The Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools: Facing Our History and Ourselves Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-12-15 | Please review the guidelines for using this recording: bhfh.org/the-quaker-indigenous-boarding-schools-facing-our-history-and-ourselves0:00:00 Institutional welcome0:01:03 Land acknowledgment 0:03:08 Presentation begins0:04:45 Introduction to Paula's research 0:07:05 International and National context for this research 0:11:27 Explanation of Paula's research 0:12:06 Photos from Paula's research trip begin 0:14:38 Three periods of Quaker Indigenous school experience 0:15:15 First period: before the Grant administration 0:25:56 During the Grant administration 0:49:31 After the Grant administration 1:03:05 Current time1:08:24 Queries for discernment
MIDWEEK Feb. 10: Lahari Indraganti | Celebrating Spring Around the World Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-26 | About this MIDWEEK practiceSpring has sprung! It's a time of new growth and new beginnings and people from around the world have their own unique ways of welcoming the season. In this MIDWEEK we will be gleaning wisdom from these different spring celebrations, and participating in a mindfulness and intention-setting exercise.Lahari Indraganti is a Quaker-curious botanist and cooperative-living enthusiast. They care deeply about building community, sustainability, and mindfulness.What is MIDWEEK?In the Quaker tradition of Midweek (Wednesday) worship, Beacon Hill Friends House brings you MIDWEEK: Experiments in Faithfulness. This is a weekly, one-hour, facilitated spiritual practice with Quaker flavor and an experimental ethos. Each week, a guest facilitator engages us in a unique spiritual practice that is meaningful to them, and that we can bring into our own lives.
MIDWEEK March 6: Judah Leblang | Places in the Heart: Using writing to connect with our roots Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-25 | About this MIDWEEK practiceThis midweek is a short writing exercise focused on place/setting and the worlds we come from. Through writing and discussion we'll explore the places that formed us, that fed our hearts and minds.Judah Leblang is a BHFH resident and alum, a writer, teacher, and a storyteller. He's written two memoirs, and he'll be performing his latest one-man show, "The Expiration Date" at BHFH in April. More of his work is on his website at judahleblang.com.
MIDWEEK Feb. 28: Maureen Lanan | Spiritual Vehicles Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-24 | About this MIDWEEK practiceBeep beep! You may have heard tell of spiritual journeys, but what about all those spiritual vehicles? This Midweek, we will step into our metaphorical parking lot and get a chance to describe our favorite vehiclare vehicle. We will examine a few examples like the parts list from a simile by the Buddha, a leap of imagination from a Psalm to a recent appearance in a Quaker Worship, and get a chance to describe our own vehicle. Then, look out, because we will take one out for a spin! BEEP BEEP! Hop on board!Maureen Lanan is a chemist, Quaker, meditator and explorer both spiritually and physically. She travels by canoe, bicycle, foot, public transit and EV mainly in Newton, Massachusetts, with occasional forays all over the country. To accomplish her current ambition to create a better world, she studies the teachings of Ajaan Geoff deGraf (Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu) and enjoys participating in her monthly meeting, Beacon Hill Friends Meeting.
MIDWEEK Feb. 21: Vickie Wu | We Can All Be Ministers! Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-23 | About this MIDWEEK practiceAnyone can be a minister, yes, including you!The word ministry has strong connections to Christian faith traditions, but what if we took away those associations? Anyone has the power to be a positive light in the world, and anyone has the ability to help tend whatever flock you identify as yours in this moment in time and space.If we think about ministry without clergy, what comes up is that the word ministry can map to the word service, and we all can serve! We all can show up for each other, for our communities, for our groups, for the world in radical, loving care.Vickie has a ministry around food, and providing nourishment and healing through food as her way of caring for others. What could your ministry be?Vickie Wu is the current Associate Director at BHFH. She started as BHFH’s resident chef and kitchen manager in April 2017. A former banquet/catering chef, Vickie is amused when people ask her about the challenges of cooking for 20 every day. It’s a cakewalk compared to custom banquets for hundreds of people every day! Vickie grew up just outside of Anaheim, CA, and moved to Worcester, MA for college where she attempted to get a degree in biomedical engineering but ended up with a degree in theatre instead. In her spare time, she continues to enjoy being involved in local community theatre. Occasionally she also updates her blog and website at www.vickiewu.com.
MIDWEEK Feb. 14: Lahari Indraganti | Creative Chaos: Randomness in Art Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-22 | About this MIDWEEK practiceLife is full of uncertainty and embracing the chaos is a true marker of inner-strength. In this midweek, we will be inviting randomness to our art practice by sketching using our less dominant hands, writing found poetry using newspaper clippings, and using a die to help us color in some neurographic art. Join us for an evening of chaotic art making that is both relaxing and mindful.Note: Please be sure to have some paper and pencils for this activityLahari Indraganti is a Quaker-curious botanist and cooperative-living enthusiast. They care deeply about building community, sustainability, and mindfulness.
