Quaker Toolbox

Shared Learning in the Small Meeting or Worship Group Exploring Quakerism is one of the main reasons meetings and worship groups come together. But most people in Quaker meetings these days, especially in new worship groups, have not had much experience with Quakerism. How to learn, when there is no one to do the teaching?

One important step would be for as many people in your group as possible to attend yearly meeting sessions, Friends General Conference Gatherings, or workshops at Quaker conference centers, or to get involved in the work of a national Quaker network (see appendix). Being part of such gatherings and activities will not only help individuals deepen their understanding of Quakerism, but will help knit the whole group into the wider body of the Religious Society of Friends. You might want to follow up on such connections by inviting experienced Friends to visit your meeting on occasion. “Intervisitation”• is, in many ways, the lifeblood of Quakerism.

In the meantime, regular “meetings for learning”• are easy to organize, and very helpful. Choose a pamphlet or a section of a book for everyone to read ahead of time, and then meet to share your responses and questions, worship-sharing style. Here are two models you might use:

1. Get copies of the book of Faith and Practice from your yearly meeting. Choose sections to read and discuss. The reading may be done ahead of time, or you might want to read aloud in the group, taking turns around the room. Share your thoughts and questions. You might do worship sharing around the question: “How does this passage illuminate an experience I’ve had in my own life?”• If your yearly meeting doesn’t have its own Faith and Practice, you might want to collect several versions from different yearly meetings and compare what they have to say, or use Howard Brinton’s Guide to Quaker Practice. For a more guided approach to this way of learning about Quakerism, consult the Friendly Faith and Practice Study Guide by Joanne and Larry Spears. All these resources are available from QuakerBooks of FGC. 2. Organize a shared learning course around four or five Pendle Hill pamphlets that together cover the range of Quaker history, spirituality, discernment and witness. The Pendle Hill pamphlet series is a treasure trove of Quaker wisdom. At only 30—40 pages each, the pamphlets can easily be read at a sitting. Plan to meet about once a month over four or five months. Assign a pamphlet as advance reading for each session. You might want to buy individual copies of each pamphlet, or share one or two copies around the group. When you meet, share your thoughts, responses and questions. Be sure to do some worship sharing in each session, focused on a question like: “What image in this reading stirred me most deeply?”• “How does this reading illuminate some issue I’ve struggled with in my own life? ”•The following list of pamphlets has been widely used for this kind of course: 1. Introduction: George Peck, What is Quakerism? or Douglas Steere Introduction from Quaker Spirituality 2. Worship: Bill Taber, Four Doors to Meeting for Worship www.fgcquaker.org Insert © here if needed Quaker Resources | 1

3. Business Process: Barry Morley, Beyond Consensus 4. Witness: Wilmer Cooper, Testimony of Integrity

For more reading suggestions, see the “Basic Quakerism Book Lists”• in the appendix of the print edition of When You're the Only Friend in Town.

This document was downloaded from the website of Friends General Conference. Explore the many resources and opportunities we offer for Quakers, Quaker meetings, and all interested individuals. Go to www.fgcquaker.org.