Baltimore Yearly Meeting Workshops 2005

Please indicate your choices in the workshop section of the registration form. Our workshop leaders have worked hard to prepare a meaningful experience for the participants and they count on our attendance. If you find that you cannot attend the workshop you registered for, please tell the workshop leader directly or through a Program Committee member (who wear red dots on their nametags).

Thursday, August 4

1. What are our Testimonies? We will look at the testimonies in the Faith and Practice books of several yearly meetings. What is the purpose of our testimonies? From where do they arise? Bring any Faith & Practice books you might have.

Leader: Sheila Bach is a member of the Langley Hill Monthly Meeting, a birthright Friend, and interested in the Quaker aspect of life.

2. `Friend, Mind the Words' - On Vocal Ministry This workshop will be a sharing of our experiences with vocal ministry in our meetings for worship, including those with a concern for business. As led, we can examine both the "awesome undertaking to risk breaking the silence" and how we receive.

Leader: Maria Bradley, Sandy Spring, attended the FGC Consultation on "Nurturing Faithful Ministry in Our Monthly & Yearly Meetings" in 2004.

3. Contemporary American Quakers Using Tom Hamm's The Quakers in America, we will explore five beliefs all North American Quakers share: Spirit-led worship, the ministry of all believers, decision making, simplicity, and a commitment to education. In the next chapter, he describes seven debates issues: the centrality of Christ, the nature of authority-including the relationship of Monthly and Yearly Meetings, sexuality, membership, and the nature of leadership, unity and diversity, and identity. Exploration of these issues should help our understanding of Friends United Meeting.

Leader: Howard Fullerton, Sandy Spring Meeting, has been past Clerk of Representative Meeting, a member of the General Board of FUM, as well as a Monthly Meeting Clerk.

4. Engaging the Biblical Text in Friends Meetings This workshop will look at resources and strategies to help Friends of all ages engage the biblical text. Discussed will be the "whys," "hows" and "whens" of exploring the Bible in Friends Meetings and both age specific and multigenerational approaches.

Leader: Michael Gibson has served Friends General Conference as Religious Education coordinator.

5. Restorative Justice - Principles and Practice Friends already know principles needed to heal relationships and address root causes. Let's apply that wisdom to the victims of crime - both the offender and the offended. This interactive workshop will explore the feasibility of applying "restorative justice" locally and globally.

Leader: Bette Hoover, Sandy Spring Meeting, an activist, trainer and healer, directed the Washington DC AFSC/MAR office for nine years.

6. Working with AFSC-DC is a Service, Not a Job! This workshop will demonstrate how the AFSC-DC staff approach their work with the DC community as being primarily a service, not a job. The workshop will explain how this underlying philosophy affects our work with youth, the Africa Initiative, HIPP, the Stand-Up! For democracy in DC Coalition, and other services.

Leader: Peta Ikambana, before becoming the director of AFSC-DC, last August, worked for the youth services program Congreso de Latinos Unidos in Philadelphia, first as case manager, then as a youth services supervisor, then as a program manager, then for 18 months as Director of Congreso's Boy's Center.

7. Third-Party Negotiations ***CANCELLED***

Leader: John Kettelle, Langley Hill, is a long time Quaker who has studied conflict termination.

8. Paradox of a Sojourner Tree "Plant each step like a seed, take root…but keep on Moving…like water…" Where does a Sojourner Tree take root? What is a Sojourner Tree? (Clue: look in the mirror.) Let's explore the paradox of being "at home on the wings of the way."

Leader: Pat Kutzner, Friends Meeting of Washington, has been sojourning in New Mexico since 1996 to volunteer with a Navajo community.

9. Friends Meeting of Washington - The first 75 Years. An Experiment in Unity Among Diverse Friends. There is an intriguing story about our founding and the search for unity among divided groups of Friends. Member of the two then-active District Meetings resisted merging with a proposed new Friends Meeting, but this idea took on new life when Herbert Hoover became President.

Leaders: Barbara Grant Nnoka and Marney Akins, Friends Meeting of Washington, are the Meeting historians.

10. Mercy in the Criminal Justice System Police decide whom to stop, to search, and to arrest. Judges hand down sentences - often in narrow limits. The President can commute sentences --but rarely does. Squeezing mercy out of the criminal justice system has left room for racism. Why has this happened? What should Friends do?

Leader: Eric Sterling, Bethesda Friends Meeting, is a former public defender, counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee for nine years, a founder of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation; Families Against Mandatory Minimums; and the Interfaith drug Policy Initiative; managed the Coalition for Jubilee Clemency in 2000.

