I would have beenThomas. I turned offthe computer,went
manuscripts,various things. But often Ijust stood there and and did other things, came back about ten minutes later,
prayed. Again and again I would have the wonderful expe- turned it on again, and only when it was still there did I go
rience ofreaching up for a book that was not on the list and and tell my husband. And he said, “Well, what are you go-
reading it and finding somethingwonderful. So itwas both ing to do?”And I said,“Well, I don’t know. Ifthere is abook
systematic and an ongoing reflection. there, a leading, then I’ll do it.” So the next day I spent
—
AC: Could you talk more about leadings you’ve had to some time in meditation and then I satdown keep in—mind
produce books in general and what experiences in your life the only thing I knew how to do was a bookproposal and
have helped to foster this particular ministry to Friends and I wrote a book proposal. I discovered that I had the title, I
non-Friends? knewwho Iwaswriting for andwhyI was writing it, I knew
CW: I never saw myself as a writer. It was not some- how I wanted it to be organized and how long it would
thing I aspired to do. In fact, it was something that came take. I even had in my mind market comparison books. So
really hard for me and something that I avoided. My back- after a couple hours I showed it to my husband and he was
ground is in social service, as both a community organizer amazed, and he said, “How long have you been thinking
and as a social service administrator. Then I made a midlife about this?” And I said, “I have no idea.” It really felt like a
career change and went to divinity school and was a hospi- trust walk to do Plain Living.
tal chaplain. But through it all there was one thread, which Having a leading like that is a very humbling experi-
was that I didn’t like to write. Imagine my surprise when ence. You recognize that you are not necessarily the best
about nine years ago I suddenly started getting a nudge to person to do it, it’s just that you had a nudge to do it and
write. I couldn’tbelieve it and I prayed,“God, I’ve beenwill-
ing to do a lot ofdifferent things, but not this. I think I’m
mildly dyslexic. It’s painful for me. There must be some-
body else to do this.” But it didn’t go away, so I finally called Fayetteville/'Ft. Bragg IMC
my friend Margaret Benefiel and asked her ifshe wanted to Front-Line Peace Witness
1969
Since
do some contemplative writing days. So it was a process
that we started together. Write for Our FREE
She started herbook, and I didn’t knowwhatI was start- & CO
Packet: Draft Issues
ing. I just had this nudge to write, and I didn’t know about
what. Ijust kept writing small things and I never sent them Quaker House
223
in for publication, but the feeling did not go away. As my Hillside Ave.
28301
Fayetteville INC
son was getting readyto go away to college, one night at the www.quakerhouse.org
dinner table he said, “Mom, would you write down those Chuck Fager, Director
things that you say?” I was totally stunned, aware that he
—
6 Friends Bulletin. April 2008
youwerewillingto followit. Itoften felt akin tobeingnudged find peace and make peace at this moment in history and to
to stand up and sing in meeting as a tone deaftenor, which provide the knowledge that we’re not starting from scratch,
I am. I discovered that there was a sense ofunfolding about that we’re not reinventing the wheel; that Friends are a liv-
it. I just kept following that sense ofunfolding. I became ing and ongoing tradition that reflects what I believe is the
quite dependent on the sense of being led because it was early Christian idea ofpeace and nonviolence.
—
clear to me that I could not do this on my own, and I didn’t When I have spoken to groups whether Lutherans
—
have a clue. So I lived with a lot ofgratitude. or Methodists or Episcopalians or Catholics they ask by
When Plain Livingwas released, I was supposed to do what authority I speak. And I think thatwas what led me to
a lot ofpublicity and things for the publisher. ButI had this put Bible verses at the beginning of each chapter, because
other leading, it meant laying all that aside. I met with a I’m trying to communicate with people in words that will
clearness committee before I agreed to do PracticingPeace. I speakto them and make this information accessible to them.
also did discernment with my friend Margaret. She said, And this is how our tradition is indeed rooted: in those an-
“Cathy, if there is really a leading you have to trust it, and cient texts.
