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A spiritual path for our time that is:simple, radical, and contemporary

A series of presentations and discussions on faith, spirituality in our time, and Quakerism.

Quest sessions are being presented by Evanston Friends Meeting, 1010 Greenleaf Street, Evanston IL. Each session is 2 hours and includes an introduction to unprogrammed Quaker worship. Everyone is welcome.

Guests are invited to arrive 15-30 minutes before the start of each session to have a cup of coffee, get acquainted, and settled.

Refreshments will be available as each session opens and concludes.

Advance reservations are not necessary, and there is no charge. Childcare will be provided.

Content:

Each session will include three personal presentations and a half-hour Quaker-style worship. There will also be small group break-outs sessions and time for questions and answers.

Schedule:

You will have two opportunities to hear the presentations. Each session will be held on a Saturday morning in February and March, and again on a Sunday afternoon in March and April. We hope you will attend as many sessions as you can.

Sessions:

Come early for coffee and refreshments! Each session will start promptly on the hour.

• Saturday, Feb 11 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm): Quakers and God
• Saturday, Feb 18 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm): Quakers and the Spiritual Path
• Saturday, Feb 25 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm): Quaker Faith in Action
• Saturday, March 3 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm): Quakers and Peace Making

Repeating Sessions:

• Sunday, March 11 (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm): Quakers and God
• Sunday, March 18 (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm): Quakers and the Spiritual Path
• Sunday, March 25 (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm): Quaker Faith in Action
• Sunday, April 1 (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm): Quakers and Peace Making

Location: Evanston Friends Meetinghouse, 1010 Greenleaf Street, Evanston IL 60202

Two blocks north of Main Street and two blocks east of Ridge Avenue in Evanston.

Questions? Comments? Do you want more information? Please contact Mike at mbconover@aol.com

Some Quakers on YouTube:

• On Revolution
• On Testimonies
• On Worship
• On Christianity

Your participation will enable the core committee to produce a more refined plan that reflects the leading of Evanston Friends Meeting as a whole. For Quaker Quest to be successful (and Quakerly), it needs to reflect the Meeting community as a whole, and have broad participation. It needs to speak of & to our individual and common experiences. We ask your help in us getting there.

Draft of a Schedule and Session Topics for Quaker Quest 2012

Saturday, Feb 11 (10-12): Quakers and God

Possible subtopics—Varieties of Quaker theologies; Quaker terms like ―Inner Teacher, Inner Light, and ―meeting each other in that which is eternal; Quaker ideas about and experiences of Jesus; Quakers and the Bible; Quakers and Christianity; Quaker experiences of God.

Saturday, Feb 18 (10-12): Quakers and the Spiritual Path

Possible subtopics—Varieties of spiritual practices Quakers use to nourish faith; silence; inward listening; simplicity; the concept of a ―leading‖; listening to nature; listening to others; Quakers and Community/Corporate Worship; Quakers and Individual Worship; Quaker approaches to prayer.

Saturday, Feb 25 (10-12):Quakers and Social Action

Possible subtopics—Quaker practice of Equality; Quakers practicing integrity; Quakers practicing Simplicity; inward simplicity; outward simplicity; simplicity of speech; simplicity of dress; Quaker understandings of non-violence; non-violent communication; direct non-violent action; Quakers forms of citizenship; Quakerism and democracy; stewardship of the environment; stewardship in management of our personal resources; Quakers and education; Quakers and right sharing of world resources; Quakers and prison reform; Quakers and fair trade.

Saturday, March 3 (10-12): Quakers and Peace

Possible subtopics—Quaker concept of ―ending occasion for war, Quakers and conscientious objection; Quaker witness in Iraq, Quaker work in Israel/Palestine; Quaker school in Ramallah; Quaker opposition to the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya; Peace in the Home; Creating Peace and Ending Violence in the Home; Creating Peace and Ending Violence in Communities and neighborhoods; Peace and economic justice.

Repeating Sessions:

We are living through rapids of change
Strong emotions, feelings, conflicts – stir us up
Loud voices yell
We must do this,
We must do that
I am right, you are wrong –
Go this way – No go that way
Draw those lines sharp and
Don’t ever cross them
Anger, fear, loud voices
create noise
then more noise
- NO ONE IS HEARD

The times demand we must move and choose
- OR ELSE
Climate change, Monetary crisis,
Health care, Immigration, Terrorism
All demand our attention
- OVERLOAD

Big government, big business, big banks
Who is there to trust?
Our old home is gone
A NEW HOME IS NEEDED

Find a quiet space to listen
A space to listen without judgment
A way forward beyond the noise
Beyond the good and bad
Beyond those lines drawn
BEYOND THE FEAR

IN SPITE OF ALL THE YELLING
- WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

We are going through the rapids of change
The rapids demand our attention and action
The rapids require we ride this together

A symphony is waiting to be expressed
Where all voices can be heard and respected
Where fear, and anger, and suffering
Can be known and shared

Meet, see, and know each other
Go thru and deal with the rapids
Plant the seeds of change
A new world sprouts
Roots hold together
A new home
PEACE

We will most likely have our first small group meeting on a Monday or Thursday evening in mid-February. We will share our stories and questions. New attenders are especially encouraged to attend, but other Friends are always welcome. If you are interested in attending, please contact Joan Pine at joanormichael@yahoo.com or 847-492-0162.

