The Blog of Discernment: October 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Save the Date

SAVE JANUARY 24, 2009 FOR THE SECOND ALL-DAY UFM RETREAT.

Cathy Whitmire, a member of the Whidbey Island worship group, author of Practicing Peace and Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity, will join us for our second retreat. Cathy has led numerous workshops on discernment and is excited to work with us during our year of discernment.

While we are still in the planning stage for the January retreat, we think it will start in the late morning and go through an early dinner and community talent show in the evening.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Not So Silent Worship

Scene: University Friends Meeting

Friends settle into silent worship. The Holy Spirit walks around slowly. Friends leave some silence between speaking.

Friend One: Did I remember to turn my cell phone off? At least my ring tone is set to Simple Gifts!

Friend Two: What does “hold in the light” mean?

Friend Three walks in late.

Friend Three: I really hate being late to meeting. I hope no one noticed!

The Holy Spirit walks toward Friend Four and taps her on the shoulder.

Friend Four: Is this really a message? Do I have to stand up? I don’t see what this has to do with anything―maybe I’m just hungry.

The Holy Spirit taps more insistently, then tries to pull Friend Four out of her seat.

Friend Four: I really don’t want to talk, so I don’t think it’s a message for the group. Maybe next week . . .

Friend Five: I really liked that book I read last week. Maybe I should talk about it and give folks something to think about during meeting.

As the Holy Spirit is still trying to pull Friend Four out of her seat, Friend Five starts to stand. The Holy Spirit is surprised. The Holy Spirit walks over to Friend Five and tries to make Friend Five sit.

Friend Six: Oh no, not another political message!

The Holy Spirit gives up on trying to quiet Friend Five.

Friend One: Not more of that Jesus talk!

Friend Two: I wonder what’s for light lunch?

The Holy Spirit shakes his head and puts a finger to his lips. The Holy Spirit puts his hand on A Friend’s shoulder. A Friend stands to speak, a little uncertainly.

[Friends performed this skit for the First All-Meeting Retreat in the Year of Discernment.]

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Practicing Discernment Together

Our Year of Discernment retreats will be enriched by several highly recommended books to be found in the “New Book Section” in the University Friends Meeting Library. One title, Practicing Discernment Together, outlines group discernment processes as explored and developed by the experienced co-authors. Readers receive tools for decision making on individual, group and regional levels.

Fendall, Lon, Wood, Jan, and Bishop, Bruce, Practicing Discernment Together: Finding God’s Way Forward In Decision Making, Barclay Press, Newburg, Oregon, 2007, 146 pp.

Sign Up

Sign up on the Year of Discernment retreat registration form outside the Meeting office. Join us in the very first retreat of the year, to strengthen the UFM community, October 25.

We begin at 9 with tea, coffee, worship and introductions; we end at 4 with worship. In between we will get to know each other in intergenerational activities, think and share together about discernment, share a lunch, work together on the buildings and grounds and laugh with each other.

A Year of Discernment for University Friends Meeting

What is it?
This will be a year to discern how we become a community:
o that people love and want to serve,
o that allows all members to feel that their work fits into the big picture of the meeting,
o that offers members a universal sense of both caring for and being cared for,
o and that efficiently identifies and recognizes the talents of each member so that we are all left with ample time to deepen our spirituality and community-building.

We hope to be joyful, intentional and corporate in our discernment, to listen to each other and to the Divine, and to listen and share our leadings with one another as we seek a deeper spirituality.

What it isn't
The year of discernment will not be a time to stop our work. We hope it will be a time of excitement and refreshment because work feels different from the usual. We will not be “laying down” committees or asking committees to stop doing certain things. We have also come to realize that work which may seem less essential is often work which people love, and that has led into some close community for the people doing it.

Rather, committees will be asked to examine their work and their mission with questions such as: how is the work connected to the big picture of UFM's work; how can the work be more enriching and fulfilling to committee members; how can (does) the committee build community?

Structural Aspects of the Discernment Year
The structural aspects of the year of discernment will have two parts: the creation of a steering committee to guide the process, and some modest reorganizing of committees to make better use of UFM's existing resources.

Steering Committee
Nominating Committee will nominate, and bring forward for the approval of meeting for business, a “Discernment Year Steering Committee.” This committee will oversee the preparation, implementation and analysis of the discernment process and prepare a proposal for the actions that will follow the year of discernment. Nominating Committee hopes that the steering committee would be approved by February and would immediately begin the preparation phase of their work.

Preparation - February through May 2008 (with some aspects carrying over into implementation). Engage the community in an analysis of what is the essential work and how it gets done and/or ask individual committees to consider the essential aspects of their work. Are there other ways to do it? Are there other committees with which they could be cooperating? Work with various committees (Oversight, W&M, Friends Center, Adult Religious Education) to organize the activities of discernment that will take place throughout the year.

Implementation - June 2008 through May 2009. See that spiritual nurturing and community building are taking place. Check in on the discernment processes; help with questions and queries. The Steering Committee could work with the various committees and groups within the meeting to be the guide for these processes, not the “doer.” Implementation could include the proposal of mid-course corrections, if needed.

Analysis - March through May 2009 (or some later period, if proposed by the steering committee). Engage the community in analysis of where we are and what we have discerned. Pull together proposals for the next steps.

The Blog of Discernment