Blended, Hybrid Quaker Meetings: Technology and Technique
Conversation Circles, October 18 & 20, 2022
I n this time of experimentation and innovation, many Quaker communities are exploring hybrid or blended meetings in which some Friends sit in the meeting room while others attend online. Technology-assisted connection has allowed Friends separated by distance, disability, or disease to gather in Spirit with those at the meeting house. However, meetings are working through the variety of technological arrangements that would truly encompass those present online and in-person yet minimize the intrusiveness of equipment during Meeting for Worship, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business and committee meetings.
Join this conversation to learn from Friends with deep experience of inclusive technology and technique to support Quaker worship and process.
Queries:
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What equipment can best support blended or hybrid Quaker meetings for larger or smaller monthly and yearly meetings?
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How much should our meeting budget for equipment and software?
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What techniques and procedures help the meeting feel truly inclusive, yet minimize the sense of technological intrusion?
Conversation Starters:
- David Coletta, Tech Ministry, Three Rivers Meeting, NEYM
- Jen Higgins-Newman, Program Director, Beacon Hill Friends House, member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, NEYM
Facilitator:
Andrew Wright, Durham Friends Meeting, NCYMC
Resources
- Being the Church Online, Blog by Kathleen Wooten
- Best Practices in Hybrid Worship, David Coletta, Tech Ministry, QREC Pre-Conference Workshop, July 29, 2021
- Guidance for Meetings, Emily Provance
- Pendle Hill’s Hybrid Worship Experiment, July 22, 2020
- Hybrid Meeting Design Handbook V2.3, Richmond Shreve, Newtown PA Monthly Meeting
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An Introduction
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.
Steering Circle
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker ‘sense of the meeting’ process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read more…
Working Circles
Our work takes place in ‘circles’ or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read more…
The Resource Library
Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
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African Quaker Library
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Biblioteca QREC
Events
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for God’s way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Conversation Circles
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Join the conversation…
Other Events
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming events…
Love at the Heart
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Quaker Family Culture
Finding the Light
Faith at Home
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
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Get Involved
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involved…