Vitality Among Friends: A Resource for Philadelphia Friends
2008 Vitality of Meetings
Theme: Leadership Among Friends, April 12th, 2008
Location: Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA
Registration: To register and make payment at the door on the day of the event, you can give us your information by phone (800-432-1377), by email cummiri@earlham.edu) or through this online form.
8:00-9:00 am |
Registration & Coffee Fellowship |
9:00-10:00 am |
Welcome & Keynote Address |
10:00-10:15 am |
Break |
10:15-12:00 pm |
Workshop I |
12:00-1:15 pm |
Lunch |
1:15-3:00 pm |
Workshop II |
Keynote and Workshop 1 - Tim Seid
Tim Seid has served as a pastoral minister among Friends for seven years, both in New England and presently in Indiana. He is an Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies and the Associate Dean at Earlham School of Religion. Tim has given workshops and presented messages among FGC and FUM gatherings. He has written a book, "The Second Chance for God's People: Messages from Hebrews," to be published in 2008 by Wipf & Stock Publishers. Tim's keynote and workshop are based on research he is doing for a second book with the working title, "(Trans)formation of Early Christian Communities: Reconnecting with Ancient Philosophical Practices."
Keynote Address: Leading the Soul: Helping Each Other Reach the Goal of Human Existence
Leadership implies person(s) leading others toward a shared purpose. At its best, it means guiding the whole person toward a mutually beneficial goal that helps us transcend life's frailties and finiteness. People continue to search for how to get the most out of their lives. What many current trends have in common is they all have roots in ancient Greek philosophy. A growing movement in the study of early Christianity interprets early Christian texts within the context of the popular moral philosophers. This ancient Greek philosophical practice is called psychagogy, the leading of the soul. In a number of ways, Quakers have been most interested in those aspects of Christianity that are at the basis of this type of primitive Christianity.
Workshop: Practicing the Leading of the Soul
We will have a chance to interact with each other around the three main areas of psychagogic practice: exercising ourselves, exhorting others, and eldering one another. We will talk about the ways in which we discipline ourselves toward making progress in our development as humans. What might we do to encourage others toward progress? How can we form our meetings as communities of friendship in which we practice mutual accountability and the plain speech of eldering so that we can each continue to make progress toward the goal of life.
Workshop 2: Stephen Angell
Stephen W. Angell is the Leatherock Professor of Quaker Studies at Earlham School of Religion. He has written several books and articles on the subjects of Quakerism and African-American Religion, and most recently co-edited "The Quaker Bible Reader". His Quaker leadership roles have included serving as Clerk of his Monthly Meetings, Oxford, OH and Tallahassee, FL; Southeastern Yearly Meeting, 1999-2001, and presently as a member on the Board of Trustees of Pendle Hill.
Workshop: Types of Quaker Leadership: A Historical Perspective
One can easily identify several different types of Quaker leadership (looking primarily at the period between 1650 and 1825): (1) founders; (2) martyrs; (3) travelers, or "Public Friends"; (4) nurturers or "elders"; (5) administrators; (6) recorders and correspondents; (7) diplomats and peacemakers; (8) educators; (9) visionaries; (10) reformers. (Undoubtedly there is some overlapping).
This workshop will work on the following questions:
- How can we define these categories of leadership?
- What have these forms of leadership looked like historically?
- How are these forms of leadership relevant, or not relevant, today, as we look toward the leadership that each of us individually would offer to the Religious Society of Friends?
- Are they relevant, or not, when we consider the qualities of leadership we desire in a Clerk or Yearly Meeting General Secretary?
Workshop 3: Jennie Isbell
Jennie is a 2007 graduate of Earlham School of Religion and currently works as Coordinator of Leadership Development for ESR. As a student, her interests focused on adult religious education themes related to spirituality and the individual body and spirituality and the corporate body, which come together under the umbrella of applied ethics. Prior to seminary, she worked in higher education fundraising, and as a massage therapist and yoga instructor.
Workshop: Exploring a Vocabulary of Faith
Words are not just words, they are doorways into meaning, and they come to represent shared understandings within a group. Participants in this workshop will explore the meanings of six words: obedience, stewardship, gifts/giftedness, authority, worship, and discipleship as a means of considering the Quaker/Christian story, with emphasis on understanding Friends' culture as one focused on perceiving leadings and on the universal call to ministry.
For more information contact Donna Trankley 800-432-1377, trankdo@earlham.edu