That’s the Spirit! Dimensions of Spirituality
This page now updated with edited recordings of our 3 speakers,
That was the title of our 2020 annual conference, till some very unspiritual viruses intervened and forced us to cancel. But, mutating as they do, they haven’t yet found a way of preventing us from meeting in the spirit via Zoom. So our three keynote speakers will join us on three successive Wednesdays in July 2021, each bringing us a different perspective on spirituality, what it means to them, and what relation it might have to religion and the secular world.
Spirituality, spiritual and spirit are among the most frequently used words in our Quaker vocabulary. But what do we mean by them? What do we mean by a spiritual life, a spiritual journey, a spiritual experience? Can we be religious without being spiritual, or spiritual without being religious?
On Wednesday July 7th our guest was Andrew Copson, executive director of Humanists UK (British Humanists Association).
On Wednesday July 14th the speaker was Gill Pennington, former Spirituality Tutor at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre.
On Wednesday July 21st our third guest was Dinah Livingstone, poet, activist and editor of the Sea of Faith journal Sofia.
Join us in an adventurous exploration of spiritual diversity, from the holy spirit to the wholly human spirit. Each meeting will begin at 7.30pm and will last between an hour and 90 minutes. The presentation will be followed by open discussion and there will then be an opportunity to join smaller group ‘breakout’ rooms before returning to a closing plenary session followed by Silence! This will be our virtual conference, so get the dates into your diary. Registration details can be found here. More detail about the speakers follows:
With keynote speakers:
Andrew Copson (Chief Executive, Humanists UK),
Dinah Livingstone (Editor ‘Sofia’, Sea of Faith)
and Gill Pennington (Spirituality Tutor, Woodbrooke)
David Boulton (from newsletter March 2021)
See too the follow up posts:
1). https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/2021/07/12/andrew-copson-humanists-uk-what-a-fantastic-talk/
2). https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/2021/07/18/gill-pennington-the-very-hungry-caterpillar-and-a-mobius-strip/
3). https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/2021/07/29/dinah-livingstone-on-dover-beach/
See also the ‘pre-conference reading’ bibliography prepared for the 2020 conference which still pertains: https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/2020/03/01/a-2020-nfn-conference-bibliography/
Nontheist Friends Network 
NB: The Sea of Faith’s own conference this year is running on 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd July (this week from Monday, excluding Wednesday) and NFN members may be interested. Full details on the SOFN link next to Dinah’s name above.
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This page for our 2021 conference has now been updated with edited recordings of our 3 speakers.
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Rather a long time since this conference in 2021 but on the nontheist Quakers Facebook page recently, Helen Gilbert wrote, in response to a query about any ‘NTQ’s’ meeting up in London (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1631439757083868):
“Helen Gilbert
Ken Baldry – thanks for correcting the mistake in the original reposted article… As far as I know there are no NTQ meet ups in person anywhere in the UK except at the NTF annual conference.”
I think we can say there has not been an in person conference by NFN since 2019 and I have no knowledge of any plans for any NFN Conference in 2024. If any nontheist Friends in London or anywhere else in the UK would like to come forward to organise either a Conference OR a meet-up in person, please email clerk@nontheist-quakers.org.uk to let us know.
Meanwhile in the USA there will this year be an in person presence by nontheist Quakers at FGC (https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/programs-and-events/other-gathering-events/ – details to follow I think, June 30 to July 6). NFN in the UK might be present at Britain Yearly meeting (in London or online) in July.
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