In this issue
A Query for Christmas
Growing Together in the Light
Fall Appeal
Teacher Search
Nancy Bieber on Decision Making and Spiritual Discernment
Below: Calendar 2011 Volunteers 2011 Other News
Calendar 2011
January 14 -
17
Dwelling
Deep A Silent Retreat, at Powell
House
New! April 29 - May 1
SotS at Caln Quarter's (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting) Family Weekend
A workshop introducing the gift of Spiritual Nurture
(Specific times tba)
June 17 - 20
Living
from the Divine Center A Contemplative Retreat, at Powell
House
Sept. 30 -
Oct. 3
A Silent Retreat, at The St.
Raphaela Center, Haverford, PA. For all who wish to experience a silent retreat, with a
particular invitation to those who may be called to the facilitation of silent retreats. Registration materials will be available in early 2011.
Nov. 10 - 13
Spiritual Renewal Weekend, at the Franciscan
Spiritual Center, Aston, PA
For past SotS program participants. Registration materials will be available in the Spring,
2011.
Volunteers Thank you!
Charlie Ansell, Janis Ansell, Nan Bowles, John Carle, Linda
Chidsey, Peter Chidsey, Angi York Crane, Len Crane, Lynn Drake, Matt
Drake, Mickey Edgerton, Nancy Fennell, Marsha Green, Debbie Humphries, Lee
Junker, Ralph Levering, Alison Levie, Bonnie Miller, David Miller, Carolyn
Moon, Donald Moon, Anne Pomeroy, Karen Reixach, Deborah Shaw, Karen Stewart, Fran
Taber, Ray Treadway, Marian van Dellen, Michael Wajda, Lloyd Lee
Wilson, Susan Wilson
Other News
Testing the Waters Please let us know if your meeting would like to host a Testing the Waters retreat sometime in the second half of 2011 or early 2012 as SotS plans for the next class of the Spiritual Nurturer program. Please note the new event added in the calendar (above). Spiritual Accountability Intending to nurture Friends' faithfulness, three offerings on spiritual accountability will be led by Marge Abbott, Noah Baker Merrill, Viv Hawkins, Laura Melly (elder), all from The Way of Ministry program, and Jim Lyons.
For more information and registration, visit www.bhfh.org/qsp/. These offerings are co-sponsored by the Quaker Studies Program, Woolman Hill, New England Yearly Meeting Ministry & Counsel Committee, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Spiritual Formation Working Group.
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A Query for Christmas
It has been an important part of my spiritual journey to
integrate my religious upbringing into my adult experience of the spiritual
life. One such challenge along the road has been the virgin birth. It is a story that
comes around at this time every year. I now can fully accept that story of the
virgin birth and I look forward to more meaning being unfolded in the years
ahead. How could Mary conceive of the
baby Jesus without being impregnated with Joseph’s seed? We Friends speak of “that
of God in everyone.” This phrase held the key for me to unlock the virgin
birth. Because it is God that has planted his seed in each one of us. As a man, I have relished the experience of laying aside my gender and seeing myself as Mary, and each one of us as a Mary,
nurturing the Christ-child within and supporting one another in
that care. How solicitous we all are when we see a pregnant woman. We open the
door, we offer a seat, we offer a glass of water. We gaze in wonder. Am I as solicitous of each
person, offering such hospitality with the deepest humility and compassion, in
the knowing that each one of us is bringing a Christ-child into the world? Blessings this season, Mike Green
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"Growing Together in the Light"
[Will Taber, a New England Friend, member of Fresh Pond Meeting, and recent participant in The Way of Ministry program, writes the blog Growing Together in the Light. With his permission we share with you part of recent posting.]
The key to the spiritual life is to listen to the voice of God,
the Divine, the Spirit, the Guide, whatever you call that still small voice
that nudges you towards God. An important part of the spiritual journey is
learning to recognize that voice and be able to distinguish its voice from all
of the other, often much louder, voices within us. As Robert Barclay puts it,
“It is the privilege of the Christian to know their Shepherd's voice.” This
voice does not much care what we call it. It also does not care particularly
about what mental constructs we create to make sense of it. What it wants is
for us to pay attention to it. Sometimes it shows us our shortcomings and it
expects that we will sit with that until we see the way forward to overcome
these. Sometimes it shows us the nature of the other voices we hear so that we
can learn which voice to follow. Listening transcends belief.
There seems to be a common distinction made by Friends between
orthodoxy, right belief, and orthopraxis, right action. It is postulated that
liberal Quakers are more interested in orthopraxis and the Orthodox and
Evangelical Friends are more interested in orthodoxy. One such example is from
C. Wess Daniels' article in Quaker Life on Convergent Friends. I think that this
distinction misses the core of what Quakerism is about. The core is not
orthodoxy or orthopraxis, it is orthoakoe. What is orthoakoe? It is a word that
I just made up which means right listening. According to the lexicon in Strong's
Concordance, akoe means “hearing (the act, the sense, or the thing heard).”
Since I don't know Greek, if any readers who have a knowledge of Greek have
suggestions for a better word, I would be glad to hear them.
Growing Together in the Light, Dec. 2, 2010
Fall 2010 Appeal
Asking
for money is not the easiest motion for Friends. But without energy captured in
money we would not be able to carry on our work. So we ask you to consider a
donation to the School of the Spirit Ministry.
We
are so grateful to the many Friends who have served as volunteers with the ministry in the past year (see left for a list of our volunteers), as well as to our teachers and administrator. A
teacher search, as announced above, cannot happen without supporting the travel
of those we call into interview, as well as those called to serve on the search
committee. We are also anticipating in 2011-2012, a full year between the
current Spiritual Nurturer class and the next so that the new
teaching team can integrate the new teacher, forming their blessed community by
praying together, learning of each other's gifts, and how these are to be
placed at the service of the curriculum for the next Spiritual Nurturer class.
Funds will be needed to support these teachers during this preparatory year.
Your
gift may be unrestricted, or you may restrict your gift to the Sandra Cronk
Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund is a source of scholarship support for
Friends who cannot afford the full cost of a program. The fund is particularly
valuable these days, as Friends seek to nurture their spiritual lives in the
face of a difficult economy.
If
you are writing a check, make it out to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
On the note line, write “School
of the Spirit.” Please send your check c/o 1010 Wells St.,
Durham, NC 27707. If
you wish to transfer stock or have other questions, please email us at info@schoolofthespirit.org. Thank you!
Go to the SotS website
Nancy Bieber on Decision Making and Spiritual Discernment
Nancy Bieber, former SotS board member and core teacher, is ecstatic about having her first book published, Decision Making and Spiritual Discernment: The Sacred Art of Finding Your Way (SkyLight Paths Publishing).
In the book Nancy weaves together three essential aspects of Spirit-led decision making:
Willingness ? being open to God’s wiisdom and love.
Attentiveness ? noticing what is true, disceerning the right
path.
Responsiveness ? taking steps forward as thee way becomes clear.
Each chapter is enriched by practical spiritual exercises and with Nancy's permission we share one of those exercises with you here.
You can find out more about Nancy and how to purchase her book from her website.
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