Tag Archives: Events

John Senior’s Spiritual Journey

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/

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

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

QUG Conference and Centering Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

NTF Meeting tonight and QUG Meeting tomorrow

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).

 

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

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

MfW + Creative Conversation – Exploring Stillness: Nontheist Quakers and Meditation – Thursday 4 Jan. 2024

Dear Friends,
We hope this note finds you well.  Many thanks to David Boulton and John Senior for sharing in December.  It was lovely to gather, collectively listen, and reflect in community.
We hope you will join us for our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation in January.
4 January QM+CC at 7PM GMT/2PM EST by Zoom, will introduce the concern, Exploring Stillness: Nontheist Quakers and Meditation.

Trevor Bending and John Senior will share meditation prompts, encouraging contemplation for our 20 minutes of silence.  Then they will share their own thoughts, engage one another in a creative dialogue, and then invite all participants into the creative conversation.
Please see Exploring stillness- Non-theist Quakerism and Meditation (PDF), with references, and thoughts compiled by Messrs. Bending and Senior to review before the Meeting.

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: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

Reminders for Tonight and Thursday

Don’t forget the NTF (USA) meeting at 9pm tonight UK time:

The NTF meeting after that is December 5 which is the first Tuesday in December.
When it is hoped to talk about the the first four writings in ‘Godless for God’s Sake’.
This will be at 4pm Eastern Time so a little more convenient 9pm (please check!) in the UK.
I understand Robin Alpern, whose piece was the first of the four, and David Boulton as editor of ‘Godless for God’s Sake’, will likely be in attendance.

you should be able to find the link here if you have signed in to their google group; https://groups.google.com/g/nontheist-friends/

See the previous post for Thursday’s meeting at 7pm with David and John Senior.

MfW + Creative conversation – George Fox and us today – Thursday 7 December

Dear Friends,
We hope this note finds you well.  Many thanks to Al Palmer for sharing in November.  For some addition reflection and commentary inspired by Al’s talk and writing, please take a moment to read our web master, Trevor Bending’s, recent post here.
 We hope you will join us for our next Quaker Meeting and Creative Conversation in December.
7 December QM+CC at 7PM GMT/2PM EST by Zoom, will introduce the concern, FOX AND US: What does the life and ministry of George Fox mean for a nontheist Friend?

David Boulton and John Senior will share their own thoughts, engage one another in a creative dialogue, and then invite all participants into the creative conversation.

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: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 the clerk 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