The following are the topics generally covered in the Inquirer’s Group. Some of these topics will be discussed in Inquirers’ Group meetings in the evenings and some will be the subject of Meeting for Learning.

Sharing Our Stories and Questions
What spiritual paths have led us to the Religious Society of Friends? Where are we now in our spiritual journeys and what are we seeking? What questions about Friends do we hope to have answered in these sessions? How might Meeting support us in our spiritual journeys?

Worship in the Manner of Friends
Why is our worship “unprogrammed,” and what does that mean? How is Meeting for Worship different from meditation? What’s the difference between “giving a message” and “testifying,” “sharing your experience,” “offering your thoughts,” or just talking? How can individuals know if they have “received a message” or if they should share it? Why don’t we use choirs, organ, religious artifacts, or scholarly sermons? What opportunities do we offer for spiritual growth?

Beliefs of Friends
What do Quakers believe about the Divine? What words, images, concepts, and metaphors reflect Friends’ spiritual experiences? Are we “Christian?” How do we regard the Bible? Do we have sacraments like baptism or communion? In the absence of a theological creed, what unites Friends? How are “queries” used? What are participants’ experiences of the Divine?

Business and Decision Making
Why don’t Quakers have paid clergy? How are marriages and memorial services conducted? What are Clearness Committees? What is a “leading”? How does the work of the Meeting get done? How is our local Meeting organized? What is “First Day School?” What committees are open to attenders? What is a Monthly Meeting? How are Meeting for Worship and Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business related? How do consensus, unity, and “sense of the Meeting” differ? How are financial contributions received? What is the membership process?

Friends’ Testimonies
What is meant by a “testimony”? What are the traditional testimonies of Quakers and how did they arise? How were they practiced in the past, and how do contemporary Friends try to demonstrate them today? How can these testimonies further our personal spiritual practices? How can we use Quaker tradition to deepen and sustain our ability to live these principles?
What are some ways that we express our commitment to social justice?

The Wider World of Quakers
What is a “yearly meeting” and what does it do? How do we relate to other Quakers in the Chicago metro area and the nation? What are Friends General Conference, Pendle Hill, Friends Committee on National Legislation, AFSC, Friends World Committee, and QUNO, and what do they offer us? What is Friends Journal? How can you find Quaker Meetings in other locations?

A review of: “Right Relationship” By Peter Brown

written by Hal Mead

Moving from Wrong to Right Relationship

A pursuit of wrong relationship is the prevailing trend of our times. The signs are now well known: climate change, over population, loss of top soil and freshwater, increasing rates of species extinction, deforestation, toxic chemicals, persistent human poverty, unstable world financial system.

Right relationship – One that promotes the common good, rather than only the interests of individuals or a particular class of people. Political commonwealth -wealth is seen as something to be allocated equitably, to be shared in common.

What is A Whole Earth Economy for?

The purpose of the economy is to preserve & enhance the integrity, resilience, and beauty of life.

Cooperation in mutually beneficial economic dealings is the ethical root of society. The key elements of this kind of cooperation are respect and reciprocity -respect for other people and for the environment.

How does It Work?

Life’s task is to grow in compassion and in a way of living that is helpful to all life, and to the earth systems on which life depends.- the consequences of failing to live in this sacred manner will diminish our own life value and the well-being of the whole earth community.

Trusteeship of earth’s commons

Many laws that limit individual freedom are readily accepted (for example, criminalizing murder or requiring one to stop at red lights), this authority will surely have to expand into new and challenging areas if human society is to work toward living within ecological limits. Laws regulating the number of children people can have would likely face serious resistance, yet that kind of regulatory limit maybe needed to stay within the earth’s ecological limits by reducing population.

Essential to this is a shift from an egocentric – I, me, mine, values perspective, to one of collaborative engagement in pursuit of the common good.

Our Library Collection of Books – sorted by author
Our Library Collection of Books – sorted by title

2007 State of Society Report

2006 State of Society Report

Request form to use the Meeting Hall

2011 EFM Handbook

Silent Retreat Registration Form

“When Friends Attend to Business” by Thomas S. Brown

“An Introduction to Quaker Business Practice” by Eden Grace

Quaker practice and electronic media

Renewable wind energy statement

Your Responsibility:

• Bring a dish to share
• Set up for potluck
• Serve dishes provided by attenders
• Clean up after potluck

Dinner Supplies: Hospitality Committee will provide basic supplies of milk, a loaf of bread, butter and 2 cheese pizzas which you will find in the Meeting House refrigerator. (Birthday cake will now be served First Sunday at rise of Meeting.)

Coffee: Directions for making coffee are posted near the coffee maker. Don’t make more coffee until you check on what returns from post Meeting coffee time. Usually there is enough.