MIDWEEK Oct. 11: Pamela Williams | Removal, Re-Settlement, Conservation Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-20 | ...
MIDWEEK Dec. 27: Dwight Dunston | Supporting Participants to Develop an Integrity Toolkit Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-20 | ...
Nov. 15: Allison Connelly-Vetter & Bekah Maren Anderson | Engaging Our Bodies with Disability Wisdom Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-19 | ...
MIDWEEK Sept. 27: Christy Randazzo | Sacred Days and Times (HYBRID) Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-18 | About this MIDWEEK practiceThis MIDWEEK practice will be an exploration of the ways that setting aside certain days and times to remember people and events of significant spiritual importance can help us give deeper meaning to our days, and offer intimate connection with the Divine.Christy Randazzo (pronouns: they/them) is a convinced Friend and a member of Haddonfield Friends Meeting in Haddonfield, NJ, USA. Christy is a theologian and teacher, whose work has been engaged in bridging the divide between the contemplative nature of theological writing with the active, lived theology of congregational life.
MIDWEEK Jan. 31: Joann Neuroth | Expectantly Waiting for Guidance Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-17 | About this MIDWEEK practiceIt's easy to confuse thinking (sometimes deeply and reverently even) about a decision with actually asking for Divine Guidance. This practice, spiritual companioning, coupled with a deliberate intention of following the received guidance to see what happens and what opens next, builds a cycle of experimentation and continuous revelation in partnership with Spirit. Practitioners report being startled at the surprisingly concrete and pragmatic steps that come to them during this waiting, opening space.The practice involves a focus person who opens themselves to Spirit's guidance and reports what comes to them.... and witnessing companions who reflect what they've heard and affirm where they can feel Spirit moving. We'll take a two-part series to address first (on Jan. 31) how a speaker asks for guidance in good faith, and the second (on Feb. 7) to practice how the witnessing companions respond supportively.Joann is a longtime member of Red Cedar Friends (RCF) Monthly Meeting in Lansing Michigan, and active in Lake Erie Yearly Meeting (LEYM). She is a frequent leader of workshops at FGC Gathering and LEYM. During 2024 she and Adria Gulizia will be leading a two-year SotS residential program entitled, "God's Promise Fulfilled."
MIDWEEK Dec. 20: Vickie Wu | Tending your Inner Fire Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-14 | About this MIDWEEK practiceIn many faiths and traditions, the Winter Solstice is a time for renewal and reflection. As we embrace the longest night, we also look forward to the renewal and return of the Light.Join us at Beacon Hill Friends House for an evening of guided meditation and reflection as we gather around the Meeting Room fireplace for the Winter Solstice. During our time together, we will reflect on what we need to let go of and what we need forrekindling our own Inner Fire during this celebration of light and darkness.Vickie Wu is the current Associate Director at BHFH. She started as BHFH’s resident chef and kitchen manager in April 2017. A former banquet/catering chef, Vickie is amused when people ask her about the challenges of cooking for 20 every day. It’s a cakewalk compared to custom banquets for hundreds of people every day! Vickie grew up just outside of Anaheim, CA, and moved to Worcester, MA for college where she attempted to get a degree in biomedical engineering but ended up with a degree in theatre instead. In her spare time, she continues to enjoy being involved in local community theatre. Occasionally she also updates her blog and website at www.vickiewu.com.
MIDWEEK Nov. 8: Jen Newman | Rewriting the lyrics Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-13 | About this MIDWEEK practiceDo you have a hymn or other song of praise for God/the Divine that you love, and feels worshipful to you, but the lyrics give you pause?In this MIDWEEK, Jen will introduce folks to new versions of popular Christian hymns that offer us different language than traditionally sung, and will lead us through a creative opportunity to re-write the lyrics to a song that means something to you.Jen Newman is a Quaker, theologian, writer, activist, and currently the Executive Director at Beacon Hill Friends House. Another fun fact: Jen used to lead worship for Evangelical congregations, and finds that singing still makes her feel in touch with the divine.
MIDWEEK Nov. 1: Cat Green | Sites of Memory: a guided meditation Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-12 | About this MIDWEEK practiceMemory is powerful. It can transport us back in time, for better or for worse. Memory has a complicated relationship to physical space; at times, the two can seem so intertwined as to be inseparable, and other times, we can lose all sense of the relationship between the two. In a meditation that borrows from the historical field of memory studies, we'll explore sites of memory in our own lives.Cat Green is a Boston-based writer with a focus on history, memory, gender, and religion. They are the Flash Fiction Editor at JAKE, and a Reader at Abode Press. Their work has been published in a number of small presses and they are a 2023 Best of the Net nominee. You can connect with Cat at cmgreenwrites.com.
