QuakerInfo.com Forum

[DaveS]

Hi all,

My name is Dave. I've been connected with the Wider Quaker Fellowship for a few years as I have never lived close to a Meeting although I have visited several Meetings in Pacific Yearly Meeting when I have had the opportunity - namely Whitleaf, Claremont , and Orange Grove in the past. Unfortunately I have never lived close enough to a Monthly meeting to be a regular attender or to become an official member.

I am a former skeptic who is now an inclusive follower of Jesus and influenced by Quakerism and the philosophy of Vedanta. I try to follow the Great Commandment and Law of Love through the promptings of the Spirit in everyday life as a disciple of Jesus. The teachings and example of Jesus lead me to try to be more inclusive, compassionate, and tolerant of others (I'm still struggling with that), and to work for the well-being of others.

Peace!

Dave Salyers

[orPowers]

Welcome, and I hope your efforts are fruitful. It is a wonderful thing to be part of a community.
In His Love,
Nate
_________________
Romans 8:38-39

my blog: http://mild-side.blogspot.com/

[Kiahanie]

Welcome, Dave. PYM is having their Yearly Gathering soon:

Pacific Yearly Meeting
Yearly Gathering
July 27 - August 1, 2009
Walker Creek Ranch, Marin County, CA
(contact info at http://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/)

That might be a good place to meet scattered Friends and people who may know of scattered Friends or potential attenders in your area. Quarterly meetings are good, too, and not as much of a strain on the time or financial budgets.

Peace and Light be with you in your search for community.
_________________
"There is a field out beyond right and wrong. I'll meet you there." --Jellaludin Rumi

[DaveS]

Here is an update.

Since there is no local Quaker meeting or church of any stripe near me, I have occasionally been attending a local Vineyard church which is sort of like a "mashup" of Calvary Chapel and Quakerism. One of the founders of Vineyard, John Wimber, had been a Quaker pastor.

[kevin roberts]

What's "Calvary Chapel," David?

I don't know much about the Vinyard exept that in my area it's one of those vast meetings of thousands of people.

[DaveS]

Calvary Chapel, founded by Chuck Smith, is one of the megachurches that came out of the "Jesus Movement" of the 60's and 70's. They used a more contemporary worship style and have an evangelical theology.

John Wimber was a Quaker pastor within EFCI (Evangelical Friends). He was very much into being Spirit-led and manifestations of the Spirit (like healing). This was not much appreciated by the Evangelical Friends so he became a pastor within Calvary Chapel. However, he had the same problem there as he was too Charimastic-oriented for their tastes. So he left and helped found the Association of Vineyard Churches.

[kevin roberts]

I remember talking to some Vineyard people in Ohio once, before I ever heard of them. They explained to me that they had this new discovery called "waiting worship," where they would just sit and wait for the Holy Spirit to guide them into something to say, or not. They'd never heard of the Quakers, interestingly. Our ignorance was mutual.

[DaveS]

Like members of many denominations and churches, most of the folks in the pews do little research into its roots or theological underpinnings. I'm just obsessive enough to engage in such things.

I like many of the folks at Vineyard; however, I have noted that their theology differs from mine. They use the outward sacraments of baptism and communion (once per month) and are "Sola Scriptura" as the primary focus like most Protestants. That's okay, but it is not *my* approach which I find to be increasingly related to the Conservative Friends as reflected in the OYM Book of Discipline (I tend towards an inclusive view of the traditional Christian universalism such as typified by the Early Friends - which was also a prevalent in the early Church, pre-Constantine and Augustine).

Is the Wider Fellowship of Conservative Friends still around? And how do I connect with them?

I would hope that the concept of "waiting worship" would spread among other churches and denominations as well. That would be a good thing.

[kevin roberts]

Sure they're still around.

Nancy Hawkins
nanquaker@aol.com
5190 Kirk Road
Columbiana, OH 44408

There's a major gathering in June this year in Ohio, USA.

[michaeldavidjay]

funny thing, in my Quaker college -- Vinyard was ALMOST presented to us as a Quaker heresy.

Bluntly, one of the founders sounded too much like he wanted to buy the Holy Spirit... so we were aware of it. Its nice that they discovered Waiting Worship .
_________________
Do Friends speak to today's condition, or are we only a historical footnote?

[DaveS]

[michaeldavidjay]

Mostly I meant Wimber was know in Friend's circles. Gurneyites were very skeptical of the Charismatic movement -- and, the suggestion he wanted to buy and sell the Holy Spirit might (Simony) have been unfair.

By the way -- his meeting/church or whatever in Yorba Linda CA was affiliated with FUM. There was a change of umbrellas in 1993.... a lot changes in 30 years -- maybe he Wimber was ahead of his time.
_________________
Do Friends speak to today's condition, or are we only a historical footnote?

[DaveS]

Thanks for the correction. So did the exodus from FUM to EFCI in California (other than First Friends Whittier which stayed with FUM) occur in 1993? I thought it had occurred earlier than that.

[michaeldavidjay]

Yes -- 1993 was when South West YM left FUM and joined EFI-NA. I remember when it happened, and I looked up the date to double check.
_________________
Do Friends speak to today's condition, or are we only a historical footnote?

[BillSamuel]

And FUM invited him to speak at a pastors' conference once - a controversial decision.

When he was in Friends, he was told the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for the apostolic era not here and now. Very bad theology and not consistent with Quaker historical understandings.
_________________
Bill Samuel, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Co-Coordinator, Friends in Christ