11. Being Merciful to One's Self This workshop is about how to care for/be merciful to one's self in various seasons, especially summer, as per ancient Chinese Philosophy regarding health. It will offer specific ways to nurture our selves from the inside and the outside of ourselves that increase health and well-being. Limit 25

Leader: Nancy Takahashi, Sandy Spring Meeting, a birthright Friend, and licensed acupuncturist, has served in the human services and community health fields for more than 16 years and now teaches at the Tai Sophia Institute.

12. Alternatives to Violence (AVP) Appetizer Course 3 X 2 = 6 hours of actual AVP. Laughter and one-on-one exchanges and listening and reflection, serious questions, "silly games", and more laughter, makes us available to Transforming Power. Limit 24

Leaders: Vicky Cooley, member of Central Finger Lakes Meeting, NYYM, has twenty-plus years experience as an AVP facilitator in varied settings; Bizz Maher and Stephen Slining Haynes are high school age apprentice facilitators.

12A. Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves - Strategic Peace Witness Today We will work to think strategically about how to apply our personal and meeting resources to maximize our impact for peace amidst the current "wars and rumors of war. " We will give special emphasis to the challenge - and opportunity - of counter-recruiting work, as the military ratchets up its saturation efforts to recruit young people, especially those less privileged.

Leader: Chuck Fager is a member of State College Monthly Meeting and Director of Quaker House in Fayetteville, NC.

12B. History, Practices, and Use of the Bible -Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda. Friends from Mid-America Yearly Meeting, an evangelical yearly meeting, came to Rwanda in 1986 to start a mission church there. From these small and recent beginnings, Rwanda Yearly Meeting of Friends (Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda) has grown to over 5000 adult members. Learn about the history, manner of worship, yearly meeting structure, use of the Bible, and other aspects of the Friends Church in Rwanda.

Leader: Cecile Nyiramana is Secretary to the Legal Representative (General Secretary), Rwanda Yearly Meeting of Friends.

Friday, August 5

13. Rewriting the Queries & Advices We will read the draft Advices and Queries that have been written by the Faith & Practice Revision Committee during the past three years. Copies are available at the workshop.

Leader: Sheila Bach is a member of the Langley Hill Monthly Meeting, a birthright Friend, and interested in the Quaker aspect of life.

14. Meeting Others in Non-Friends Houses of Worship ***CANCELLED***

Leader: Maurice Boyd has been an attender and member of Friends Meeting of Washington since 1974 and has attended many different Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim services.

15. The Reality of Racism Inclusiveness is a ministry with Divine Love at its center. This interactive workshop will start with sharing of historical and current racism within BYM. Continuing, the next day we will focus on community empowerment and movement toward healing this injustice. Please come early so we can prepare by worshipping together. This is part 1 of a two-part workshop: see #38.

Leader: Vincent Buscemi has facilitated this workshop in NEYM, NYYM, and PYM, for his leading and in accord with FGC goal of enhancing racial and ethnic diversity and eradicating racism within its affiliated yearly and monthly meetings.

16. Experiencing the Bible and Our Quaker Faith through Godly Play This workshop is an introduction to and demonstration of Godly Play, an imaginative approach to Christian religious education for children developed by Jerome W. Berryman. This method's use of story, silence, community building, and experience to give children a language of faith makes it attractive to many Friends. Limit 12

Leader: Michael Gibson has served FGC as Religious Education Coordinator since January 2000.

17. Quaker Marriage - Form, Promise, and Responsibilities The nature and responsibilities of marriage are receiving national attention. Quakers worldwide have a range of marriage practices. Presenting this workshop are two couples working extensively with couples - a Kenyan Quaker pastor and his teacher wife, and a BYM marriage therapist and her husband who present FGC marriage enrichment programs.

Leaders: Joan & Rich Liversidge, Sandy Spring, lead couple enrichment programs under the care of FGC/TMP, and Joan is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice; Samson & Edith Wekesa (East Africa YM) are teachers in Kaimosi, Kenya, where Samson is a part-time Quaker pastor, and both counsel Kenyan Quakers on church weddings and Quaker marriage.

18. Understanding Children and Families of Poverty Based on A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne, this session focuses on behavior patterns, hidden rules, and survival skills of families in economic poverty with attention to the resources needed for success in school and the work place, and the importance of those skills to today's learners.

Leader: Peggy Brown McMaster is a former teacher and school principal who currently leads workshops on understanding poverty and learning.

