Friends World Committee for Consultation...

Transcription

1 Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God (Romans 8:19) Friends World Committee for Consultation invites every Quaker meeting and church from around the world to celebrate WORLD QUAKER DAY (WQD) on October 4, As the sun rises in each area of the world, we want to remember that Quakers are worshiping through every time zone, celebrating our deep connections across cultures and Quaker traditions. We are united in love and can accompany each other on this special day that draws us together. As we worship, let us hold each other in prayer and thanksgiving, and let our hymns of praise resound across the world. The theme Living the Transformation: Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. (Romans 8:19), connects us to the work we did at the World Conference of Friends in 2012 in Kenya, taking the work forward in the context of our spiritual communities. In planning for WORLD QUAKER DAY, consider options that work in your church or meeting, bringing the theme into your planning for the day. You may want to incorporate the Kabarak Call into worship or use it as the basis for sharing or discussion surrounding worship. Perhaps it prompts a person or persons to speak on how they are "living the transformation" or how God is revealing a new way to be in relationship with creation. Perhaps there is opportunity for children to lead the meeting or church in an activity or conduct a multi-generational activity about God s creation. The theme may open us to consider how we are part of a world family of Friends and the encouragement this gives us. Whatever you do as a worshiping community, we hope you will share this with others through FWCC. It can be very simple a description, a poem, a short video from a mobile phone, a few photos we will post them on the World Quaker Day web site so that you can see what other churches and meetings were doing on the same day. items to harrya@friendsworldoffice.org or post them to the FWCC World Office Facebook page, or Twitter at #wqd.

2 Consider taking an offering or collection to support FWCC s ongoing work. All contributions that are sent to your Section office marked WQD, will be shared between the Section and the World Office. Below you will find a paragraph that describes FWCC s work that can be read out if you like. Find links to many resources on You can always link to it and to all Sections through You can also find us on the FWCC World Office Facebook page or Twitter at #wqd. Worship Resources Queries 1. How is the life of your meeting or church enriched by the awareness of Friends in other countries? 2. How can we bring the essence of the Kabarak Call into our worshiping community? 3. How does the Kabarak Call affect your sense of our Quaker voice for change in the world and its spiritual imperative? 4. As someone encounters you, what could they learn about Quakerism by the choices you make and the things you do? Bible references Romans 8:19-27 Romans 12:2 & 1:20 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 & 3: Corinthians 11:13-15 Revelation 3: Peter 3:4-5 Mark 13:19-20 Deuteronomy 29:29 Exodus 33:13,19

3 Inspirational Readings The world may be fearful and anxious and weary, but we are not weighted by that world. We are following One who has unfathomable resources and One who makes them available to us and who says, "You must set new norms for life so that people can see what life can be." This is your task. Your primary vocation is to enter into covenant relationships with others who have also met this Christ--to be that new society into which others can be drawn. Elizabeth O Connor: Call to Commitment ****************************************************************************************************** Much in the spiritual life depends on where we place our attention and what we allow to take up space in our minds. One ought never to underestimate our horrible external and internal resistance to the contemplative option. By contemplative option I mean the choice to respond contemplatively and prayerfully to ourselves and the world. The contemplative option awakens the power of Christ in us that allows us to be reconciled and to enter into right relationship with creation and one another--a relationship of gentleness, love and forgiveness. Contemplation is a choice about what we will have on our minds. Sometimes contemplation is a choice to step back, wait and to tolerate the withdrawal of not satisfying every appetite and desire. The contemplative option may be a choice to face into our own insatiability and discern what truly satisfies from what leaves us numb, jittery and still hungry. There is no getting around it. The contemplative life is a sacrifice. Our yes to God is likely to mean a no to something else. Loretta Ross; from the Holy Ground Newsletter of The Sanctuary Foundation ****************************************************************************************************** Every time you close another door--be it the door of immediate satisfaction, the door of distracting entertainment, the door of busyness, the door of guilt and worry, or the door of self-rejection--you commit yourself to go deeper into your heart and thus deeper into the heart of God. This is a movement toward full incarnation. It leads you to become what you already are--a child of God; it lets you embody more and more the truth of your being; it makes you claim the God within you. Henri J. M. Nouwen: The Inner Voice of Love **************************************************************************************** Quaker Statements Kabarak Call to Peace and Ecojustice, 12th World Conference 2012 Quaker Statement on Climate Change, from Quakers gathered at the New York Climate Change summit in September 2014 Check the FWCC web site for materials relating to the World Plenary Meeting in January 2016 Write to FWCC (harrya@friendsworldoffice.org) for Briefing on the Theme, related to the World Plenary Meeting s Theme of Living the Transformation