MIDWEEK : Dec. 13 Lahari Indraganti | Envisioning a Brighter Future: An Exercise in Active Hope Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-11 | About this MIDWEEK practiceClimate grief can be all-encompassing in its scope and utterly exhausting in how unrelenting it is. Cultivating hope can not only be reassuring, it can galvanize action. Drawing from Joanna Macy’s work on Active Hope, this workshop will ask participants to collectively visualize a better world and meditate in the possibilities.This is the second part of a series on climate grief.Lahari Indraganti is a botanist and Quaker-curious resident at Beacon Hill Friends House. She cares deeply about sustainability and building radical hope during times of distress.
MIDWEEK Sept. 20: Virginia Swain | Reconciling Relationships and Building Trusting Communities Beacon Hill Friends House 2024-07-11 | About this MIDWEEK practiceIn this MIDWEEK practice, participants will be introduced to the practice of Reconciliation Leadership through an experientialexercise in which participants engage in imaging/visioning (developed by Quaker Elder and Peacebuilder, Elise Boulding) - one of the key tools of Reconciliation Leadership work. Please have paper and colored markers for the exercise.This MIDWEEK is a taste of an NEYM program in Reconciliation Leadership (RL), committed to revitalize Meetings post Covid, which begins early 2024, and is being adapted for Friends from a leading at the United Nations over 30 years.Since 1991, Virginia Swain has developed a body of knowledge through prayer, reflection, study, and practice, to educate a cross-sectoral group of Reconciliation Leaders. Founder and director of the Institute for Global Leadership, Virginia is an organization development consultant, mediator, ombudsperson, certified professional holistic counselor, mentor, and facilitator. Learn more about Virginia and her work here.
BHFH Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial Lecture 2023: Theologically Sound with nova george Beacon Hill Friends House 2023-11-09 | Our annual Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial lecture, endowed in honor of longtime BHFH Directors Ernest and Esther Weed, features a prominent interpreter of Quakerism speaking on a topic of interest to Friends in New England and beyond.For 2023, our speaker is nova george, with the lecture: "Theologically Sound."The Truth I understand is that there is something meaningful about music that changes those who listen to it, sing it, make it, feel it. Music is a conversation between the divine and the artist, the artist and the experiencer, the experiencer and the divine— it is a conversation I’d love to engage you in.Theologically Sound is a search for meaning, play, and creativity. The purpose of this offering is to share what I witness as sacred interaction between music and Silence. As a deeply spiritual person and musician, the moments I am singing, dancing, embodying rhythm and melody are the moments I feel closest to touching the creator energy that lives within me that makes me know I contain that of God. It is the energy of being in tune, in harmony, in sync with all that is.If creativity, music, and faith are of interest to you, I hope that this interactive lecture will give you something like resonance. I welcome discord and dissonance— there is room in music for blue notes, too. Faith isn’t all perfect 5th intervals and major chords. It isn’t all pop hits. There is value in improvisational jazz and there are foundational lessons in throaty chants. There is release in drums and heavy metal. There is liberation in a cappella.As Friends, we worship in Silence. So let us venture into worship with the other side of Silence as our starting point. I hope to nourish the song that lives inside of me with this presentation of Theologically Sound as the Weed Memorial Lecture. For those F/friends joining, I hope you find something like a song inside of you too.About nova georgenova is a dreamer, wonderer, and poet with a deep interest in the Hebrew Bible and the ways faith informs imaginings and realities with regards to community, belonging, and inclusion. nova’s eyes light up in conversation about the pedagogical impact of technology in classrooms, liberation theologies, black literature as sacred text, and ritual and spiritual practice. You might find nova lounging in a Brooklyn café having a cup of herbal tea, singing to a tree in their backyard, or dreaming about the world they hope to co-create with all of you.
