3/20/2007

SHPICES and FGC Gathering

So Robin is home, and as she was relating a story of her time at FWCC, I named what she was talking about as "spiritual hospitality." Then said, "So now we need to have the testimonies as SHPICES!"

She pointed out that C was for Community and that should cover it. Still!! It's worth considering, because spiritual, emotional, and physical hospitality for individuals doesn't automatically "pop" out of the "community" box.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: Stephen Matchett (S.F. Monthly Meeting) and Eric Moon (Strawberry Creek M.M.) are leading a workshop at Ben Lomond Quaker Center in a week and a half on "Quaker Testimonies: Hearsay or Witness? To What Do Our Lives Speak?" Here's the flyer.

Eric will also be leading a workshop "Quaker Testimonies: Plain and UnSPICEd" at the Friends General Conference annual gathering, 6/30 - 7/7/07 in River Falls, Wisc.

I was interested to note that there are once again many Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends listed as workshop leaders, even though PacYM is not formally affiliated with FGC: Eric Moon, Elaine Emily, Carl Magruder, Neil Fullager, and Gretta and Jacob Stone (now staff at Quaker Center, sojourning from Doylestown M.M. in the other PYM!) were the ones I could remember off the top of my head. Now, picking up the advance program, I see there's Joe Franko (our yearly meeting's presiding clerk, listed as Workshop 1 with the title, "Are Quakers Too Nice?"), Karen Street, Stephen McNeil, and Sara Wolcott. So, 9 of 72 workshops, or 12.5% have PacYM presenters. Not a bad ratio for a non-member yearly meeting.

Oh, and then there's the matter of Traci, the PacYM'er who heard the call to be the Gathering Coordinator...

I still haven't totally decided if I'm going to be following lovely wife Robin to the event. Sigh. I probably will. I'd like to sign up for either Peter Crysdale's workshop or the Sacred Harp workshop (hello, Paul L.!!).

3 comments:

Liz Opp said...

I'm glad the Workshops Committee made selections that could entice you to join us at Gathering, Chris!

Funny, but my partner and I just looked over the program and saw that there are MANY Friends who identify as "anything but straight" and are part of the LGBTQ community that has the afternoon MfW under its care at Gathering each year.

It'd be great to see you and the kids in Wisconsin, so I'm rooting for you! smile

Blessings,
Liz Opp, The Good Raised Up

Linda said...

Oh do come! And do come and sing!

Anonymous said...

there, I made it. It _was_ the cookie-blocking that was the problem. As I e-mailed you, Eric's from Berkeley, not Strawberry Ck. Thanks for the plug for our weekend! Peace--Stephen