WELCOME TO SALT LAKE FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS) Adult Programming
Here is the link to the 2022 adult programming.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12t4Uy6LaVofg6P5wC8zbeSA5EzbM_lpFVWv0XBxK0Uc/edit?usp=sharing
| Month | Topic | Proposed Agenda and Supporting Materials | Discussion Question(s) | Additional Material |
| Suggested books, events, etc. | ||||
| Jan 2022 | Finding your spiritual home | Moment of silence | – What do you consider to be a spiritual home? | |
| Discuss reading: Quakers: Spiritual Principles for Every Day | – How did you come to find Quakerism as your spiritual home? | |||
| Watch 4-min clip: https://youtu.be/4pE6eewimjI | – How does the meeting community nurture and meet the needs of its members and attenders at various stages in life? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| Feb | Quaker Activism: What are FCNL and AFSC? | Moment of silence | – How familiar are you with the activities the Friends Committee for National Legislation do? What about the American Friends Service Committee? | |
| Read: The “Quaker Comet” Was the Greatest Abolitionist You’ve Never Heard Of | History | Smithsonian Magazine | – Do you believe Quakers should be involved in lobbying efforts? Why or why not? | |||
| Watch 4-min clip: Student Activism as Prophetic Ministry | – What activism do you feel called to do in your own life? What about in the life of the meeting? | |||
| Explore: https://www.fcnl.org and https://www.afsc.org/ | – How can we be a mirror to each other so that we c | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| Mar | Unprogrammed and Programmed Friends | Moment of silence | – Many yearly meetings are part of a larger grouping of Friends. These include: Evangelical Friends Church International, Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting, Holiness Friends (one yearly meeting in the US with links to some groups in Bolivia), Wider Fellowship of Conservative Friends – Which, if any, of these have you attended? | |
| 7-min clip:Programmed and Unprogrammed Friends | – Are there any programming types you prefer? Why or why not? Can you tell us about your experiences? | |||
| Article: The Separation After a Century | ||||
| Article: Life at Lumakanda Friends Church | ||||
| Discussion | ||||
| Apr | Quakers and Mental Health | Moment of silence | – The article from Friend’s Journal points out that “mental illness and substance abuse are absent as concerns from the websites of the four branches of Quakerism”, this is despite the fact that Quakers have a long history of supporting mental health services. Why do you think mental health is not as widely discussed among Quakers and broader society? | |
| Watch 7-min clip: https://quakerspeak.com/video/friends-hospital/ | – What can we as members of the SLCMM do to support each other’s individual mental health and the mental health of our Quaker community? | |||
| Discuss article: Quakers and Mental Healthcare | – What actions (e.g., lobbying, volunteer, etc) can we take to support mental health and access to mental health services? | |||
| York Retreat – The Retreat, York, England | ||||
| Quakers All the Way Down: Lunacy & the Society of Friends in Early Philadelphia | ||||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| May | Quakers and other Christian denominations | Moment of Silence | – How are Quakers different or similar to other Christian denominations? | |
| Watch 10-min clip:Are Quakers Christian? | – What ties do early Quakers have to Shakers and other early Christians in the United States? | |||
| Discuss article:Shakers Historys | – Are there beliefs/values/practices we can borrow from other denominations? | |||
| Discuss article:Are Quakers Christian?/ | – Can Quakers be non-theist? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| June | Quakers and Meditation and Mindfulness | Moment of silence | -Do you “just sit” in meeting for worship? Do you sit in vigilant expectation? If you don’t just sit, how would you describe what you do in meeting for worship? | |
| Discuss article: https://westernfriend.org/article/mindfulness-and-quaker-worship | – Does formal meditation practice such as concentration or insight meditation feel appropriate to you in meeting for worship? What about centering prayer? | |||
| Watch 7-minute clip: https://youtu.be/fx90l4jN4-0 | – Attenders of unprogrammed Friends meeting may come for the silence and meditation, how can we hold space for those who may not believe in religious beliefs? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| July – No adult education programming | ||||
| Aug | Quakers involvement in establishing the United States | Moment of Silence | – How do we integrate our spirituality into our political activism? | |
| Discuss article: Quakers: A Silent Influence | – Regarding your spirituality and political action, to whom or to what do you feel accountable? | |||
| Discuss article: The Founding of Pennsylvania | – What can we learn from early Quakers’ struggle to form a more just society in the American colonies? | |||
| Discuss article: Slavery in the Quaker World | – How can we as a Quaker community confront the legacy of white supremacy? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| Sept | Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change | Moment of Silence | – What do you treasure that is damaged or threatened by racism and/or environmental destruction? | |
| Discuss article:Climate Change Facts | – In our witness for the global environment, are we careful to consider justice and the well-being of the world’s poorest people? | |||
| Discuss article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190311145852.htm | – Have I absorbed the full existential weight of climate change as a threat to human and other life, as described by climate science? Am I in denial about the gravity of this threat? | |||
| Watch 8-min clip: Quaker Earthcare | – Does my response to the climate crisis reveal a concern and awareness for the profoundly unequal impact climate change will have on races, cultures, genders, economic classes, regions, and nationalities? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| Oct | Quakers and Peace Testimony: | Moment of Silence | – Do we work for peace in the world? Do we nurture peace within ourselves? | |
| How to be a pacifist in a violent society | Discuss article: Real Non-Violence | – Do we seek consistently to carry out a non-violent testimony for peace in all our relationships, including family, community, and work life? | ||
| Discuss articleNonviolence Action Defined | – Have you given yourself time for the work of: grieving loss, for healing from violence and trauma, and working through despair? | |||
| Watch 10-min clip: https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/video/bayard-rustin-gay-man-in-the-civil-rights-movement/ | – Do I examine myself for aspects of prejudice that may be buried, including beliefs that seem to justify biases based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, class…? | |||
| Discussion Questions | ||||
| Quakers and the Underground Railroad | Moment of silence | – Do you align your political (and community) activism with the Quaker values (Simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship)? How so? | ||
| Discuss article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/quaker-comet-greatest-abolitionist-never-heard-180964401/ | – How does our Meeting help to create and maintain a society whose institutions recognize and do away with the inequities rooted in patterns of prejudice and economic convenience? | |||
| Discuss article:Quakers and Slavery | – How can we as Quakers continue to fight for racial equality and an equitable society? | |||
| Discuss article: https://www.friendsjournal.org/quaker-speaks-black-experience/ | – Do we as a meeting create space for everyone from all walks of life? How so? | |||
| Discussion | ||||
| Nov | Simplicity in a capitalist society | Moment of silence | – In a Capitalist society, we are taught to regard the accumulation of things and wealth as the number one priority in life. How does this go against the Quaker values of simplicity, equity, and stewardship? | |
| Discuss article: Principles for a New Economy | – How do prevailing capitalist cultural values affect your life? | |||
| Discuss Chapter 3 (pages 17-30): How to be An Anti-Capitalist | – What can we do to erode capitalism? | |||
| Discussion Questions | – How can we spend our money and time to affect change? | |||
| Dec | Do Quakers celebrate holidays? | Moment of silence | – Quakers do not officially celebrate Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas. However, Quaker values provide room for family traditions and celebrations with loved ones. In what ways do you celebrate or honor family traditions? | |
Discuss article: Unplugging the Christmas Machine– How do you align family traditions and celebrations with your faith and practice of Quaker values?Discuss article: We Can Reclaim Christmas from Capitalism– How can we remove capitalism and excess from our family traditions?Watch 6-min clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_0yUxYmlAY Discussion Questions