BHFH Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial Lecture 2022 - Rage against the system, tend joy and connection Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-11-08 | "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue ... I just referred to the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension ... Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." - Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham JailOur annual Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial lecture, endowed in honor of longtime BHFH Directors Ernest and Esther Weed, features a prominent interpreter of Quakerism speaking on a topic of interest to Friends in New England and beyond.For 2022, our speaker is Dwight Dunston, with the lecture: "Rage against the system, Tend joy and connection: Understanding Kingian nonviolence and its intersection with the Quaker peace testimony."Two years ago, Dwight Dunston started on a path toward becoming a nonviolent facilitator through a course rooted in Kingian nonviolence — and what he learned surprised him.In addition to Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence, which many of us (in a US context) are familiar with, there was a strong methodology around how to put into practice the principles of nonviolence that Dwight realized he hadn't known about.In this lecture, Dwight will help us explore the pieces of Kingian nonviolence, specifically around how we're called to act in nonviolence, that have been moving for him. Dwight will do this through three modalities: a 30-minute lecture, a 30-minute conversation with a partner from BHFH, and some audience Question and Answer for the remaining time.Friends have a testimony for peace — which is focused on a strong stand against armed conflict and war. Quakers were also at the forefront of the civil rights and freedom movement alongside King and others like Bayard Rustin. Dwight is inviting Friends in this lecture to sit with: How does the Quaker peace testimony move us today?Dwight Dunston aka Duns is a West Philly-based facilitator, hip-hop artist, educator, and activist with roots in the Carolinas and deeper roots in West Africa. His passions/gifts include supporting folks to tap into their superpowers and supporting communities to develop the tools, skills, and techniques to stay connected across different identities.Dwight served as the Coordinator of Equity and Justice Education at Friends Central School where he also coached track and field and co-developed two courses in the Literature department on the Black experience in 20th century America and exploring the meaning of love and community in the anthropocene. He is a trainer with AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance) and also a trainer and Relationship Manager with Lion’s Story, a Philadelphia-based org that uses Dr. Howard Stevenson’s theory on racial literacy to support individuals to develop skills in navigating racially stressful encounters.In 2020, Dwight co-led a 5-week project on Black + Asian Solidarity with 25 folks across the country and in 2021 co-led a 4-part series on Black Healing Spaces with his older sister. These two experiences have inspired him at this point in his life to deeply explore themes of solidarity, forgiveness, grief, rage, and joy in his art, conversations, and spiritual practices. As an artist, he is a founding member of the nine-piece hip-hop group Hardwork Movement and the musical group City Love, and has performed at schools, venues, and festivals across the country, sharing the stage with Questlove, Talib Kweli, Michelle Alexander, Jonathon Kozol, and many others.
MIDWEEK February 23: Dr. Angela Parker | Breathing In in the Midst of Stifled Breath Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-05-13 | The breath is fundamental, but the weight of overlapping oppressions can hinder our connection with our breath. Breath is all the more important for those engaging in any kind of activism. In this MIDWEEK, we will learn a breath practice for social justice advocates. Join us to center yourself in your body in the midst of a world that would deny your breath.Angela N. Parker, Ph.D. is assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, Atlanta, GA. She has written many articles and essays and is the author of If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I? Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority (2021). Dr. Parker is ordained with the Missionary Baptist Association.
MIDWEEK February 9: Nikki Mosgrove | Discerning Divine Purpose Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-05-13 | In this MIDWEEK, we will practice discerning one’s divine calling. Is Spirit leading you on a new or different path? Learn how listening to the “still small voice” within can open new doors and transform your life!Nikki Mosgrove is an active Member of Trenton Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and serves on the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Administrative Council. Additionally, she is on the Board of Trustees of the Friends Foundation for Aging and the School of the Spirit Quaker Ministry.A Trenton native, she attended Northfield Mount Hermon School for high school, holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College, a Master’s degree from Seton Hall University and a certificate in nonprofit management from LaSalle University’s School of Business. In 2019, she founded a Quaker nonprofit called Nia Ministries. You can find out more about Nia Ministries at niaministries.org.
MIDWEEK February 16: Marcelle Martin and Hilary Burgin | Receptive to the Gathered Meeting Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-04-05 | The experience of gathering for meeting presents challenges, both internal and external. But the rewards of being truly present in meeting are endless. In this MIDWEEK, we will explore practices that will help us be receptive to the experience of a gathered meeting.Hilary Burgin is Executive Director of Quaker Voluntary Service. Marcelle Martin is the author of Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey, and A Guide to Faithfulness Groups. Marcelle and Hilary have led retreats and workshops across the United States and are core teachers for the 9-month program, "Nurturing Faithfulness."
MIDWEEK January 26: Sofia Post | Mapping Out a Happiness Plan Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-04-05 | In this Happiness Planning practice, we will be planning out our happiness for the next few months like we would a business proposal, an investment plan, or a career change outline. We will be paying as much attention to our personal and spiritual fulfillment as we routinely do to other external concerns.Sofia is a BHFH program fellow, studying exercise science at Simmons University. They have a passion for wellness and apply creative ways to achieve a holistically well life.
