Second All-Meeting Retreat

TOOLS FOR INDIVIDUAL DISCERNMENT
January 24, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

We will begin the retreat officially at 12:00 for lunch. There is an optional work party in the morning (see sign-up sheets on the table near the office). After lunch we will begin with worship and an introductory circle. Cathy Whitmire will lead afternoon sessions on discernment. We will end the afternoon with worship and dinner. Peace and Social Concerns Committee is coordinating a talent show as the last event of our day and we will end by 8:00 pm.

If you are able, we are asking for a $3 -10 donation to help cover food and childcare. We want everyone to come whether you can contribute money or not. There will be childcare for young children and a children's program for school aged children throughout the afternoon.

To do:

• Sign up for retreat at the table near the office
  
• Bring something to write with as we will be taking notes in one exercise
• Come and bring a F(f)riend
• If you find out at the last minute you can attend, please do so even if you haven't signed up

Our Current Ministries

The purpose of the UFM Year of Discernment is to discern who we are as a spirit-led community, what we are called to do (what are our ministries), and what we have the capacity to do. How do we witness to our faith? In order to do this, we need to identify the many things we are already doing now.

Therefore, the steering committee has solicited short articles about our activities. We will run a series of short articles about some of UFM's current ministries―expenditures of our collective time, effort, and material resources. We hope they will contribute to a wider understanding of the “big picture” of what UFM is and does.

Here is the whole list of UFM ministries, as compiled by coordinating committee and the YoD steering committee: QUEST, homeless, children's education, sexual abuse; education of children and their parents, support of survivors, and support of a known, convicted offender, care of the community including care committees, use of the building for AFSC and preschool, worship and spiritual outreach to those who want it, peace and social concerns activities, library, art in the building, adult religious education, travelers rooms, and support for community members who have individual ministries.

Have we missed any? Let us know!

Suggested Reading

Cathy Whitmire will be joining us for our Second All-Meeting Retreat on January 24^th to help us develop our skills in individual and corporate discernment. Pablo S from Worship and Ministry committee compiled the following list of reading material on discernment and decision making. We hope you will prepare for the retreat by reading as much as you can from this list or other sources that you have. We encourage you to share your thoughts from the readings with friends at lunch, over coffee, or in your reading groups.

Be sure to save the January 24th date and join us for the day. Bring a friend who is curious but might not come without your encouragement. Tentatively, we plan to start with lunch, with optional work parties in the morning, and we will have a talent show in the evening.

Flyers

• Brown, Thomas. “When Friends Attend to Business.”
• Barbour, Hugh. “Five Tests for Discerning a True Leading.”
• Goodwin, Nancy. “A Question of Authority”
• North Pacific Yearly Meeting. “Meeting for Business”
• Loring, Patricia. “Spiritual Responsibility in Meeting for Business.”
• Wilsher, Barry. “Quaker Organisations: a Plain Person’s Guide to Structure and Business Meetings in the Religious Society of Friends.”
• Hoffman, Jan. “Clearness Committees and Their Use in Personal Discernment.”
• FCUN [ed] “Reminders for Good Friends Process.”
  

Books

• Sheeran, Michael. Beyond Majority Rule.
• North Pacific Yearly Meeting. Faith & Practice [p. 73]
• Fendall, Wood and Bishop. Practicing Discernment Together: Finding God’s Way Forward in Decision-Making.
• Bill, Brent. Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment.
• Woodrow, Peter. Clearness: Processes for Supporting Individuals and Groups in Decision-Making. [pp 6-10]
• Selleck, George. The Quaker Meeting for Business.
• Punshon, John. Encounter with Silence: Reflections from the Quaker Tradition. [pp 98-104]
• Steere, Douglas. The Quaker Meeting for Business
  

Pendle Hill Pamphlets

• Morley, Barry. # 307 “Beyond Consensus: Salvaging Sense of the Meeting.”
• Lacey, Paul. #264 “On Leading and Being Led.”
• Lacey, Paul. #365“…The Authority of Our Meetings Is the Power of God.”
• Loring, Patricia. #305 “Spiritual Discernment and Clearness Committees Among Friends.”
• Brinton, Howard. #20 “Guide to Quaker Practice.”
• Grundy, Marty. #347 “Tall Poppies: Spiritual Gifts and Leadership.”
• #388 “Expectant Listening: Finding God’s Thread of Guidance”

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.

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.]

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.