I’ve been working on just trying to turn my thoughts and the conversation back towards Jesus when I see negativity surfacing. LIke it’s not interesting, but salvation is really interesting!

This post describes a situation in Meeting where gossip was acknowledged to be part of the problem and Marshall Massey commented to it v informatively with some older quotes as well: http://friend-in-need.blogspot.com/2007/10/call…

Your own tag about detraction collects up some great posts imho
https://www.quakerranter.org/tag/detraction

And there’s an interesting document from the Faith and Practice of Southeastern Yealry Meeting about the “Blessed community” here:
http://www.seym.org/FP.pdf/BlessedCommun%200407…

I’ve been working on just trying to turn my thoughts and the conversation back towards Jesus when I see negativity surfacing. LIke it’s not interesting, but salvation is really interesting!

Not preachy at all, Rich — I appreciate hearing from someone who is out of the vortex of the conflict. All of us here are convinced that we are following the Spirit’s leading, which confuses us since we’re getting such disparate messages. It’s good to process observations from someone who has no prior bias (or to put it less Quakerly — “no dog in the fight”).indybeckih

Thanks!

indybeckiH,
I trust that you and others of like mind will find a clear way forward (or — if there is not clear way forward — will continue to wait). It sounds like you are all trying hard to follow gospel order. I appreciate the fact that you don’t identify the individuals or YM involved on this forum. I supposed that within your YM this is all stuff that’s out in the open already as it should be.
I’m sorry if I seemed at all preachy or self-righteous in my original comment. God knows I have little standing to try to be removing grains of sand from anyone’s eye.
— ‑Rich Accetta-Evans
— - Rich

Rich — of course, you’re right. We weave a hugely tangled web. And it would be nice if we all sat down and talked with each other until we figured it out. And it would also be wonderful if everyone could hear the Spirit in the same way, whatever the message.

However — I think a point to consider is — for what reason are you speaking about the other person? We are not seeking to have the youth director removed. She is skilled at her job, and is a good organizer. Her actions — using her great organizational skills — were to encourage the youth to come to Yearly Meeting in a large group and protest the pastor with whom the YM has issue.

Since this conflict within the YM has come to a head, there have been several face-to-face meetings (including talks with the youth director herself), following the John Woolman model, with no clarity reached. I think it’s less gossip than just trying to figure out what to do next to see if we can work with unity in the face of diversity, and if unity cannot be reached, what do we do next? All actions have ramifications, good and/or bad.

Dear Indybeckih,
Just to illustrate how tricky this issue is, I find myself wondering whether your comments aout your Meeting’s Youth Director aren’t also gossip. Most of us don’t know who you’re talking about of course, but probably some people do. The youth director’s actions, as described, seem very hurtful and uncalled-for. But of course we don’t know his or her side of the story, don’t know what form the “encouragement” took, don’t know what the objection to the local Friends pastor was, don’t know whether the local pastor had been approached directly first, etc. etc.

I’m sensitive to this issue because a member of my meeting has been broadcasting on the internet his belief that other members of the meeting are backbiting, gossiping, etc. He doesn’t name those members, but I know who he’s talking about and I know there are other sides of the story. I’d imagine they feel very hurt and misunderstood.

Of course, by telling you this I may myself be gossiping. You see how complicated it gets.
— - Rich Accetta-Evans