Nurturing Faithfulness Promo Video 2022-2023 Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-04-05 | neym.org/nurturingfaithfulness22-23
Feb. 27, 2022: Call to Loving Action for the Earth, Part 2 Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-03-30 | Video InfoTitle: Call to Loving Action for the Earth, Part 2Description: Watch this video to learn about steps that are being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the state and local level. The video also outlines state and municipal level policy, as well as advocacy opportunities and steps you can take to reduce your own carbon footprint (e.g., emissions from heating and cooling your home, transportation, and food). The program was recorded on February 27, 2022, and hosted by the Right Relations Working Group of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting. For more info about the Right Relations Working Group: http://rightrelationsworkinggroup.orgNotes and Resource Links from the Climate Program at Beacon Hill Friends MeetingFebruary 27, 2022Sponsored by BHFM Right Relations Working GroupState Policy Activity:- Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap and an interim 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan published 12/2020- An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy signed by Governor Baker on 3/26/2021- Clean Heat Commission established on 9/20/2021- Future of Gas Draft Reports released 2/15/2022; utility and stakeholder process underwayAdvocacy and Engagement Opportunities:- Mass Audubon (legislative updates, green power options, green municipal power aggregation, municipal climate vulnerability preparedness) massaudubon.org/our-conservation-work/climate-change/organize-advocate- Massachusetts Climate Action Network (current focus on municipal utilities, Peabody peaker plant, and East Boston substation siting)facebook.com/MassClimateAction - Boston Climate Action Network (green buildings/deep energy retrofits, community choice electricity, gas leaks and pipelines, community resilience, home weatherization)bostoncan.org Energy Efficiency:- Nationwide, energy efficiency can cut US greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 and get the United States halfway toward its climate goalsMassachusetts is a leader in energy efficiency through its award-winning MassSave program. - Opportunities for rebates and incentives: - Weatherization (proper weatherization can save can save you up to 20% on your heating and cooling costs; MassSave offers 75% off cost of insulation and no cost air sealing) - Electrification (heat pumps are a key strategy to move away from fossil fuels as electricity generation relies on more wind/solar over time – you can currently get up to $15,000 in incentives per home and zero percent financing from MassSave) - Demand response (adjusting when you use energy to even out demand on the electrical grid, which requires less infrastructure to be built for the peak hour; more important as we move towards electrification of heating and electric vehicles, incentives for batteries and thermostats – look for Connected Solutions on Mass Save website)masssave.comElectric Vehicles:∙ Drive Green/Green Energy Consumers Alliance – great source of information. Allowsyou to shop for new or used EVs and in some cases get discounts. greenenergyconsumers.org/drivegreen∙ EVs Offer Big Savings Over Traditional Gas-Powered Cars. consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/evs-offer-big-savings-over-traditional-gas-powered-cars∙ Electric Vehicle Tax Credits: What You Need to Know. edmunds.com/fuel-economy/the-ins-and-outs-of-electric-vehicle-tax-credits.html∙ Electric Vehicle Batteries: Addressing Questions about Critical Materials and Recycling. ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/ev-battery-recycling-fact-sheet.pdf
MIDWEEK January 19: Taylor Lena McTootle | Rainbow Meditation Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-02-04 | Join us for a poetry practice that involves the chakras. Participants will move from the root chakra on up through the crown using visualizations. At each stage, participants will write a few lines of poetry. At the end, participants should have a complete work, that moves through their very own body.Taylor Lena McTootle is a writer and educator from the Washington DC area. She is currently Director of Education for a Black artistry organization in Boston, Castle of Our Skins. Taylor shares culture and theory through programming and curriculum building there. She loves a good story, even more so, a good pun, and is so excited to join Beacon Hill Friends House for a day!
Jan. 25, 2022: “Supporting Vocation: Helping Students Navigate a Neoliberal Culture” Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-02-03 | An event in the Quaker Leadings in Higher Education SeriesJen and Greg have been developing a vocational discernment curriculum for college students and young adults rooted in Quaker practices for Quakers and non-Quakers alike. In this presentation, they shared key concepts and practical tools and activities from that work, which can help students engage their own inner teacher and values, and continue to grapple with questions of vocation in a changing world.Their work is being supported by the Forum for Theological Exploration and the Lyman Fund.You can see the resources from the event on the Friends Association for Higher Education here: quakerfahe.com/quaker-leadings-in-higher-education-series/#January-2022Presenters:Jennifer Higgins-NewmanProgram DirectorBeacon Hill Friends HouseMaster of Theological StudiesVanderbilt Divinity SchoolGreg WoodsProgram ConsultantBeacon Hill Friends HouseMaster of DivinityPrinceton Theological SeminaryModerator:Walter Hjelt SullivanDirector of Quaker AffairsHaverford College
MIDWEEK December 8: Elizabeth Sutterlin | Finding Poetic Spirit Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-02-01 | Poets across times, geographies, and faiths have long used poetry to express their spirituality. Poems can help us relate to the rest of creation and connect the everyday human experience to the transcendent. Whether metered or free verse, epic poem or haiku, poetry engages our minds in reflection and creativity that can spur spiritual growth and change in both the writer and the reader.This Midweek session will introduce poetry as a method for expressing spirituality through reading selected pieces from poets whose faiths guided their work. Participants will have the opportunity to practice generating their own spiritual poetry.Elizabeth Sutterlin is a poet and writer deeply interested in the relational and healing power of poetry. She draws frequent inspiration from the natural world, and can be found hiking through all manner of parks when she isn’t writing. She works at an international nonprofit in Washington, DC.
