I had an interesting opportunity last Thursday. I skipped work to be talk with two Quakerism classes at Philadelphia’s William Penn Charter School (thanks for the invite Michael and Thomas!). I was asked to talk about Quaker blogs, of all things. Simple, right? Well, on the previous Tuesday I happened upon this passage from Brian Drayton’s new book, On Living with a Concern for Gospel Ministry:
I think that your work will have the greatest good effect if you wait to find whether and where the springs of love and divine life connect with this opening before you appear in the work. This is even true when you have had an invitation to come and speak on a topic to a workshop or some other forum. It is wise to be suspicious of what is very easy, draws on your practiced strengths and accomplishments, and can be treated as an everyday transaction. (p. 149).
Good advice. Of course the role of ministry is even more complicated in that I wasn’t addressing a Quaker audience: like the majority of Friends schools, few Penn Charter students actually are Quaker. I’m a public school kid, but it from the outside it seems like Friends schools stress the ethos of Quakerism (“here’s Penn Charter’s statement”). Again Drayton helped me think beyond normal ideas of proselytizing and outreach when he talked about “public meetings”:
We are also called, I feel to invite others to share Christ directly, not primarily in order to introduce them to Quakerism and bring them into our meetings, but to encourage them to turn to the light and follow it” (p. 147).
What I shared with the students was some of the ways my interaction with the Spirit and my faith community shapes my life. When we keep it real, this is a profoundly universalist and welcoming message.
I talked about the personal aspect of blogging: in my opinion we’re at our best when we weave our theology with with personal stories and testimonies of specific spiritual experiences. The students reminded me that this is also real world lesson: their greatest excitement and questioning came when we started talking about my father (I used to tell the story of my completely messed-up childhood family life a lot but have been out of the habit lately as it’s receded into the past). The students really wanted to understand not just my story but how it’s shaped my Quakerism and influenced my coming to Friends. They asked some hard questions and I was stuck having to give them hard answers (in that they were non-sentimental). When we share of ourselves, we present a witness that can reach out to others.
Later on, one of the teachers projected my blogroll on a screen and asked me about the people on it. I started telling stories, relating cool blog posts that had stuck out in my mind. Wow: this is a pretty amazing group, with diversity of ages and Quakerism. Reviewing the list really reminded me of the amazing community that’s come together over the last few years.
One interesting little snippet for the Quaker cultural historians out there: Penn Charter was the Gurneyite school back in the day. When I got Michael’s email I was initially surprised they even had classes on Quakerism as it’s often thought of as one of the least Quaker of the Philadelphia-area Quaker schools. But thinking on it, it made perfect sense: the Gurneyites loved education; they brought Sunday School (sorry, First Day School) into Quakerism, along with Bible study and higher education. Of course the school that bears their legacy would teach Quakerism. Interestingly enough, the historical Orthodox school down the road aways recently approached Penn Charter asking about their Quaker classes; in true Wilburite fashion, they’ve never bothered trying to teach Quakerism. The official Philadelphia Quaker story is that branches were all fixed up nice and tidy back in 1955 but scratch the surface just about anywhere and you’ll find Nineteenth Century attitudes still shaping our institutional culture. It’s pretty fascinating really.
martin — I used to live across the street from Penn Charter, and I went to Germantown Friends for a while, I had the same reaction as you, I dind’t think Penn Charter was really quaker at all anymore. I had no idea about their history, or even the difference between gurneyite friends and hicksite friends (though I’m sure I learned it in a similar class 25 years ago — oh my god!)
Thanks for sharing your experience, I think I will have to read this a few more times, I’m sort of scattered right now.
peace
Pam
Hey there, Martin. Any chance that these visits and sessions were recorded??? What a great opportunity, and I really love the application of Drayton’s counsel to your actual experience. Cool. It sounds as if you were faithful, too.
Blessings,
Liz, The Good Raised Up
*Hi Pam:* Oh, let’s not get into which school is the “most Quaker” school, we could get into a flame war over that. As I understand it, the historical associations of the schools are: Penn Charter Gurneyite (Twelveth Street Meeting, now Central Philadelphia), Germantown Wilburite Orthodox, Green Street Hicksite. I’m not sure it helps to make too much of these labels, as few Friends today seem to understand how the historical situation affects our current institutional divides…
*And Liz…:* Goodness, no, nothing was recorded. I didn’t give a formal presentation and the question and answer sessions were uneven. I gave fairly generic answers, my only talk of the Gurneys and Wilburs were with one of the teachers between classes. I was there primarily as a person of faith, with the Quaker influence being concerns for peace and patience in discernment. The most interesting part from the standpoint of the Quaker Ranter audience was the process of integrating ministry into a relatively secular setting.
Martin, your opening quotation from Brian Drayton’s new book speaks very strongly to me.
I was invited a year ago to give one of the two keynote speeches at Baltimore YM’s annual sessions this coming August. The expectation was that I would simply speak about what I have been doing in my field (Quaker environmental activism) this last decade or so, and about what others could do if they wanted to get involved. I had a very clear intimation, though, that taking such a routine approach would not please God.
Ultimately, my effort to grasp what would please God sent my whole life into an upheaval.
I think, when I return from my walk across the country, I’m going to have to read Brian’s book!
With all good wishes –
Hey Martin, it sounds like it was a blast, I wish I could have been there to hear the stories and see the excitement of the children. I am also encourgared that a Gurneyite school would be doing such a great thing, I not only hope it continues but I hope it spreads too!
It was certainly wonderful having you at Penn Charter; I’m sorry couldn’t stay for the entire session — looks like I missed out on the best parts!
Being a relatively new teacher (and new to Philadelphia), I didn’t know Penn Charter has the kind of reputation you alluded to. Why is that? Our school is about to undergo a formal self-evaluation of its own Quaker-ness, and I’d personally like to get more perspective on how Quakerism could be meshed with pedagogy.
martin — I used to live across the street from Penn Charter, and I went to Germantown Friends for a while, I had the same reaction as you, I dind’t think Penn Charter was really quaker at all anymore. I had no idea about their history, or even the difference between gurneyite friends and hicksite friends (though I’m sure I learned it in a similar class 25 years ago — oh my god!)
Thanks for sharing your experience, I think I will have to read this a few more times, I’m sort of scattered right now.
peace
Pam
Posted by Pam | April 19, 2006 1:44 PM