|
Listen to anniversary talks on the web! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you were not able to attend our 70th anniversary celebration at Haverford and Swarthmore, you can listen to the talks which are now in audio files on our website, www.fwccamericas.org. The talks are posted along with a description of each panel, starting with Tom Hamm's keynote overview, but they can be listened to in any order. It's almost like being there! Over 170 people from Canada, England, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and many parts of the US participated in the celebration over the weekend of September 15-17.
Photo shows Doug Gwyn addressing the group; Alvin and Lucy Anderson and Thomas Taylor from the same panel.
|
Last call for Jamaica ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few places are still available for the FWCC Southeast Regional Gathering in Jamaica, the first week of January. Planned and hosted by Friends in different parts of our Southeast region (which includes Jamaica YM), Friends from all parts of the world are welcome to attend. You can find the information and download a registration form on our website or by contacting Southeast Region clerk Tim Lamm.
|
|
Youth Pilgrimage Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Margaret Lechner of New England YM and Tom Dix of Illinois YM, both experienced in leading activities for youth and young adults, are the Section of the Americas leaders for next summer's Quaker Youth Pilgrimage. Thirty young Friends from the Section have applied for 14 places on the pilgrimage, which will be in Scotland, Ireland and England.
|
|
Louisville Friends embrace cross-cultural, cross-theological worship ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting's membership has held steady over the years, but that may be changing because of new worshippers in Louisville, KY. Two extended refugee families from Burundi settled in Louisville, and began attending the Friends Meeting there. Evangelical Friends from Kansas began the first Friends churches in Burundi more than 70 years ago, and there are now more than 12,000 members there. Friends have played a key role in reconciliation following the genocide. Worship in Louisville is much quieter than the Burundians are used to, and the first fifteen minutes when the children are present are characterized by a little more fidgeting than previously - but the meeting has embraced the newcomers, and a third Burundian family is on its way to Louisville to settle. Both groups appreciate what the other brings. Burundian adults have taken to the unprogrammed worship, and the children are beginning to get used to it. For the Burundians, worship has to include hymn-singing, so if you walk past the meetinghouse before or after worship, you are likely to hear the sounds of Kentucky Friends learning to sing in Kirundi and French.
|
|
COAL writers training workshop scheduled in Central America
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meetings in Central America, Cuba and Mexico are sending representatives to an introductory writers' training course hosted by Friends in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Scheduled for January 25-28, 2008, this workshop will be taught by Susan Yanos of Earlham School of Religion. Susan is Assistant Professor of Writing and Director of the Mullen Ministry of Writing Program at ESR. David Johns, also of ESR, will accompany Susan Yanos. This workshop is another in a series of training sessions requested by Latin American Friends and underwritten by FWCC and its Committee of Latin American Friends (COAL). Two workshops on this topic have already taken place in Bolivia, and a third is scheduled there for February. Photo, below, of Bolivia writers workshop last year.
|
|
Grants for study of Christian Mysticism
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Elizabeth Ann Bogert Memorial Fund, an independent granting group under the care of Friends World Committee, makes grants of up to $1,000 to Friends for the study and practice of Christian Mysticism. The Bogert Fund defines mysticism as "...direct and personal experience of the Divine through which one comes to know the immediacy and intimacy of one's relationship with all creation. We affirm the rich variety in which mystical experience occurs within the Christian context." Both experiential and scholarly exploration of this realm are encouraged.
The deadline for applications is March 1. Awards are announced by July 1. For information on application procedures and to apply, please contact the Fund's secretaries, Vinton and Michelina Deming. | |