MIDWEEK December 1: Cat Green | Floralegia and the Last Unicorn Beacon Hill Friends House 2022-01-04 | What if we treated all texts as sacred texts? In this practice, we'll read excerpts of the Last Unicorn using the spiritual practice of Florilegia. In Florilegia we find "sparklets," words or phrases that speak to us, and put them in conversation with each other to see what new truth is revealed. By practicing florilegia with others, we gain more insight than we can on our own. This practice allows us to take apart texts and put them back together to craft new meaning.Cat Green is a program fellow at the Friends House. They were raised Catholic and have stumbled into a sort of agnostic spirituality. They write, play the piano poorly, and enjoy being in deep relationships with their friends and family.
MIDWEEK November 17: Derek Lamson | Praying the Occupation Without and the Monsters Within Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-12-13 | In this MIDWEEK we venture into the unusual — the story of the Gerasene Demoniac found in Mark 5:1-20. This story is the most embellished episode of an exorcism found in the book of Mark, is filled with military imagery (the demon calls itself "legion" a Roman military term), and is not a commonly discussed text in Quaker circles.Derek Lamson will guide us through the story that has been meaningful in his own spiritual life, and is the foundation of his new graphic novel project: Mark V: The Opera, which will be published by Barclay Press in about a year.“I look forward to meeting you all and doing some digging into the story of the Gadarene Demoniac as a fable for our times and ourselves. You might want to re-read this before we meet, and maybe we'll even let our own demons out for a short trot ...”Derek is a Christ-centered, progressive, Oregonian Quaker. He says he's a guitar player and scribbler with a side-hustle as a school teacher ... and in a good light he really is that handsome! You can connect with Derek at dereklamson.org
MIDWEEK November 10: Blaine Saito | Reflections on Creation Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-12-13 | "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen 1:1)."This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." (Gen 2:4)In Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible, there are two versions of creation. They do not follow the same timeline, they share different accounts of how the Earth and humans were created, and they may even contradict each other. So, if we take the Bible as an integrated whole, what do we do with what appears to be two different accounts that don't work well together? Rooted in Jewish tradition and theology, this MIDWEEK will help us explore ways of making meaning of these two stories.Blaine G. Saito is a current resident of the Beacon Hill Friends House, and serves as the Treasurer of the organization. He enjoys the wonderful communal living at the House and its diverse programming based on Quaker values, broader pluralism, and social justice. Blaine is currently an Assistant Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law, where his research focuses in the area of taxation. Outside of that, Blaine enjoys choral music, swimming, and attending to his Jewish spiritual life.
MIDWEEK November 3: Jen Newman | Re-writing the Lyrics of Praise Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-11-04 | Do you have a hymn or other song of praise for God/the Divine that you love, and feels worshipful to you, but the lyrics give you pause? In this MIDWEEK, Jen will introduce folks to new versions of popular Christian hymns that offer us different language than traditionally sung, and will lead us through a creative opportunity to re-write the lyrics to a song that means something to you. Jen Newman is a Quaker, theologian, writer, activist, and currently the Program Director at Beacon Hill Friends House. Another fun fact: Jen used to lead worship for Evangelical congregations, and finds that singing still makes her feel in touch with the divine.
