How can we most effectively foster a spirit of inquiry and a loving and understanding attitude toward life?

Ideally, when we come together, we are willing to listen with an open mind — to accept other points of view. We avoid the lecture process; we truly value hearing from each other.

Many of us report being deeply touched by interacting with/listen to Friends in this meeting. How do we know who the key teachers among us are? The consensus model works in identifying persons who will help us to open up — we “know” they will be a good guide (as we listen to the Spirit). Consensus does not mean without leaders/leadership. It is important to realize that different people have different gifts — and all should be honored — and leadership is one of those gifts.

What effort are we making to become better acquainted with the Bible, the teachings of Jesus, our Judeo-Christian heritage, the history and principles of Friends, and the contributions of other religions and philosophies to our spiritual heritage?

A lot of us are doing our own reading and, often, those become the basis for good programs. Our library is limited in resources beyond Christianity. There are limits to what can be accomplished in an hour, but those sessions can serve as springboards to our own inquiries or further programming.

Friends differ in how much emphases they wish to place on Christian content and ideas. Some are strongly tied to Christianity and the traditional Quaker roots in Christianity, and feel that the Christian content of our meetings is sometimes/often minimized. Others are comfortable with a more intentionally inclusive approach. Yet, Friends agreed that nevertheless we must take care to not shortchange Christianity and the teachings of Jesus — that we must be intentional to neither privilege Christianity nor avoid it. The Quaker approach to Christianity and the Bible is by its nature Spirit-led and thus not as prone to dogmatism as what we often see with some current enactments of Christianity. We hope to be an open, listening, and learning meeting, where divine inspiration and human complexity are honored.

Gathered Friends discussed what they hope to get out of our meeting. One Friend spoke of wanting to encounter God with skin on — to see, feel, hear in body language, vocal intonations, and listening face-to-face the embodiment of Spirit. Another spoke of inspirational interaction where together we provide a bridge between being present to “facts” and being present to the “heart thing” in our members, a bridge that connects us to the divine within persons.

In what ways can we encourage an educational process that is consistent with the values that Friends cherish? How do gender-based expectations affect the goals we set and the way we learn?

We are pleased with progress in our programming for Quaker education, the projects, the stories, etc. However, Friends agreed that values get learned in observing/participating in the way we live our lives--in the moments "in between" our formal education efforts.

Do we take an active and supportive interest in schools, libraries and other educational resources in our communities and elsewhere? How do we prepare ourselves and our children to play active roles in a changing world?

In our meeting, there are those who present powerful models of Quakers actively involved — in the peace movement, immigration, etc. Additionally, each of us participates where we can — working to live and teaching simplicity by using the library rather than purchasing the book store, by exposing children to real life situations and events (e.g., immigration trial, environmental events, peace demonstrations, city council meetings, school board meetings). We are surrounded by opportunities to listen and be listened to that facilitate our openness and learning. The connections are
many and deep.