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SUMMER
2000 Phil Anthony
Coordinator, Salem QuarterQuakers often call ourselves seekers. And so we are. If we weren’t continually seeking to learn the will of the Divine and to do it, then our Quaker belief in continuing revelation wouldn’t mean very much.
What Is It to Which God Is Calling Us? The following queries formed the framework of the Friday night session at Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions. A PYM Ad Hoc Committee is charged with inviting our monthly meetings to consider them, and bring the results back to a session next year to examine our way forward.
- Do I believe in that continuing revealing of God/the Divine in our lives today?
- What has been my personal experience of that, i.e., how have I experienced the Holy Spirit at work in my life?
- Are there ways in which I feel called by the Divine, by Truth? Have I listened to that call, or do I sometimes tell God to call back later?
- What helps me in deepening my relationship with God? What hinders that relationship?
- How do we, as a community, experience God at work among us?
- What has been our experience, as a community of Friends, of the Holy Spirit forming us and leading us?
- What is an example of a time we have experienced the Divine at work in the life of a Friends’ community—whether it be in the monthly meeting, the Yearly Meeting, or at a Friends’ organization in which we are active?
Still, we’re more than that. If we weren’t—if we hadn’t found something after all our years of seeking—then we’d have to conclude that we’ve been looking in the wrong place.
Friends gathered at PYM Annual Sessions last March were electrified by deep, extended worship Thursday evening. On Friday, we turned to consider two groups of queries that sought to explore what we’ve found as Quakers. After opening worship, we meditated on the first set—an exploration of experiences of God in our personal lives—then each turned to another person or two nearby to share our responses. Excited voices filled the room as participants told each other about how the Divine has touched our lives personally.
Then we re-entered the silence to reflect on what we’d heard and to think on the second set—how does God, Truth, the Light, the inward Christ work in our corporate activity? Friends spoke movingly out of the silence about their own experiences of doubts removed, polarization resolved, differences reconciled, and worship providing the corporate grounding to make and carry out decisions.
Friday evening was a high point, but the excitement continued throughout the weekend. In business sessions and private conversations, Friends were moved to speak of their own Spirit-led experiences and to be led by that of God in one another while considering budget, Friends’ education, a minute on drugs, and how violence affects our children. On Sunday afternoon, Yearly Meeting united in offering the queries to the monthly meetings to share in our excitement.
If I were looking for God, would I be more likely to join a group of other seekers—or a group that’s already found evidence of the Divine working in its midst? Is searching all we have to offer, or can we also tell visitors about encountering the Spirit in our Meeting lives?
The success of Quaker outreach may just depend on how we answer those questions. The language of seeking is important; may we continue to seek so long as we live. But attention to what we’ve found as Friends has the power to transform us, and then energize us to reach out to others and transform the world.
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Last modified:
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