Set Up: Turn on ovens to keep things warm depending on what comes in. Turn on power button for dishwasher to warm up before we eat. Directions are on front of dishwasher. Fill plastic silverware basin with sudsy water and place on dirty-dish pass-through. Set out plates, forks, knives, spoons, napkins, glasses, mugs. Clean tables and put tablecloths on tables. Salt and pepper can go on tables.

Serving: Before serving hold hands and ask someone to give blessing.

Clean up: Small children are to be kept out of the kitchen for safety’s sake; kitchen door can be closed. Please clean up thoroughly, leaving NO leftovers in the fridge or dishes on the drainboards. Tables need to be wiped. Dish towels and tablecloths need to be taken home to be washed and brought back the next week. Empty the coffee grounds, and UNPLUG THE COFFEE MAKER. Turn power off on dishwasher. Turn off exhaust fan over the stoves. Make sure exterior doors are locked and secure.

Donated Money should be put in an envelope or napkin and placed in the collection box with a note that these are donations from Potluck Dinner.

Thanks for all your help.

If you have an asterisk by your name, it means you are responsible for contacting the rest of the group and arranging for supplies. If you cannot keep this commitment please find someone to substitute for you, but please let us know if you have done so.

You have a choice – you can serve pastries, fruit, juice and milk, or pancakes.

Your Responsibilities:

Set up . Turn on power button for dishwasher to warm up before we eat. Fill plastic silverware basin with sudsy water and place on dirty-dish pass-through. Set out plates, forks, knives, spoons, napkins, glasses, mugs. Clean tables.

Coffee: Directions for coffee making are near coffee maker. Coffee supplies are in cabinets next to coffee maker.

Clean up: Stop serving by 9:45. Small children are to be kept out of the kitchen for safety’s sake; kitchen door can be closed. Please clean up thoroughly, leaving NO leftovers in the fridge or dishes on the drainboards. Directions are on the front of dishwasher for washing dishes. Throw in a Tbsp or so of dishwashing powder detergent from under dish sink for each load of dishes. Tables and counters need to be wiped. Put dishes away. Turn off light and fan above stove. Turn off power on dishwasher. Take money from collection plate to repay yourself for your expenses and put any extra money collected in an envelope (or napkin) labeled “pancake breakfast” and place in little wooden collection box on north wall of Meeting Hall upstairs.

IF YOU CHOOSE PANCAKES – Supplies for about 30 people:

• 1 to 2 boxes pancake mix.
• Eggs
• 1 gal. lowfat milk, orange juice
• oil
• Butter, Margarine, or Spread
• 1bottle of syrup
• 1 jar applesauce
• bananas or melon if you want

CHECK SUPPLIES FIRST – even the week before. You don’t have to buy all this every month. Look in fridge for open pancake mix, butter, eggs, syrup, orange juice. Don’t buy it if we have it. Look in northwest corner cabinet – to right of microwave for mix, syrup, applesauce. We don’t have to stockpile this. We only cook pancakes once a month. Pancake griddles are in drawer under stove. Use nylon not metal spatulas. There is spray Pam somewhere. Potholders in drawer to left of stove. Put plates on pass through.
And thanks for all your help.

The first step is to ask our Caretaker whether the space desired in the Meetinghouse might be available on the date(s) and time(s) requested. Then either our Caretaker or one of the Trustees will provide the “Request for Use” form which must be completed and returned for consideration. The requestor will be notified as soon as a decision has been made.

The sponsoring member of Evanston Friends Meeting is expected to attend the entire event and be responsible for overseeing the use of facilities and the security of the building. The organization is expected to make a donation to help defray EFM’s utilities and maintenance costs. Groups that wish to use the Meetinghouse regularly for a period of time or groups planning an event that is not normally held in a church may be asked to provide a “Certificate of Insurance” that names EFM as a co-insured during the time of use. This temporary addendum to any liability policy is provided routinely by insurance agents, usually for a nominal fee.

Please do not request use of the Meetinghouse for private social events or parties to which only certain F/friends and/or family members are invited. However, the Meetinghouse may be used for social events that are open to all members and attenders and that are sponsored by a standing committee of EFM or another Friends Meeting.

Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the Meetinghouse or on the grounds.

Trustees cannot approve use of the Meetinghouse for events designed to make a profit for an individual or group that lacks nonprofit status. Even for nonprofits, any food service fundraiser advertised to the public would violate Department of Health ordinances.

The Meetinghouse cannot be used as sleeping space for travelers and other groups seeking overnight accommodations.

(An exception is made only for the annual Youth Quake, whose well-supervised schedule includes a traditional “lock-in” that is typical of youth activities in other faith communities.) Meetings of EFM’s committees, whether scheduled or unscheduled, and meetings of small groups related to committee functions (e.g., clearness committees, Friendly Dinner groups) do not require submitting a form for approval of Trustees. However, it is important to ask the Caretaker whether the room(s) desired will be available.

Confusion and disappointment (as well as a chilly room) can be avoided by ensuring that all meetings are noted on the calendar.

To submit a request to use our Meetinghouse please click here