MIDWEEK Oct. 6: Keira Wilson | Foundations In Community - Living Authentically Together Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-11-04 | In this MIDWEEK, Keira will offer us practice in understanding our personal positionality (how who we are/our identities show up differently in different communities and contexts), finding power in being our own change-maker, and learning how small steps can build a habit of radical self-love - and the foundation of our community in Quakerism. Keira Wilson acts as a civic boundary spanner and career coach at Grinnell College, building creative spaces and leveraging service with community through a futurist and feminist lens. She believes we learn who we are through a tenacious pursuit of self-knowledge, the letting go of fear to offer our unique form of generosity, and living genuinely through challenging spaces. Utilizing Quaker values in her work, Keira is a host for The Dinner Party, navigating conversations on grief, co-clerk for FGC’s 2022 Gathering, and community engagement coordinator of Philadelphia's Vaudevillian New Year Brigade. You can connect with Keira at: linkedin.com/in/keira-wilson
MIDWEEK October 13: Shulamith (Barbara) Eagle | Developing a “Regeneration of Joy! Plan” Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-11-04 | Ask yourself, What nurtures my spirit? What daily practices do I need to do to develop my spiritual muscles? What’s standing in my way? Developing a “Rule of Life” has helped people for hundreds of years to get specific and serious—though with joy and hope and a light touch—about becoming the person they want to be.Instead of a Rule of Life, call it “Way to an Exuberance of Life!” or “Guide to Inspiration” or “Celebration of My Gifts.” Or perhaps “Regeneration of Joy Plan,” “Plan for Delighting in God!” or “Guide for Transformation.” Call it whatever makes it attractive to you. Your Rule should not be dry, dull, or onerous, but something that you love to do, that inspires, transforms, and empowers! Through examples, discussion, and time for contemplation, figure out what you need and what is taking priority away from that. Begin a plan to have room in your life for what’s essential to your spirit—and therefore to your joy. For the contemplation portion, have handy a journal, or art materials, or whatever helps you think about or visualize your life.Shulamith has taught workshops all her life. Since becoming a Quaker, she has done so for monthly and quarterly Meetings in Vermont, Seattle, and the Philadelphia and Chicago areas, for New England Yearly Meeting, for FGC, and soon at Pendle Hill. Shulamith is an interfaith spiritual director. Learn more about Shulamith at www.FeelingMuchBetter.org
Introduction to HeArt-Filled Racial Justice with LJ Boswell Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-27 | Register for our course beginning November 4th at bhfh.org/heart-filled-racial-justice
MIDWEEK September 29: Susannah Larry | Listening to Trauma Survivors in Scripture Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-21 | Often, readers of the Bible can become overwhelmed by the violence of the text, especially if they are trauma survivors themselves. But what if we could refocus our reading of the Bible to center the voices of trauma survivors, especially those who have experienced sexual violence? Join Dr. Susannah Larry as she explores how we can re-read Scripture attuned to the wholeness of survivors of sexual violence, both in the Bible and in our world.Susannah is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and author of Leaving: Silence: Sexualized Violence, the Bible, and Standing with Survivors. She has three young daughters and lives in Elkhart, Indiana.
Sarah Gant | Knitted Together: Mystical Experience and Community Discernment Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-21 | The 2021 Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial LectureOur annual Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial lecture, endowed in honor of longtime BHFH Directors Ernest and Esther Weed, features a prominent interpreter of Quakerism speaking on a topic of interest to Friends in New England and beyond.For 2021, our speaker was Sarah Gant, with the lecture: "Knitted Together: Mystical Experience and Community Discernment."Quakerism offers an invitation to mystical union with the Divine. But how do practitioners enter into this space of transformed consciousness? And, emerging from it, how does one discern how to live in relationship with that experience?The 2021 Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial Lecture takes a quick romp around the cultural shifts and practices that shaped Christian mysticism, the context of early Quakerism, and the role of community in accompanying those engaged in this profound journey now.While mysticism is not unique to Quakerism, the idea that the discernment of the authenticity of experience rests in community, is unique. How do communities find the unifying love to take on this discernment with care and wisdom?Sarah Gant (Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, Boston) served on NEYM Permanent Board from 2007–2019, and as clerk from 2016–2019. She recently clerked the Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group of Permanent Board and currently serves on the NEYM Ministry Transition Team as well as her meeting's Ministry & Counsel and oversight committees for Friends carrying ministry. She has an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School.
Telling the unvarnished history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Oct. 9, 2021) Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-19 | Slavery and segregation were not just in the South. The slave economy in New England was brought in by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and segregation still existed in our area as recently as 1964.In this event, Nur Shoop of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire tells us some of the unvarnished black history of our region from the slave trade to civil rights. She tells stories of resilience, versatility and courage. It is essential to acknowledge and know our past in order to understand and address the systemic inequities and continued racial struggles in our society.After Nur's presentation, LJ Boswell offers us a guided opportunity for participants to reflect and process.Nur Shoop is a Sankofa Scholar and lead tour guide with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire and has been with BHTNH 8 years. Nur runs the "Thirst for Freedom tour," which focuses on the Portsmouth area's slave economy through the civil rights movement. An experienced tour guide, Nur has developed key strategies for sharing and interpreting conflicting histories, and is certified as a guide by the National Association for Interpretation (https://www.interpnet.com). Learn more at: blackheritagetrailnh.org/sankofa-guided-walking-toursLJ Boswell is white, a Quaker, educator, interfaith chaplain, social justice activist and artist. As such, LJ nourishes curiosity and creativity in order for us to process, heal and come alive! They offer Spiritual Direction, anti-racist education and social justice coaching to groups and individuals. For more info: lj@spiritheals.me | www.spiritheals.me
MIDWEEK September 22: Egan Millard & Jeff Edenberg | The Poetic Spirit of Mary Oliver Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-16 | Mary Oliver (1935-2019), the most widely beloved American poet of the 21st century, used the natural beauty of Cape Cod as a source of spiritual insight. We'll read her poetry, share what it evokes in us, and use creative exercises to enter the meditative space she creates.Egan Millard is a poet and journalist. His poetry has been published in anthologies in Alaska and New England. Currently, he lives in Boston and works as an assistant editor and writer for the Episcopal News Service.Jeff Edenberg is the Residency and Operations Director here at Beacon Hill Friends House.
