All posts by Trevor

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, Non-theism

John Senior’s Spiritual Journey

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NFN Friends may like to know that our very own (may I say that?) John Senior will be speaking to the Quaker Universalist Group next Wednesday about his spiritual journey (on zoom).

If you would like to be there, please register there:
‘Our (QUG) next meeting for worship and sharing is on Wednesday May 15th at 7.00 p.m. It will be introduced by John Senior who will be talking about his spiritual journey. John uses a variety of words to describe his journey, including Buddhist, Quaker, Nontheist and Universalist. A reminder and joining instructions will be sent out two or three days before the meeting.’  If you do not have the joining instructions and would like them please send an email to contact@qug.org.uk

https://qug.org.uk/

AGM, General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

NFN AGM 2024 7pm Thursday 23 May (online)

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Message from NFN clerk Tim Regan

The Nontheist Friends Network AGM, previously announced during notices after the last two Creative Conversations, will be at 7pm UK time on Thursday the 23rd of May. The AGM is open to all members of the network. Do let me know if there is anything you would like to add to the agenda, and I will send round a Zoom link nearer the time. Tim

And don’t forget our next ‘Creative conversation’ on Doubt tomorrow evening 2nd May.

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

QM+Creative conversation-Doubt-Thursday 2 May 7pm

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Dear Friends,
We hope this note finds you well. Many thanks to Philip Gross and Kiera Faber for sharing their collaborative creative conversation in April; drawing our attention to the space between words and images.
We hope you will join us for our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation in May.
2 May QM+CC at 7PM BST/2PM EDT by Zoom, will introduce a concern around Doubt by Catherine Carr.

General layout: 

• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM UK time, please arrive early.
• 7PM UK time: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Different participants will introduce a thought provoking, occasionally debatable question, brief statement, and/or reading.  This will be followed by an inspired discussion amongst all participants for creative exchanges and opportunities to disagree.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00m

Additional information about our QM+CC can be found on our website.

If you are interested in attending and have not registered for our Creative Conversations, please reply to this email.

If you previously registered, there is no need to re-register, you are on the list.  You will automatically receive Zoom links to this and subsequent Meetings, approximately one week before each Meeting and a reminder the day of.  We ask that you please do not share the Zoom link with interested Friends, but encourage them to email the Clerk (clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk) to register. You may unregister/unsubscribe at any time by replying to this email address.

In Friendship,
The QM+CC Working group (Gisela Creed, John Senior, William Purser, and Kiera Faber)
Nontheist Friends Network, UK

Conferences, General Quaker interest

QUG Conference and Centering Prayer

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We (NFN) have not had a conference for some time. If NFN Friends are interested in the ‘Future of Religion’ (and Quakerism) they might like to attend the QUG Conference on 19-21 April.

In person attendance at High Leigh is now full but there are still online places available at £40. (There is a form to complete). Full details here: https://qug.org.uk/conferences/conference-2024-the-future-of-religion-worldwide/

If any NFN Friends are interested in Centering Prayer, at the next QUG MfW and sharing on Wed. 17th April at 7pm, Peter Bone, facilitator of the Chichester Centering Prayer group, will talk about Centering Prayer. (Relevant to Meditation as discussed at our NFN meeting on 4th January). A reminder and joining instructions will be sent out two or three days before the meeting. To register for this, email  contact@qug.org.uk

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

MfW + Creative conversation Thursday 4 April – Exploring silence through collaborative arts.

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Dear Friends,

Many thanks to Rosemary Kirk for sharing in March and opening up space for participants to consider their own deep convictions and feelings.

We hope you will join us for our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation in April.

4 April’s QM+CC at 7PM BST/2PM EDT by Zoom is titled Exploring silence through collaborative arts.

Poet Philip Gross and artist Kiera Faber invite you to share and reflect on a taste of their creative conversation spanning over two years, weaving unexpected connections across time.

General QM+CC layout:
• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM UK time, please arrive early.
• 7PM UK time: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Different participants will introduce a thought provoking, occasionally debatable question, brief statement, and/or reading.  This will be followed by an inspired discussion amongst all participants for creative exchanges and opportunities to disagree.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00mAdditional information about our QM+CC can be found on our website.

If you are interested in attending and have not registered for our Creative Conversations, please email clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk for the zoom link.

If you previously registered, there is no need to re-register, you are on the list.  You will automatically receive Zoom links to this and subsequent Meetings, approximately one week before each Meeting and a reminder the day of.  We ask that you please do not share the Zoom link with interested Friends, but encourage them to email the Clerk to register. You may unregister/unsubscribe at any time by replying to this email address.

