Afterthought #34 Couples Enrichment

Last weekend, my husband and I participated in a workshop to strengthen our relationship.

We joined seven other couples for a Couples Enrichment workshop organized by Whidbey Island (WA) Friends Meeting.  Cathy Walling and Scott Bell led us in this event sponsored by Friends General Conference; click on the link to learn more about it.

Cathy and Scott
Colorlight Photography

Workshops are open to any adult couple in a committed relationship regardless of marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or meeting affiliation. We were a group of Quakers and non-Quakers, couples together less than a year to those married for over thirty years. Cathy and Scott created a worshipful Quaker atmosphere of trust and respect, sharing the joys and struggles of their own relationship and their commitment to growth. They led us to:

•    Take stock, reviewing together what we value in each other

•    Take time to work through differences or unresolved disagreements

•    See how other couples relate

•    Witness the power of God’s healing love.

We learned that, even after 35 years, there’s more to learn, more ways to grow.  Thanks to the Couples Enrichment weekend, we’re doing just that.

“Afterthoughts” are my blog version of a practice followed in some Quaker meetings. After meeting for worship ends, people continue in silence for a few more minutes during which they’re invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning's worship. I’ve adopted the form here for last-day-of-the-month brief reflections on headlines, quotes, comments overheard, 

maybe even bumper stickers.

Afterthought #30 - NOT Like the Oatmeal

Worldwide, approximately 359,000 adults are members of the Religious Society of Friends. There are fewer than 100,000 of us Quakers in the United States—about a third of the number of Missouri Synod Lutherans in Illinois  (where I sang in the choir all through high school).

So. It’s no wonder people don’t know much about Quakerism or what Quakers are like today.

The weekly QuakerSpeak videos are trying to correct that with short conversations with contemporary Friends.  A recent one features Guilford College professor Max Carter responding to the frequent question: Are Quakers Amish? In less than five minutes, Max clearly describes the major differences between the two religions and in the process tells a lot about what Quakerism is.

Friends General Conference answers Frequently Asked Questions About Quakers, too, to help clear up some of the confusion about our small community. 

One of my favorite responses, though, is this 

t-shirt that a Friend from Seattle recently made. 

Cool, huh?

“Afterthoughts” are my blog version of a practice followed in some Quaker meetings. After meeting for worship ends, people continue in silence for a few more minutes during which they’re invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning's worship. I’ve adopted the form here for last-day-of-the-month brief reflections on headlines, quotes, comments overheard, maybe even bumper stickers.

Afterthought #28 - Quakers in the Movies

Since March 2014, QuakerSpeak has been posting videos each Thursday “…to give viewers worldwide an experience of contemporary Quakerism that is entertaining, informative, inspiring, challenging, inviting, unifying and collaborative.” So far, this project of Quaker Voluntary Service, Friends Journal, and Friends General Conference has produced short (three-to-six minutes) videos on a range of topics including silence, nonviolence, homosexuality, and women in ministry.  This week’s installment will make you smile; QuakerSpeak took a break from its usual format of interviewing Friends for a lighthearted look at how Quakers have been portrayed in film.

Sounds like there’s still work to for people to understand Quakerism.  QuakerSpeak will help with that. 

“Afterthoughts” are my blog version of a practice followed in some Quaker meetings. After meeting for worship ends, people continue in silence for a few more minutes during which they’re invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning's worship. I’ve adopted the form here for last-day-of-the-month brief reflections on headlines, quotes, comments overheard, maybe even bumper stickers.