Richmond - Quaker Ranter

At 95, Ned Rorem Is Done Composing. But He’s Not Done Living

Martin Kelley — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 03:38:41 +0000

The Times has a nice profile of the not-dead Pulitzer Prize composer and gay icon. The piece doesn’t mention his Quaker roots (he was born in Richmond, Indiana and raised as a Friend) but an embedded playlist includes “Mary Dyer did hang as a flag,” a piece from his 1976 composition A Quaker Reader.

I don’t know much about Rorem or the extent or ongoingness of his Quaker identity (if anyone wants to share more in the comments that would be great). I keep a list I call “Surprising Unexpected Unlikely Quakers” for names people give me of famous’ish people with Quaker connections. Who’s your favorite unlikely Quaker?

At 95, Ned Rorem Is Done Composing. But He’s Not Done Living. (Published 2018)

As the composer, writer and gay icon lives quietly on the Upper West Side, his music and books…

www.nytimes.com

Quaker Emergent Church Planting

Martin Kelley — Tue, 04 May 2004 14:24:06 +0000

Over on the Evangelical side of Friends is “Simple Churches”:www.simplechurches.net, a movement of “organic” church planting. It’s a project of Harold and Wendy Behr, recorded by Northwest Yearly Meeting and now working with Evangelical Friends Church Southwest. The core values are ones I could certainly sign off on: Leadership over Location, Ministry over Money, Converts over Christians, Disciples over Decisions, People over Property, Spirit over Self, His Kingdom over Ours. I particularly like their site’s disclaimer:
bq. As your peruse the links from this site please recognize that the Truth reflected in essays are often written with a “prophetic edge”, that is sharp, non compromising and sometimes radical perspective. We believe Truth can be received without “cursing the darkness” and encourage you to reflect upon finding the “candle” to light, personally, as you apply what you hear the Lord speaking to you. In Body life, often the most powerful opponent of the “best” is the “good”.
They’re leading a conference next month in Richmond, Indiana, with members of Friends United Meeting. How tempting is this?

h3. See also:
* “Emergent Church Movement: The Younger Evangelicals and Quaker Renewal”:/Quaker/emerging_church.php

Quaker publications meeting (QUIP) in Indiana

Martin Kelley — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 17:44:45 +0000

Quakers Uniting in Publications, better known as “QUIP,” is a collection of 50 Quaker publishers, booksellers and authors committed to the “ministry of the written word.” I often think of QUIP as a support group of sorts for those of us who really believe that publishing can make a difference. It’s also one of those places where different branches of Friends come together to work and tell stories. QUIP sessions strike a nice balance between work and unstructured time. It has its own nice culture of friendliness and cooperation that are the real reason many of us go every year.

Quakers Uniting in Publications annual meeting in Richmond Indiana 2004.