19. Spiritual Dimensions of Mercy Bring your insights, questions, and experiences about mercy; share what being called to be merciful means in your life. This conversation will be persona, experiential, and prayerful. It will not be a political discussion. Limit 15

Leader: Patti Nesbitt is a certified spiritual and intuitive healer who serves the yearly meeting in many capacities, most notable in the camping programs.

20. Friends Meeting of Washington - A Quaker Presence in the Nation's capital. The city of Washington has always run on two levels-both as the nation's capital and a city where people live. The Meeting's response to these has included vigils at the White House and helping to found FCNL and Penn House, but also has included intergrating playgrounds, housing refugees, and local justice work.

Leaders: Barbara Grant Nnoka, Friends Meeting of Washington.

21. Being Merciful: Indian Casinos, Courts, Congress Some indigenous communities have eked their way out of poverty via strengthened tribal governments and economic development including gambling. While tribes are proud of their progress, derogatory stereotypes of "rich Indians" abound in the media. Perceptions matter, as FCNL asks Congress to "honor the promises" and fulfill trust/fiduciary responsibilities.

Leader: Patricia Powers is a FCNL lobbyist, former social worker, and has a PhD in American cultural studies.

22. How Some Programmed Meetings experience GLBT Friends A panel of Friends from programmed meetings speak of their experience in dealing with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered people in their Meetings. How does a Gay or Lesbian Friend come out in a programmed meeting? How does a parent or family member of a GLBT person share that experience in a Friends Church? How do non-Gay Friends welcome (or otherwise reconcile their faith experience) with GLBT people?

Leader: Panel TBA

23. US Quaker Interaction with African Quakers in an Area of Great Conflict We will learn about Quakers in the Great Lakes region of Africa and their many programs in peacemaking in this troubled region. We will discuss how American Quakers have been involved, including Friends from BYM. The workshop will include a worship sharing format for part of the time where each participant will be given a quote from an African who has attended one of AGLI's Healing and Rebuilding Our Community workshops.

Leader: David Zarembka is the Coordinator of the African Great lakes Initiative sojourning at St. Louis Meeting, and married to Gladys Kamonya from Kenya.

24. Alternatives to Violence (AVP) Appetizer Course See Thursday's description

24A. Clerking: Engaging Mercy and Justice How can clerking model both mercy and justice while conducting God's business? What elements of structure and training can encourage participation, listening, and openheartedness? Bring your experience and your inexperience to share in our conversation towards deepening our Meeting communities.

Leader: Peggy Dyson-Cobb is delighted to share her enthusiasm about native plant propagation and Quaker committees (among other joys) - just ask!

Saturday, August 6

25. How Can Theists and Non-Theists Be Comfortable With Each Other? Quaker tradition cherishes a variety of religious positions. These range from what may be called Quaker fundamentalism to non-theism. We will share with one another our individual views as Quakers on the questions of theism, non-theism, and the personal meaning of each.

Leaders: Dick Bellin, a member of FMW, and George Sinnott, a member of Sandy Spring Meeting, are both active in The Friends conference on Religion and Psychology.

26. Going Deeper: Facilitating the Spiritual Nurture and Growth of Adults in Friends Meetings. Recognizing that religious education is not just for children, or even primarily for children, we will explore together options for nurturing one another as adult Friends through, but not limited to, Friendly books groups, Bible study, adult forums, play, spiritual friendships, and community service.

Leader: Michael Gibson has served FGC as RE Coordinator since 2000.

27. Laboring with lawmakers on the Death Penalty: Lessons from the Virginia Experience Come learn from a network of Virginia Quakers who have been in dialogue with state legislators on death penalty issues for eight years. Although the workshop highlights the Virginia experience, topics will include general death penalty issues and Quaker advocacy strategies that transfer to any state level advocacy campaign.

Leaders: Barbara Ginsburg and Sally Gudas are members of Alexandria Meeting and have co-facilitated the Friends Committee on Commonwealth Legislation, a network of Virginia Quakers who have lobbied state legislators on death penalty topics since 1997.

28. Hearing Stories Amid the Pain: Experiencing and Healing the Laments of Others

Expressing a lament can be deeply healing for the one led to express it and the one led to listen, even if the lament includes anger toward God. Through multi-sensory experiences, participants will develop models for understanding and responding to others in this unique healing relationship. Limit 20

Leaders: Christy Guenther, an ESR graduate who has worked with terminal cancer patients and worked with healing through our experiences of music, and Jeffrey Hamilton, a United Church of Christ minister serving as pastoral counselor and educator in Lancaster, PA, are writing a book about healing the laments of those who are childless.

