Dear Friends,
It is spring. So much is starting. So many opportunities to experience community, Spirit and life! Here are some upcoming events and opportunities. Bear with me, it is quite a list. There is good stuff right to the end! J email me with questions, nyym.yafs@gmail.com.
Peace,
Gabi Savory Bailey
Summer Sessions of NYYM at Silver Bay on Lake George, NY.
Please consider coming to Summer Sessions this year! The theme is Integrity. There are opportunities for worship, work and fellowship! See the Yearly Meeting website for details. www.nyym.org.
Spring Sessions are held April 13-15 in Rye, NY. This is an opportunity to witness the business of the Yearly Meeting, as well as see what various committees do. You can committee hop, without threat of being roped into serving. Please consider coming. Questions? Email me nyym.yafs@gmail.com. There is hospitality available, as well as financial aid.
Powell House , NYYM’s retreat center in Old Chatham, NY, has wonderful weekends in coming months. Here are a few. For more, please visit www.powellhouse.org. Do not fret about money. There are funds available for you! Speak to the clerk of your meeting, or email me, Gabi Savory Bailey nyym.yafs@gmail.com if you are looking for financial help.
Nontheism Among Friends, March 23-25, 2012
Friends have become increasingly aware of the theological diversity of our Religious Society. How can Quaker theists and nontheists enrich each other while views that differ? We invite all seekers to celebrate and deepen our own beliefs and practices, and our appreciation for the beliefs and
practices of others, so that we may all enjoy what Henry Cadbury called "the natural variety in Quakerism."
Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, March 30-April 1, 2012
The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium is a profound inquiry into a bold vision: to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling human presence on planet Earth. This workshop will explore this vision from a Quaker perspective, and with appreciation for the unique gifts that we can bring to the movement for building a sustainable society.
Work/Messiah Sing & Celebration, April 6-8, 2012
This weekend has become a favorite of many F/friends and families.Whether you come to work, work and play an instrument, or work and provide the audience for the choir - there's a place for you.We'll have childcare for the young ones while you work.
The music: We will do Part I of the Handel's Messiah on Friday evening; Part II on Saturday evening, ending with the "Hallelujah Chorus;" and Part III on Easter morning.If you have a score, bring that, too.We've had people playing violins, violas, cello, flute, bassoon and piano plus soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
The work: Doug Stalker, PoHo Property Manager will coordinate the work portion of the weekend.There are always lots of things to do inside and out to get Powell House ready for spring and summer. Let us know you are coming, and we'll let you know if you can bring any specific tools with you.
The Food: Jacki Gray, our creative cook, will provide sumptuous food throughout the weekend. Her massage chair will be in residence too.
April 27-29 Women’s Intergenerational: Sharing our Stories…………………...7th & UP
It’s wonderful being women. Sometimes it’s hard, often it’s breathtaking, always it’s who we are … or not. There are some things unique to us and much that is really just about being human. All of us have stories from our journey so far. It is in sharing our stories that we all grow more deeply connected and deeply grounded. And sometimes sharing our stories and hearing our stories is just what we need to let go and soar. Come fly with us, sit with us, sing with us share with us. We’ll enjoy each other and spring in full bloom at Powell House. Kites anyone?
May 11-13 Mother Has Come with Her Beautiful Song
Shakers have long been connected with Quakers. Why? Earliest members were often called "Shaking Quakers" because of the ecstatic nature of their worship services, not because of a relationship with the Society of Friends. Members of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming called themselves "Believers" in the formative years. Now called the United Society of Shakers, they have created a unique material legacy in their earthly quest for spiritual perfection.
During this weekend we will explore the roots of Shakerism and what connections with Quakerism exist -- both historical and contemporary. Participants will also share in song and movement, Shaker-inspired meals, and a Shaker meeting. A tour at New Lebanon Shaker Village is planned.
Looking for a change of scene? Want a move? Interested in deepening you faith and building community? Feel the need for meaningful work? Here are some opportunities!
Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) www.quakervoluntaryservice.org
The QVS Experience
Grounded in Quaker faith and practice, QVS volunteers will engage in regular worship both within the QVS community and with local Friends meetings and/or churches. Through these relationships, QVS interns will give and receive ongoing spiritual support and nurture. They will be exposed to and participate in a variety of Friends worship, business and discernment practices as well as learning more about Quaker history and theology. They will be encouraged to share deeply with one another about their diverse understandings of Jesus in the Quaker movement and in their own faith journeys. QVS interns will also have the opportunity to network with and be supported by a wider community of Friends and Friends institutions during their year of service.
QVS will partner with agencies and organizations that offer direct support to marginalized individuals and communities, and that strive to transform unjust systems. Volunteers will be placed by QVS after a process of mutual discernment with the volunteer and the cooperating partners as to the gifts and interests of the volunteers and the needs of the community and organization. QVS seeks to facilitate work through service that will lead volunteers to deeper understanding of underlying structural oppression through meaningful work involving learning & growth. QVS volunteers will have direct experience of answering that of God in others through real relationships with real people.
Through simple, communal living, volunteers learn to care for self and others. In addition to their service placements, QVS volunteers will share living space, meals, care for the home, and all aspects of day to day life. They will construct a “community covenant” – an agreement guiding interactions in the house, using Friends worshipful discernment practices. Connections to the local Friends meeting or church and to the wider QVS Network offer support to this process in a variety of ways. The lessons learns through participation in intentional community will stay with volunteers for the rest of their lives.
At the heart of the year is a deep emphasis on reflection. In regular one-on-one meetings with a spiritual nurturer, in a structured group setting with fellow volunteers, through practices such as journaling, and in many informal ways, volunteers will find both the space and the supportive context to engage difficult questions that arise through the inevitable crossing of boundaries of perceived difference, encountering “The Other.” Volunteers will learn to hold both outward and inward challenges up to the Light, and to articulate how their perspectives may change as a result of these experiences. Throughout the year, volunteers will find resources in the witness and experience of Friends both past and present. Particular attention is given in these exercises and relationships to places of stretching or challenge as the volunteer’s spiritual understanding shifts and deepens to engage the injustice, inequality, privilege, and suffering that is an inevitable part of work for social justice and to learn skills to sustain them on this journey for the long haul.
Living four core Values: Community, Service, Transformation, and the Quaker Way. An experiment in faithfulness in the Friends’ tradition. An opportunity to find your gifts, and to help change the world. Want to learn more? call us at 404-721-4787. We’d love to help discern if this opportunity may be right for you.
Young Friends in Residence Job Openings
Start Date September 1, 2012
Intern positions. Situated near Ithaca, NY. Interns will live in intentional community with one or two other interns. Work includes developing youth and adult programs focused on creating a space for friends of all ages to experience, live in, and respond to Spirit. Interns are encouraged to immerse themselves in the local community and participate in the life of Perry City Monthly Meeting and the wider Quaker Community. An openness to grow and deepen spiritually is required as is experience in Quaker practices. Small monthly stipend ($250) plus room, board, and travel expenses.
For more information, including a job description and application, please contact Chris DeRoller at 518-794-8811 or e-mail us at YFIRwg [at] gmail.com.
To read about what previous interns have done visit their blog at http://youngfriendsinresidence.blogspot.com/.
Young Friends in Residence is a collaborative program between New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and Perry City Monthly Meeting with significant support from Farmington-Scipio Regional Meeting.
Study with Quakers in England!!
Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham, UK is launching a Young Adult Leadership Programme for Young Adult Friends aged 19-28. Applications are now open. More details here: www.woodbrooke.org.uk/youngadults or contact youngadults@woodbrooke.org.uk
