Quaker Earthcare Witness
Annual Fall Gathering
October 19-22, 2017
Witness and Practice
What, then, should be our witness and our practice as Quakers? Here are some practical suggestions, a few steps in a process of dialogue:
On all occasions, seek to establish trust. Listen carefully and caringly. Suspend judgement. Ask questions and seek clarification. Be a model of what you hope for from the other.
Identify yourself as a Quaker, a Friend of Truth, seeking to live in peace and to embrace diversity.
Establish something you and the other have in common, such as frustration, a feeling that something is fundamentally wrong with the way things are, or concern for the future and our children.
Acknowledge and include difference; don’t evade it. Speak as you are led, and be ready to change your ideas, as well as your assumptions about the other.
If you summarize, be inclusive of agreements, disagreements and puzzlements in your dialogue. Keep returning to common ground; relate disagreements to that common ground.
Dialogue is not just a matter of recognizing “thou” in the other; it’s also a matter of recognizing the “thou” in thoughts and ideas. They too are not “its,” discrete entities to be categorized, enumerated, and marshaled.
Avoid argument and “discussion,” which shares the same root with “concussion” and “percussion," all having to do with striking and breaking up. Engage in true dialogue, which emphasizes the process of thought itself as we move toward a future together.
Your object, in dialogue, is not to save the planet, or to persuade and convince. There is no leader, no topic, no agenda, nothing “to do.” Your object is to communicate, in truth, with the other.
Don’t worship an opinion, or the hoped-for outcome; those are graven images. Worship truth, which, as Gandhi believed and practiced, is nonviolence and love—not reducing "Thou" to "It".
Full communion involves caring for the future, which is our moral responsibility. Avoid moralizing, however. Tell stories about what you care for: children, the earth, and other creatures, caught up with ourselves in the entangling net of climate change, exploitation, impoverishment, joy, and sorrow.
If you feel at a loss, reflect: you have sown seeds. As the parable tells us, we don’t know which seeds may germinate (Matthew 13:1-9).
If nothing positive seems to be happening, don’t just break off the dialogue. Summarize briefly and respectfully, and express willingness to continue on another occasion if the other person wishes. You never can tell; it may happen.
These, then, are some of the practices that can help us build the beloved, trusting community we need for conversation—and action—on climate change and other difficult topics. True dialogue is difficult to initiate and to sustain. But without dialogue we are unable to commune, in truth, with the other and with the creation—with all that is sacred.
From Talking About Climate Change: A Call for Dialog, QEW 2017
QUAKER EARTHCARE WITNESS
Annual Fall Gathering October 19-22, 2017
Draft Agenda1
Thursday, October 19
1:00 – 3:00Registration Begins
Early Arrivals: How has Truth fared with thee Friend? A time of welcoming, centering, sharing and preparing for theworship, work and fellowship of theextended weekend. Brinton House
3:00 – 3:45Continuing Counsel Committee meeting
Or: For others arriving and after getting rooms:
3:00 – 3:45Worshipful fellowship –We offer this time to begin to center for our work ahead. Friends may choose to rest and reflect quietly or come to the meeting room to greet others. We ask that this be a time of preparation for our worshipful work together.
3:50 – 4:40Brief Meeting for Worship for Business – Session 1 :Setting the StageOrientation from Pendle Hill Staff, Reviewing the weekend. Reviewing the Business Session Agenda(s). Nominating initial report. Naming Committee selection.
4:45 – 5:45 Mixer exercises (SB and BH have some ready; probably others do too)
6:00 –7:00 Dinner
7:10 -9:00Meeting forIntroductions - for newcomers; for oldtimers.As we come together; What is on our hearts? What are our leadings? What are our current joys and concerns? (Please keep these in the 2-3 minute range)
9:00+ Social time (movies, games, dancing…..)
Friday, October 20
7:00 – 7:30Spiritual Nurturance 'outdoor worship' /Worship in Unity with Nature, or Nature Walk
7:30 – 8:30Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00Worship in the Barn
9:10 – 10:30Standing Committees (1) – Finance and Development, Nominating, Outreach, Personnel, Publications, Spiritual Nurturance
10:40 – 11:50Working Groups and Projects (1) –FCNL WG, UN WG, Pop WG, Sustainability: Faith & Action,FCUN, No Name WG, Mini-grants
12:00 – 1:00Lunch
1:10 – 2:50Meeting for Worship for Business – Session 2: Worship
Reports from Committees and Working Groups
2:55 – 3:55 Intergroup meeting time or Free Time--Self - programmed [e.g. Other meeting time, nature time, nap time]
4:00 – 5:50FCUN/QEW for 30 years! Sharing of our best moments, esp. from old timers!
6:00 – 7:00Dinner
7:10 – 9:00Looking forward: small and large group exploration (eric and Mary Ann)
9:00 + Celebration!
Saturday, October 21
7:00 – 7:30Spiritual Nurturance 'outdoor worship' /Worship in Unity with Nature, or Nature Walk
7:30 – 8:30Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00Worship in the Barn
9:10 – 10:20Standing Committees (2) – Finance and Development, Nominating, Personnel, Publications, Spiritual Nurturance,Outreach
10:30 – 11:50 Working Groups and Projects (2) – UN WG, PopWG, Sustainability: Faith & Action;FCUN, No Name WG; Mini-grants.
12:00 – 1:00Lunch
1:10 – 2:50 Meeting for Worship for Business – Session 3: Worship
Finish reports and action items of committees and working groups
Other matters
3:00 – 4:25 Yearly Meeting Representatives meet. Others have free time.
4:30 – 5:50Tree Energy: Exercises in Non-Duality: Pamela Boyce Simms
6:00 – 7:00Dinner
7:10 – 9:00Looking forward: The next 5, 10, 20, 30 years!
Hayley Hathaway; Beverly Ward; Jamie DeMarco
9:00 - Film: TROUBLED WATER: VOICES FROM BATH by Barbara Adams
Sunday, October 22
7:00 – 7:30Spiritual Nurturance 'outdoor worship' /Worship in Unity with Nature, or Nature Walk
7:30 – 8:00CCC Meeting
7:30 – 8:30Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00Worship in the Barn
9:10 -11:10Meeting for Worship for Business – Session 4: Unfinished business
Evaluation of our time together
11:20 – 11:50 Worship
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00After Meeting Debriefing- meetingtime for those who can stay longer
The Purpose of Quaker Earthcare Witness
To search and to help others to search
for that life which affirms
the unity of all creation.
To apply and to help others to apply
Friends' practice to live in
deep communion with all life spirit.
To be guided by and to help others to be guided by
the Light within us
to participate in the healing of the earth.
To provide resources, networking, and support
to yearly and monthly meetingsof the Religious Society of Friends,
and to others of whatever persuasion; to help them in their search
for effective ways to achieve the above objectives.
To provide a reflective and energetic forum
that will strengthen and deepen that spiritual unity with nature
which values the integrity, diversity, and continuity of life on earth.