Plain Livingvwill dojust fine on its own.” It was a very sad AC: On the subject oftexts,whatbooks have been pow-
feeling. It was like having a little child and sending it off erful or influential for you spiritu-
into theworldbyitself. Butthere ally?
it went. I just trusted that I was CW: Thomas Kelly. Leo
doingwhatIwas supposed to do, [Thomas Kellywrote:] “No giant figure of —
Tolstoy I’ve read everything he’s
and it turned outjust fine. heroic size will stalk across the stage of ever written. Some ofmy favorite
Rachel Remen talks about history today. But in simple, humble,
contemporary Quaker writers in-
the difference between a writer imperfect people like you and me cluded in the book are Helen
A
and an author. writer is some- wells up the spring ofhope.” Steven andJo Farrow. RufusJones
one who loves the craft ofwords I believe that that’s what Friends do. We is an ongoing important influence
and is deeplyinvolved andgifted sow seeds ofhope. In this time ofdespair in my life, [as is] Howard Macy’s
in that craft. Then there are au- and great turning I feel that Friends have a book Rhythms in the Spirit.
thors (of which s—he considers message that is important to share. AC: Are you working on any
herself to be one) those who
new projects right now?
know that there is something
CW:
that they’re supposed to say.That’s why I consider myself I’m still trying to finish
— My
an author as opposed to a writer even though the pub- some work for Practicing Peace. parents have not been
lisher tells me that with two books I have to start calling well, so there are details and pieces from the publisher that
myselfa writer. I’m still finishing. I’ve felt in the past six months there was
a stirring for another project, but that’s going to have to
AC: LucyDuncan told me thatyou spoke about“plant-
wait till a long ways in the future.
ing our visions deep in the furrows of the world’s pain” at
the Quakers Uniting in Publications meeting in 2006. Can AC: You mentioned going to divinity school. Can you
you say more about that? How does it relate to yourwriting, talk more about what led you to that direction?
editing, and ministry? CW: When I was in high school I felt led in that direc-
CW: That quote is from Thomas Kelly. I remember tion. I was Presbyterian then, and I was president of the
putting that in my QUIP notes. It goes something like: “No youth group. I remember that the minister called me into
his office and said thatvarious church elders had been keep-
giant figure ofheroic size will stalk across the stage ofhis-
tory today. But in simple, humble, imperfect people like you ing an eye on me and hoped that I would consider going
and me wells up the spring ofhope.” into the ministry. The effect it had on me was to crystallize
I believe that’s what Friends do. We sow seeds ofhope. questions that I had. Presbyterians were not ordaining
women, so they weren’t inviting me to be a minister; they
In this time ofdespair and great turning I feel that Friends
have a message that is important to share: what it means to were inviting me to go into youth religious education. Itwas
find that of God in everyone and everything; to respond during the 60’s and I was volunteering in the inner city. I
and act in love in the first motion; and to open ourselves to noted the lack of involvement on the part ofmy church. I
being guided by the spirit within. was young and it was easier to bejudgmental about the rac-
ACCW::WMhyat is your hope for Practicing Peace? oimsimsosfiotnhseicnhumrychowtnhalnifiet.wSaosItwoalsoloikviwnigtwhiitnhmaysqeuelsftainond:t“hIef
hopes for PracticingPeace ar: that it will meet God is all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful, then why
people from other denominations without peace testimo- am I working in the inner citywith children with stomachs
nies; that it will be helpful to them in their spiritual jour- swollen from hunger?” It took me about ten years ofstrug-
neys as they reflect on what it means to live with peace and gling with that question to really make peace with it.
—
April2008 Friends Bulletin. 7
I had averypowerful experience where thatgotresolved. I said out loud. So that was how I ended up there.
was adirectorofasocial service agencyand had not spoken out It feels to me that my life has been constantly finding a
loud about wanting to go to divinity school to anybody. But it balance between spirituality and social action, going from
had been arisingsense that thiswas somethingIwas supposed being a chaplain to working at AFSC to being a spiritual
to do.I couldn’tbelieve.It justdidn’tfitwith mylife,but itkept director. In retrospect, I realize that I had been really well
coming up and coming up. I went to a workshop and the per- prepared through my work during the war on poverty with
son leading the workshop, Sharon Parks, who is actually a undocumentedworkers in the orchards ofWashington State,
Quaker, without knowing it. She called me aside and said, through my work in the inner city, through my work with
“Ijust sense that divinity school is on your path. When you AFSC. In some ways I’ve realized that I was always in a
do, I hope you’ll consider Harvard.”Which is where I went. position to write this book, to tie it back in to writing Prac-
I simply was stunned that she said out loud what I had not ticingPeace.
Seeking
(Jnity
Discernment and Decision-Making our Quaker (Community
in
by Mary Klein
Palo Alto, CA, Meeting
The Spiritual Foundations ofSeeking Unity decision-making,”“Quaker decision-making,” and “sense of
the meeting.”
T
hrough faith we experience God’s will as real, and we All three sessions of the Seeking Unity series revolved
sense that it beckons to us from beyond our own will. around this point: seeking unity is a religious act. In it, we
Atbest,we experience life as a continuous discoveryofright actualize the deepest values of our Judeo-Christian tradi-
paths to take, not as continuous trailblazing. The mutual tion: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
discovery of the right path for our community to take with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy
—
God’swillforourcommunity is a sacrament, a sacred com- 6:5), and “Love your neighbor asyourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
munal act,which takes place in a monthly eventwe callvari- As Eric Moon explained during session one, in submitting
ously “meeting for worship on the occasion of business,” to a leading, an individual acknowledges that there is an ac-
“meeting for worship for business,” “meeting for business,” tive God working through us, that a Light exists beyond
and “M4B.” Within this Monthly Meeting is a sacrament, ourselves that is real and will guide us. When we come to-
alsovariouslynamed: “seeking unity,”“finding unity,”“unity gether to discover where we find ourselves to be in unity
This article was inspired by a series ofthree workshops keley, CA,Meeting) with supportfrom StephenMatchett
on “Seeking Unity” sponsored by Palo Alto (CA) Friends and Laura Magnani;
Meeting in Fall 2007. Over thirty participants engaged in
Experiencing Unity: Embracing conflict without con-
theworkshop series,which for most involved reading Barry
tentiousness, facilitatedby Stephen Matchett (San Fran-
Morley’s Beyond Consensus: Salvaging Sense ofthe Meeting
cisco, CA, Meeting);
(Pendle Hill Pamphlet 307). Palo Alto Meeting recom-
mends that othermonthly meetings also consider sponsor- LaboringTogether: Practicesthathinderorhelpdiscern-
ing workshops like these: mentanddecision-making, facilitated byLauraMagnani
(Berkeley Meeting) with support from Tom Davis.
Spiritual Foundations: Love, trust, and the inner
guidelead us to Unity, facilitated by Eric Moon (Ber-
,
8 Friends Bulletin. April 2008
concerning someone’s leading,we come togetherto be trans- George Fox and Margaret Fell invented corporate struc-
formed. In Beyond Consensus Morley explains: tures for Quaker meetings not only to sustain early Friends
Through the process bywhich Quakers attain the sense through their spiritual trials,but also to sustain them through
ofthe meeting, transformation occurs. We are changed. the material trials of political oppression. Business meet-
We feel, in a literalway, the loving Presence which hov- ings were originally des—igned to confront the metaphysical
ers over us. It manifests in the love we have for one problem of incarnation how to implement Friends’—real
another. We form invisible bonds among ourselves values in the real world, how to incarnate the Light on
which transcend the petty and make the next sense of earth as it is in heaven. This mystical challenge resulted in
the meeting more desirable and more readily political challenges,which in turn resulted in numerous prac-
attainable...Whetherwewish to admit itornot, the sense tical challenges. Consequently, Friends strove to weigh each
ofthe meeting is a Quaker equivalent ofCommunion. other’s leadings carefully. The monthly meeting would seek
We absorb and are absorbed byLight. We reach, ifonly clearness concerning a leading brought by a Friend. If the
momentarily, thatplacebeyond timewherewe taste tran- leadingwas clear,then the meetingwould determinewhether
quility. (p. 24) to take it up as a concern ofthe meeting as a whole. Origi-
nally, meetings for discipline were meetings about leadings,
In Quakers’ earliest days, meetings for business were
clearness, and concerns. Onlylater did more mundane, secu-
known as “meetings for discipline.” Eric explained that, in
lar issues begin to take up large portions of the business
today’s terms, such a meeting would look something like a
meeting agenda.
combined meeting for worship and meeting for oversight.
The early meeting communitybelieved firmlythat itwalked Embracing Conflictwithout Contentiousness
a real path together, a path that individuals could strayfrom.
“Discipline” and “discipleship” share a common root mean-
In a rare earlydescription ofthe Quakerprocess ofseek-
ing of“instruction.” In loving each other as themselves, the
ing unity, Edward Burrough advised in 1662:
earliest Quakers would labor together to keep each other
from straying. The closeness ofdailylife that enclosed many Being orderly come together... not in the way of the
early Quaker communities gave a solid foundation from world, as aworldly assembly ofmen, by hot contests, by
which Friends could speak plainly about each other’s faith seeking to out-speakand over-reach one another in dis-
and practice. These memories from RufusJones’ own child- course... But in thewisdom, love, and fellowship ofGod,
hood in the mid-1800s are illustrative: ingravity,patience, meekness, in unity and concord, sub-
mitting one to another in lowliness ofheart, and in the
Each separate meeting sent its special set ofanswers
holy Spirit of truth and righteousness, [are] all things
for this public confessional. “Love and unity are not so
to be carried on... (London Yearly Meeting’s Christian
well maintained as we could wish.” “Some Friends do
Faith andPractice, 1959, §354).
not observe the hour.” “Most kept from unbecoming
behavior, though a fewcases ofsleeping in meeting have While Friends perceive a real difference between the
been observed.” “Friends generally bring up their chil- secular practice ofconsensus decision-making and the reli-
dren in the nurture and admonitions of the Lord.” I gious practice of seeking unity, the two inform each other.
had no idea what that meant, though I supposed it Both practices seekto drawupon the perspectives ofall per-
sons present,both seekto produce solutions that arewholes-
meant, “to be good.”
... It is all very well now to sit down at a comfort- greater-than-sums-of-parts, and both seek to value the at-
tachment ofgroup members more than the swiftness ofde-
able desk and write of what happened in those long
business meetings. But the kind reader will please re- cisions. In the second session of Seeking Unity, Stephen
member the uncushioned seats were hard in those days, Matchett emphasized that Friends have much real-world
and that a boy’s stomach will not be fed with “consider- knowledge and wisdom to gain from secularpractitioners of
consensus decision-making.
ations on the state ofthe Church!” ...Atlength the happy
moment came: “We now separate, proposing to meet At the same time, a common theme running through
again at the usual time and place, ifthe Lord permits.” the Seeking Unityserieswas this: Seeking unityis not merely
With this began the invasion of the homes in the consensus decision-making. Consensus is a secular process
neighborhood. Every dining-room had its long table, with the goal ofreaching a decision. Seeking unity is a reli-
and an elastic supply to fit the rather reckless invita- gious process with the goal ofreaching a“sense ofthe meet-
tionswhich all members ofthe familygave with little or ing.” Morley describes the distinction in this way:
no consultation. “Consensus involves a process in which we promulgate,
M
[from A Boy’s Religionfrom Memory by Rufus argue, and select or compromise ideas until we can ar-
,
Jones; anthologized inJessamyn West’s QuakerReader, rive at an acceptable decision. When we seek the sense
p. 424] ofthe meeting, the decision is a by-product. It happens
.
April2008 Friends Bulletin. 9
along the way. The purpose ofseeking the sense ofthe about our theological differences and then to discern where
meeting is to gather ourselves in unity in the presence our common faith does lie. Friends must learn to forgive
ofLight, (p. 15) each other for choosing differentwords and for holding dif-
Whether striving to reach a consensus, or striving to ferent concepts about what it means to be a Friend. “. . tell
reach a sense ofthe meeting, the people doing the striving them in the name ofGod that there is to be no wrangling
are fallible humans. Morley explains that to reach Unity,we about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of
must open ourselves up to each other in trust, we must take those who are listening.” (2 Timothy 2:14)
the long view of our situation, and we must wait for the Time was another obstacle to unity that we examined
Light to gather us together. These are not entirely rational in session three. The passage oftime can create a false sense
processes. In the second session ofthe Seeking Unity series, ofurgency during a Meeting for Business - ifFriends suc-
cumb to worldly, results-oriented outlooks. We cannot find
participants practiced mutual responsiveness through a pair
ofplayful exercises guided by Stephen Matchett. These in- unity by seeking to produce decisions (products), but in-
volved a round ofsilent group hand-touching and a series of stead must find it by seeking to experience transformation
timed decisions in which a growing circle ofFriends chose (a process). Morley puts it this way:
We
which oftwo photographs “spoke to the group.” For some are products of a culture committed to products.
participants, the awkwardness ofthese situations magnified The process by which we produce the products is, at
their fears oflooking foolish. For others, the vagueness of best, secondary. Whether the product be a car or a vic-
the assignments led individuals to focus anxiously on out- tory or a decision, how we get it seems less important
comes. For those who enjoyed the exercises, comfort with than that we get it... In seeking the sense ofthe meet-
ambiguitywas helpful. In a subsequent discussion, Friends ing, process is paramount...The gifts generated by that
reflected upon similar dynamics at play in remembered process seem endless. As you come to treasure sense of
Meetings for Business. As one Friend reflected, “We grow the meeting, awareness ofthe Presence becomes part of
through conflict and through willingness to accept that we you. You begin to take it with you. You are changed by
We
are unreadyto decide. don’t need to accept the first not- it. You perceive the world differently; and Quakers at
bad idea. We should be willing to live with ambiguity for a theirbest are people who perceive the world differently,
time.” (pp. 22-23)
On the other hand, we do want our meetings for busi-
Practices for LaboringTogether ness to unite around minutes that make real impacts in
the world. One ofthe challenges ofnot having paid clergy
Having laid out our metaphysical framework in session is that we all share responsibility for keeping our unity
one, having tilled the soil ofour intuition in session two, we process alive. We all share the obligation ofcaring more
found ourselves prepared to accept seeds ofpractical advice, about each other than we do about results. We all share
which Laura Magnani offered during the third and final responsibility for teaching each other how to use our pre-
—
session ofour series. This was the session in which we ex- cious time togetherwell how to speakplainly and briefly,
amined most directly our own past experiences with Seek- how to remain silent, how to trust the work ofour com-
ing Unity. It was also the session in which we realized how mittees. People who don’t really understand the process
much more we still want to learn about Seeking Unity and presume that because we are all free to speak, that there-
about each other. fore we all must speak, and they chime in with better ideas
LauraMagnani drewourpersonalexperiences into three and compelling arguments. This is where time can be-
areas ofconcern: language, time, and clerking. Across those come our friend, for we only have so many minutes to
three areas, a fourth consideration lay: forgiveness. spend together on a given Sunday. Time can keep us fo-
Among unprogrammed Friends in the western United cused, engaged with each other, and forgiving of each
States, the language of faith is vast and contradictory. Pa- other. We are fallible humans making fallible decisions
cific Yearly Meeting’s current Faith and Practice lists over in a fallible quest for unity. Eventually, whether we have
two-dozen terms on page 21 that are used byvarious Friends united around a specific decision or not, we will discover
in lieu of“God.” Laura emphasized that many Friends ex- in the sense ofthe meeting that the time has come for us
perience strong negative reactions to statements by other to move on.
Friends based primarily on the language they use, reactions An
in-depth examination of skillful clerkship fell out-
which keep them from hearing the intents behind each side the scope ofthe Seeking Unity series. Even so, partici-
other’s statements. Negative reactions are especially strong pants in session three did examine several key practices that
between Christian and non-theist Friends. The way around a clerk can employto help foster smooth and steadyprogress
this language barrieris straightthrough the heartofit. Laura towards unity. First, a week or two before the meeting for
advises Friends to question each other and listen to each other business, a careful clerk will talk with everyone who wants
10 Friends Bulletin. April 2008
to bring an item before the meeting. The clerk will test
Friendly News
whether each item really is ready for corporate consider-
ation, and ifnot, will dissuade the individual from bringing
it. The skillful clerk opens each meeting for business with by Nancy McLauchlan
a period ofworship that is proportional in length to the
length and contentiousness of the agenda at hand. The Friends World Committee for Consultation World Of-
clerk also helps the meeting remain aware that the entire fice has created a blog to help spread information about the
meeting for business is a time of worship, and that si- current situation in Kenya, and the various initiatives that are
lence is no mere technique to help people cool off. Fi- springing up to provide both short-term and long-term sup-
nally, the clerk will protect the meeting from discussions port. For further updates and to read the ongoing Kenya blog,
about relatively trivial details and inconsequential word- go to www.fwccworld.org.
