Comments on: Deepening the intervisitation of Gathering

By: Melynda Huskey

Melynda Huskey — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 01:48:09 +0000

Boy, I’m really torn … Gathering will certainly never be this close again, and there are people I’d love to see face to face with whom I have occasionally exchanged emails, and some part of me knows that getting together with the QuakerQuaker people would be a tremendous and probably necessary experience.
But there’s that other part of me–the part that hates crowds of people, and the enforced jollity of conferences, and being right up on top of the stuff that drives me crazy about my beloved denomination–and is particularly painful right now, as we work through a horrible generational conflict which may split our Tiny Little Monthly Meeting into Even Tinier Monthly Meeting and Almost Infinitesimal Worship Group.
Yeah, I’ll be praying about this.
Melynda

By: Mitchell Santine Gould

Mitchell Santine Gould — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 15:40:54 +0000

Hey Martin
Thanks so much for the updates.
How do we propose a Special Interest Group meeting?
Oregon Friends are eager to meet you folks… (and speaking personally, this will be my first FGC gathering)
Ciao,
Mitch

By: Robin M.

Robin M. — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 23:58:53 +0000

Wait a minute, you mean I can sign up for more than one workshop? I will have to go back and read the program description more carefully!

By: Martin Kelley

Martin Kelley — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 10:20:11 +0000

Hi Liz, Hi Robin,
I started a list of caveats on the post but didn’t include them. First and foremost is that I’m a Gathering old-timer by now; a certain jadedness is perhaps inevitable as the campuses all blur together in one’s memory. I’ve also been a staffperson for all but my first Gathering, which means I can never fully participate as an attender.
I’m not looking to drop out, I just long to find/help create more opportunities for Opportunities–for sharing experiences of divine visitation and insights on ministry and service.

By: Robin M.

Robin M. — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 01:42:24 +0000

Dear Martin, I'm coming, I'm coming. Well, WE're coming. It's still quite a haul for the four of us, even if it does seem close between California and Washington to you New Jersey-centric folks. And I haven't made up my mind yet on what workshop to take. But this business of folks who stop coming because it doesn't feed them: this is what pushes my buttons at the meeting for worship level, and on up. The answer is not to stop coming but to come deeper, harder, (I have to change metaphors, this will sound obscene.) But to demand more work, not less, this is the answer for me. However, at our latest quarterly meeting, the best conversation was one Chris and I had on the sidewalk. What is the right balance between the carefully organized and facility-ated program and just hoping that way will open for the right connections to be made? Good question. I've never been to FGC before, so I don't know how quite how overpacked the schedule is, or how wiped out my children (and I) will be by 7:00 p.m. but I'm hoping that you more experienced folks will pull something together and that I'll make it there. Liz and Joe were just commenting today on how to organize an interest group. I do believe something good will come of all of this.

By: lizopp

lizopp — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 22:50:18 +0000

Ah, the Gathering.
It’s true that the Gathering certainly brought me to a new understanding of Quakerism… despite the fact that the workshop I took was about relationships between men and women, having nothing to do with Quaker practice, theology, or history.
Is putting any ol’ topic into a Quaker setting “enough”? Is it alright that Friends “gain entry” into a new understanding of their faith through a weeklong “hothouse” of living, worshiping, eating, dancing, learning, and singing with 1,200+ Friends from across Canada and the U.S.?
As I change, I want the Gathering to change with me, so I can still feel like it is “new.” Oh, if only the Gathering were All About Me, my problems would be solved. smile
The fact is, the newness has worn off for me, and it is harder to find a workshop that is a good fit for me, without personally knowing the dozens of presenters ahead of time.
But:
The opportunities for Spirit to lead me to unexpected groups, places, experiences, and individuals is probably what keeps pulling me back. That and 4:30 worship each day, and some of the singing, and some of the plenaries, and…
I will say that one of the most eye-opening webpages I found on FGC’s website about the history of the Gathering is the one that has a collection of posters from Gatherings past.
Well, I’ll leave this comment short, and perhaps post more of my thoughts on The Good Raised Up.
Blessings,
Liz, The Good Raised Up