29. Friends Meeting of Washington - Emergence and Awareness: Uniting with Lesbian and Gay Friends For more than two decades, the Meeting labored, avoided, studied, and search for its sense of the Meeting about the LGBTQ Friends and attenders in its midst. It arrived at a new sense of inclusion and appreciation, and a newunderstanding of what it means to be in community.

Leaders: Barbara Grant Nnoka, FMW historian, and Riley Robinson, FMW Administrative Secretary.

30. Help Increase the Peace Program Are you interested in helping Quaker youth or other youth better understand the principles of non-violent conflict resolution? Do you want to expand the awareness of how to interact more effectively with those who are different from yourself? Come to this workshop and experience a bit of the HIP Program of AFSC.

Leader: Kathryn Liss, National Coordinator of Help Increase the Peace Program, has been teaching non-violent communication for 20 years.

31. Do Let no Child Be Left Unrecruited Participate in exercises to answer the question: How does your life help remove the causes of war? Explore the practical side of the militarization of our schools and society. Consider whether your meeting is prepared for the draft. Think about what a draft will mean for all of us.

Leader: J.E. McNeil, an attorney, member of FMW, and executive director of the Center on Conscience & War.

32. HIV/AIDS and the Impact on Children in Africa - Making a Difference We will talk about how HIV/AIDS has brought about great hardship for those affected by this disease. Learn what can be done to address the needs of some of the children living in Kenya who have been made orphans due to the dreaded HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Leader: Gloria Molenje, a member of Bethesda Meeting, is a Physician Assistant who has attended the last three international AIDS conferences, traveled with Howard University HIV/AIDS Prevention Study tour, and works with her two sons to address the needs of children in Africa.

33. Forgiveness What do these prayers mean: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" and "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?" This workshop addresses the spiritual work involved with forgiving others and ourselves. Discussion with some spiritual exercises. Limit 15

Leader: Patti Nesbitt, a member of Hopewell Centre Meeting, did her research paper for the School of the Spirit's Spiritual Nurturer program on forgiveness.

34. The Miracle Workers: Jesus and George Fox Though Quakers are probably aware that Jesus is said to have worked miracles, they might not know that George Fox himself claimed to have performed over 150 miracles and he discussed these in a book that was never published and has since been lost. This workshop will set the miracles of these two figures side by side by focusing on two books: "My Name is Legion": The Story and Soul of the Gerasene Demoniac, by Michael Willett Newheart, and George Fox's Book of Miracles, edited by Henry J. Cadbury. Copies of both books will be available at the bookstore. Workshop participants will read and discuss some of these miracles, explore their role in the ministries of Jesus and Fox respectively, and examine the place of miracles in Quakerism today.

Leader: Michael Willett Newheart, a member of Adelphi Meeting, teaches New Testament at Howard University School of Divinity.

35. Web Matters Web Managers Unite! Or at least meet together to discuss common concerns, new discoveries, persistent peeves, new found tricks, and useful tools. Gather with us to share experiences and frustrations in the development and maintenance of a website for your meeting. How can we help each other communicate among Friends?

Leader: Jim Rose, a member and past clerk of Patapsco Meeting, complained enough to Frank Massey about the BYM website that Jim was given that assignment.

36. Alternatives to Violence (AVP) Appetizer Course (See Thursday's description)

37. Meeting Challenges, Nurturing our Diversities: Raising Quaker Children of Color This workshop offers a safe space where parenting adults (of all descriptions) can explore how to nurture children of color informed by our Quaker faith. Jean Marie Barch will present psychosocial developmental needs, followed by group discussion of the ways being a child of color influences these needs. Sharing of helpful techniques and strategies, networking, brainstorming, and formulating guiding queries will expand our "successful parenting" abilities. Young Friends are encouraged to participate.

Leader: Jean Marie Preswich-Barch (sojourning at Valley Meeting, member Schuylkill, PYM), is a clinical psychologist and clerk of FGC's Committee for Ministry on Racism.

38. The Reality of Racism (See Friday's description) (This is part 2 of a two-part workshop: see #15.

39. Retaliate with Blessings: 1st Peter 3:9 Peacemaking is fraught with perils There is burnout confronting those committed to non-violent resolution of conflict, bitterness by being exposed to anger of the world and burden by carrying the pain and suffering of the oppressed. We will explore becoming servants of peace and without falling prey to those and other perils. (Experiential 40%, Discussion 35%, Lecture 25%).

Leader: Tom Fox is a member of Langley Hill Meeting and is currently a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq.