By Christopher Sammond In 2004, when I came to New York Yearly Meeting to serve as General Secretary, some Friends shared with me that yearly meeting members whose passion was for witness were saying “Well, it looks like Ministry won,” with my hire. My passion for spiritual deepening was well known, and in a committee …
By Mary Linda McKinney The Quaker Divide Part I here and Part II here. Based on a few comments about my previous post, I know that some of you think that spiritual diversity isn’t a problem for your community. You think that everyone in your meeting shares a similar theological understanding. You’re all Christian or …
By Mary Linda McKinney This is the second installment in a three-part series by Mary Linda. The first part can be read here. Some Friends believe that the Religious Society of Friends is and should be explicitly Christian. Other Friends feel that we should tip our hats to the Christian roots of the RSoF but …
by Mary Linda McKinney Over the last couple of years, I have spoken with dozens and dozens of Friends and have heard the same frustration, the same hurt over and over: I can’t bring my authentic spirituality into my Quaker community. Friends have told me, “I’m a Christian and my meeting does not welcome Christian …
by Mary Linda McKinney Woven throughout Faithful Meetings will be the themes of humility, submission, and That of God within. For me, they are important elements of what it means to be Quaker. In order to really explore these topics, I think it is important to consider a significant barrier to them: Wordly power. …
April 2022: Barrier to Faithfulness: Worldly Power Read More »
Thanks to a generous grant from the Shoemaker Foundation, we are hiring for a new role! We are seeking an Outreach Coordinator to get the word out about our new program, Faithful Meetings, and about our work in general. This will be an independent contractor, part-time (20 hours/week) position, paying $20,000 per year with an …
by Mary Linda McKinney Quaker committee meetings are often: (Check all that apply) ❑ Frustrating ❑ Boring ❑ Rote ❑ Exhausting ❑ Pleasant ❑ Exasperating ❑ Community building ❑ Exciting ❑ Burdensome ❑ Hopeful ❑ Spiritually nurturing ❑ Tedious ❑ Emotionally intimate ❑ Centering ❑ Redundant ❑ Ungrounded If the boxes you checked lean toward …
By Mary Linda McKinney Who I am can be answered through many lenses. I could give you facts about my life or about work I’ve done or roles I carry. In this instance, because I am sharing who I am as the person who created and will be facilitating Faithful Meetings, I will share stories …
by Mary Linda McKinney When I have introduced Friends to Faithful Meetings through the public information sessions, the question of “Who are you?” has been asked once but otherwise has hung unspoken in the air. Behind this, I think, is the question, “What qualifies you for this work?” These are both important questions that deserve …
By Mary Linda McKinney I sometimes hear Friends bemoan Quaker process. The complaints are legitimate, based on the experiences these Friends–and likely all of us at one time or another–have had. What people call “Quaker process” can be misused. It can be wielded to silence marginalized folks, to uphold systems of power, to manipulate and …
December 2021 – True Quaker Process in Faithful Meetings Read More »