Sharing Circle: Experiments in Celebration and Simplicity in Quaker Meetings
November 19 and 21, 2024
D
DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON AND OTHER HOLIDAYS, FRIENDS MEETINGS MAY CELEBRATE
as a way to experience wonder and light, rejoice in intergenerational community, and engage in cultural traditions. At the same time, we are called by the testimony of simplicity that is essential to Quaker faith and practice. We are challenged to celebrate what is most essential in the holidays and let distractions fall aside. We celebrate, in part, for the sake of children in our meeting and recognize that when the adult Friends who curate these celebrations are centered, the spiritual meaning comes through for children.
Join this conversation circle to share traditions, experiments, questions and ideas on how Quaker meetings can celebrate in a manner that takes us deeper into the Spirit, bringing joy and weaving us together as a community. If you are so led, email communications@quakerrecollaborative.org to briefly describe how your meeting approaches holiday celebrations. If you are rethinking tradition, tell us how your celebrations are changing.
QUERIES
-
How does your meeting celebrate holidays and special days?
-
How can we make celebrations meaningful and manageable with limited time and energy?
-
What makes celebrations effective in connecting the community while conveying the spiritual essence of the holiday?
-
What about the old Quaker tradition that every day is holy?
-
If you don’t have a regular First Day School program, how can your meeting host celebrations that welcome children and families?
-
How can publicity for celebrations engage families from the larger community?
FACILITATORS
- Tuesday: Elizabeth Freyman, Albuquerque Friends Meeting, IMYM
- Thursday: Chris Jorgenson, Friends Meeting at Cambridge, NEYM
RESOURCES
- Christmas Light: Seeking the Spirit of the Season, from Wellesley Friends Meeting
- Reverse Advent for Friends: A spiritual discipline of reaching out, by Melinda Wenner Bradley, Faith & Play Stories™
- The Light: A Story for December, by Melinda Wenner Bradley, Faith & Play Stories™
- Plays for the Christmas Holidays, by Nancy Pickering, Middletown Friends Meeting (PYM)
- Christmas Programs with a Twist, by Elinor Briggs, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM)
- Holiday Traditions at Birmingham Friends Meeting, by Sallie B. Jones, Birmingham (PA) Meeting (PYM)
- That Baby in the Manger, by Anne E. Neuberger
- Refuge: The Timeless Story of Christmas, by Anne Booth
- What Color was Baby Jesus’ Hair? Representing the Christ Multiculturally, by Alexis Chin
- Unplug the Christmas Machine, by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli with tips to simplify and deepen Christmas
Learn more: Visit the QREC Resource Library and subscribe to our announcements