smithingby referring such matters to the appropriate com- The new Director ofthe Quaker United Nations Office is
mittees and clerks. As much as possible, the clerk’sjob is AndrewD.Tomlinsonwho has 20 years ofexperience in inter-
to guide the meeting to focus primarily on leadings, clear- national finance. Clerk ofChatham-Summit Monthly Meet-
ness, and concerns. In this way, the clerk is supporting “a ing, he lives with his family in NewJersey and is a citizen of
the United Kingdom.
process of surrender to our highest natures, and a recog-
nition that, even though each ofus is possessed oflight,
Beyond the MonthlyMeeting/Churches
there is only one Light. At the end of the process we
We
reside in that Light. have allowed ourselves to be led
to a transcendent place ofunmistakable harmony, peace, Arizona HalfYearly Meeting was held in Tucson, AZ,
and tender love.” (Morley, p. 12) March 28-30, at the Pima Meeting House.
Through the practice ofseeking unity, Friends seek a The Friends PeaceTeams CouncilMeeting took place in
mystical experience in the last place most people would Portland, Oregon, March 6-9 at Multnomah Friends Meet-
—
look for one a business meeting. As much as this expe- ing.
rience answers the problem of incarnation (how to em- GreenleafFriends Academy will be 100 years old in the
Fall of2008.The Quaker Village Auction was held March 7-8
body real values in the real world), it also answers the call
to raise funds for the Academy.
to atonement (a return to a life at-one with the Spirit and IMYM
with each other). As our workshop series was winding to The 2008 Annual Gathering is June 9 to 15 at
Ghost Ranch “Compassionate Listening”will be the theme of
a close, Laura Magnani observed, “Forgiveness is an im-
the keynote address and an Early Days workshop. Early Days
portant part of the unity process and we can’t overstate
We will beJune 9 to 11, and Annual GatheringJune 12 to 15.
that. need to be able to say ‘I’m sorry,’ and be open to
NorthwestYearlyMeetingwill meetJuly 19-24,2008 with
hearing that and move on. Openness is central to the the theme,“Bring Forth the Kingdom.”Tony Campolo will be
unity process.” One irony ofthis process is that when it the main speaker.
works best, it often feels the hardest. Powerful, prophetic The Youth Ski Trip sponsored by North Pacific Yearly
leadings are gifts of the Spirit that we should desire, yet
Meeting took place February 15-18.
often feel difficult and frightening, both to the individual The PacificNorthwest QuakerWomen’s Retreat, a gath-
who senses the leadings and to the community that ering ofwomen from Northwest Yearly Meeting, North Pa-
wrestles with them. Mundane decisions can feel just as cific Yearly Meeting, Canadian Yearly Meeting will be April
We We
hard. are not perfect. need to forgive ourselves 2-6, 2008 at Menucha Retreat Center, Corbett, OR.
for not reaching perfect decisions and for falling short of Representative Committee ofPacificYearlyMeetingmeets
perfect Unity. As George Fox advised from Friends’ ear- March 1st
.
liest days: Two Friends from Quaker Earthcare Witness, Ruah
But above everything else take care not to criticize Swennerfeltand Louis Cox, are nowwalking from Vancouver,
one another, for that way you can destroy one an- BC to San Diego, CA..This “Peace for EarthWalk: Rediscov-
other, or abandon one another, or drive one another eringJohn Woolman’s Message for the 21st Century,” is from
back into the ways ofthe world. And you will eat up November 2007 until April 2008.
the good in one another and so hinder unity, hinder The Walk with Earth Pilgrimage for the beauty of the
growth in the life and the power of God. And it’s earth down the watersheds ofthe Americas started March 2nd
at San FranciscoMeeting. LedbyRoleneWalker,this pilgrim-
that life and power that would give you peace andjoy
age ends in Chile in 2.5 years. The website
in one another, and love, and would strengthen you
www.WalkWithEarth.org shows the itinerary,requirements for
and enable you to overcome and gain the victory.
walkers, etc.
(AnAnthology ofGeorgeFox, selections modernized and WARSF (Western Association ofthe Religious Society
edited by Rex Ambler.) ofFriends) met February23 at First Friends,Whittier, follow-