In Friendship,
The QM+CC Working group (Gisela Creed, John Senior, William Purser, and Kiera Faber)
Nontheist Friends Network, UK

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

MfW + Creative Conversation Thursday 7 March – See heaven in a grain of sand

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Dear Friend,
We hope this note finds you well. Many thanks to Elaine Green for sharing in February. We were grateful for the conversation and introspection.
We hope you will join us for our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation in March.
7 March QM+CC at 7PM GMT/2PM EST by Zoom, will introduce the concern, See heaven in a grain of sand, by Rosemary Kirk.
Title inspired by Auguries of Innocence poem by William Blake.

General format:
• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM UK time, please arrive early.
• 7PM UK time: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Different participants will introduce a thought provoking, occasionally debatable question, brief statement, and/or reading.  This will be followed by an inspired discussion amongst all participants for creative exchanges and opportunities to disagree.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00mAdditional information about our QM+CC can be found on our website.If you are interested in attending and have not registered for our Creative Conversations, please email as below.

If you previously registered, there is no need to re-register, you are on the list.  You will automatically receive Zoom links to this and subsequent Meetings, approximately one week before each Meeting and a reminder the day of.  We ask that you please do not share the Zoom link with interested Friends, but encourage them to email the Clerk (clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk) to register. You may unregister/unsubscribe at any time by replying to this email address.

In Friendship,
The QM+CC Working group (Gisela Creed, John Senior, William Purser, and Kiera Faber)
Nontheist Friends Network, UK

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events, Non-theism

NTF Meeting tonight and QUG Meeting tomorrow

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Very short notice but NFN Friends might be interested in the North American Nontheist Friends session at 4pm EST today (9pm GMT I think):
Hope you can join us, Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 4:00 Eastern Standard Time for our contemplative sharing session. Our hope is that James Riemermann will be with us to talk about his chapter “Mystery: It’s What We Don’t Know” in Godless for God’s Sake.
(“Nontheist Friends (Quakers)” <nontheist-friends@googlegroups.com> or email Ann Sidone <annsidone1@gmail.com> for the link).

Tomorrow night at 7pm, the Quaker Universalist Group (QUG UK) are meeting to listen to a talk from Lee Drummond about Animism and an earth-based spirituality.
https://qug.org.uk/diary/?event_id1=4033

Details of our own meeting at 7pm on Thursday 7th March to follow soon (if you’re signed up, you’ve already had the email).

 

General Quaker interest, Non-theism

The One about Quakerism

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Have just come across (via twitter) the ‘RE podcast’ by Louisa Jane Smith where the latest episode (9 February) is entitled ‘The One about Quakerism’ and has Matthew Guest a Quaker and academic theologian at Durham University introducing Quakerism to students and RE teachers. I don’t know but believe Friends will be able to listen to this (51 minutes) at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-re-podcast/id1534213872 or by searching on any podcast service.

Most of it will be nothing new for most Friends but I thought Matthew offers an interesting, largely ‘universalist’ emphasis with explicit reference to evangelical, atheist and nontheist Quakers.

(The previous episode of the podcast was ‘The One about the Vedas’ which Friends might also find interesting).

General Quaker interest, MfW+Creative Conversation, NFN Events

MfW + Creative conversation – Receptive Ecumenism as a Quaker practice – Thursday 1 Feb 2024

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Dear Friends,

Thank you for registering for our Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation, organized by the NFN, UK.

1 February’s QM+CC at 7PM GMT/2PM EST by Zoom, will introduce the concern, Receptive Ecumenism as a Quaker Practice by Elaine Green.

Elaine Green is Clerk of the Britain Yearly Meeting Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations (QCCIR)and is a member of Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting.
Format:
• Zoom Room opens at 6:45PM (UK time), please arrive early.
• 7PM: Welcome and Quaker Meeting (~20 minutes): Sharing silence with one another for quietly gathering ourselves and connecting.
• Creative Conversation and Discussion (~1 hour): Concern introduced; followed by interactive discussions in break-out rooms and in the plenary with all participants.
• Conclusion: Thoughts and a few moments to share silence.
• After Announcements the Zoom Room will remain open for friendly chats and community.
• Duration:1hr:30m-2hr:00mYou will automatically receive Zoom links to subsequent Meetings, approximately one week beforehand and a reminder the day of.
If you are interested in attending and have not registered for our Creative Conversations, please email as below.
There is no need to re-register. We ask that you please do not share the Zoom link with interested Friends, but encourage them to email the Clerk (clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk) to register. You may unregister/unsubscribe at any time by replying to this email address.See you soon.

In Friendship,
The QM+CC Working group (Gisela Creed, John Senior, William Purser, and Kiera Faber)
Nontheist Friends Network