4 Supporting Materials Writings of John Woolman, The Journal & Major Essays Grace Blindell The challenge of creation spirituality The Friend vol. 150 (1992) p 1524 (29:18 of QF&P of BYM) Swarthmore Lecture 2014 by Ben Pink Dandelion Open For Transformation Being Quaker The work of New York Yearly Meeting on conflict and its potential for transformation Steve Chase Pendle Hill Pamphlet No. 431 The Australian YM Backhouse Lecture, Jan 2015 on AVP - with many references to transformation Material from Let the Living Waters Flow program, Section of the Americas Films and On-line resources Peru promotional video: A Variety of Quaker Experiences from Around the World FWCC map Finding Quakers Around the World : Jon Watts, Kabarak Call Salt and Light video from the World Conference Hymn suggestions Please sing related hymns from your language and culture. In Christ There is No East or West/Oesteu Este en Cristo No Hay For the Beauty of the Earth Our God Had Made This World/ El Mundo Es de Mi Dios (This is My Father s World) All Creatures of Our God and King/Criaturas Todas Del Senor Ideas for Activities Make a video and send it to the FWCC World Office to be uploaded to the WORLD QUAKER DAY website. Invite a meeting member who has worshiped with Friends in different parts of the world to share his or her experiences.

5 Ask Friends to share how issues of peace and ecojustice have played out in their lives. Copy and distribute the Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice (from the 6th World Conference of Friends in 2012). Query: What is our meeting doing to respond to the Kabarak Call? or hold a discussion using each of the four points in the Kabarak Call. Show the YouTube version of the Kabarak Call with music by Jon Watts: View the FWCC film on YouTube A Variety of Quaker Experiences from Around the World: Share a simple meal and contribute the savings to a local or national peace and justice cause. Invite a yearly meeting representative of FWCC to come and talk about the work of FWCC and the diverse family of Friends. Hold a worship-sharing session using the above queries. Hold a sing-along with hymns relating to the theme. Organise an event in your meeting or church that shows how you connect with Friends in another part of the world, such as visits that have taken place, or consider developing a sister meeting relationship. Show the video of the World Conference Salt and Light : (click on the video and it will take you to YouTube) Invite Friends from a meeting that practice a different form of worship and hold a discussion about what you have in common. Have a meal or other event to raise funds for FWCC. Have discussion queries on the tables with resources such as the FWCC map Finding Quakers Around the World : Use the FWCC map Finding Quakers Around the World : Point out where Friends are located and find some answers to questions like these: Which country has the most Quakers? Which country has the fewest Quakers? Which are the largest and smallest yearly meetings? What kinds of worship do Friends have around the world? Do you know what an Evangelical Friend believes? A Conservative Friend? A Convergent Friend? A Liberal Friend? How are programmed and unprogrammed Friends alike and different? Which form of worship worldwide has more members and attenders programmed or unprogrammed? What do Friends around the world have in common? Learn more about Friends and Friends organizations around the world using websites (or explore Quakers on Facebook, Quaker Blogs) Friends World Committee for Consultation with links to FWCC Sections and to Quaker service organizations Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas

6 and Friends United Meeting Friends General Conference Evangelical Friends Church International Friendly Water for the World Friends Peace Teams Right Sharing of World Resources Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice FWCC Offering or Collection Send contributions to the Section office marked WQD, and it will be shared between the Section and the World Office. Thank you! Following is a description of the work of FWCC to be shared with your meeting or church: Answering God s call to universal love, Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) brings Friends of varying traditions and cultural experiences together in worship, communications, and consultation, to express our common heritage and our Quaker message to the world (mission statement). Through various means, FWCC is connecting Friends, crossing cultures, and changing lives across our many differences and within our spiritual unity. FWCC provides a Quaker voice at the world level through its global ecumenical participation and its worldwide representation on the Quaker United Nations Committees in New York and Geneva. FWCC works both vertically serving Friends at the world level and horizontally, supporting Friends through the four Section offices. FWCC connects us as Friends in our work, in our worship, and in our lives. Please give generously to support this important Quaker work. Many thanks! Thank you for participating in World Quaker Day! Africa Section Europe & Middle East Section e Asia West PacificSect ion Section of the Americas World Offic