MIDWEEK: LJ Boswell: HeART-filled Racial Justice: Creating a Personal Mandala Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-10-04 | Racial Justice work can feel challenging in many different ways. What is it you most need to remember at this moment? What gifts and strengths do you bring? What is it you are challenged to do? What does faithfulness look like for you in regards to racial justice? What do you need to renew? Through a heart-centered guided meditation, take the time to reflect on these and other queries. Then accompanied by centering music, create a personal mandala you can later use to remind yourself of your own journey towards racial justice. LJ Boswell is white, a spiritual director, Quaker, educator, interfaith chaplain, social justice activist and artist. As such, LJ nourishes curiosity and creativity in order for us to process, heal and come alive! For more info: lj@spiritheals.me | www.spiritheals.me
MIDWEEK June 9: Karen Tibbals | How can we see that of God in those we dislike? Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-07-07 | Our country is divided. We don't talk to each other. How can we learn to love one another and bring peace? Karen Tibbals has mined the latest in psychology research to find a commonality that we all have and can use to help us see the other in a new way. Endorsed by Richard Rohr, Karen's book is a "helpful guide to understanding people in new way, so you can talk to them more productively." Karen Tibbals is a passionate researcher and author who came to writing books after studying why people act the way they do for decades as part of her successful corporate career in marketing researcher. She took a detour from her career for a degree in Religion and Quaker Studies from Earlham School of Religion. She was so excited about what she learned that it totally changed how she thought about life! To capture these thoughts, she written two books about how these theories apply to life and to marketing and marketing research. Learn more about Karen's work at: persuadedontpreach.com
MIDWEEK June 16: Sarah Freeman-Woolpert | Finding our place in movements for social change Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-07-03 | Each of us has an important role to play in the powerful social movements of our time, from addressing the climate crisis to ending endless wars. In this session, we will use creative approaches to examine Bill Moyer's Four Roles of Social Activism as a tool to understand how we can feel most connected, effective, and empowered as we work for social transformation. Sarah Freeman-Woolpert is the National Field Organizer at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. She is also a writer and Associate Editor for Waging Nonviolence, one of the leading online publications about nonviolent social movements, and has worked as a youth facilitator in the U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina leading programs on activism and social change. You can read Sarah's writing at: www.wagingnonviolence.org, and check out Sarah's work at: www.fcnl.org
Walking with the Bible, June 6, 2021: Lynette Davis on Psalm 139:1-12 & 23-24 Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-06-22 | ...
MIDWEEK May 19: Jennifer Newman | Meditations on hazelnuts and a Mobius strip Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-06-16 | “And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.'"In this practice, Jen will offer some meditations and embodied practices to ground and challenge us, based on mystic Julian of Norwich's life and thought. Participants should bring a piece of paper, and a hazelnut (if possible). Jen Newman is a Quaker, mystic, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She is a member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, and she holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Jen writes for the Barclay Press Illuminate series, serves on the NEYM host committee for gatherings of spiritual life and ministry, and is looking forward to sharing a spiritual practice dear to her heart.
The Gatherings: A conversation with the authors hosted by Beacon Hill Friends House Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-06-14 | “In a world that requires knowledge and wisdom to address developing crises around us, The Gatherings shows how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can come together to create meaningful and lasting relationships.” - The Gatherings book description.In this book talk, BHFH Program Manager Jen Higgins-Newman will moderate a conversation between The Gatherings co-authors gkisedtanamoogk (Mashpee Wampanoag), Alma Brooks (Maliseet, St. Mary's Reserve, New Brunswick), Marilyn Roper (Quaker, Houlton, ME), and Shirley Hager (Quaker, Chesterville, ME).Your can purchase your own copy of the book at utorontopress.com/us/the-gatherings-3.Full Description of the Book:In a world that requires knowledge and wisdom to address developing crises around us, The Gatherings shows how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can come together to create meaningful and lasting relationships.Thirty years ago, in Wabanaki territory – a region encompassing the state of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes – a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals came together to explore some of the most pressing questions at the heart of Truth and Healing efforts in the United States and Canada. Meeting over several years in long-weekend gatherings, in a Wabanaki-led traditional Council format, assumptions were challenged, perspectives upended, and stereotypes shattered. Alliances and friendships were formed that endure to this day.The Gatherings tells the moving story of these meetings in the words of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. Reuniting to reflect on how their lives were changed by their experiences and how they continue to be impacted by them, the participants share the valuable lessons they learned.The many voices represented in The Gatherings offer insights and strategies that can inform change at the individual, group, and systems levels. These voices affirm that authentic relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – with their attendant anxieties, guilt, anger, embarrassments, and, with time, even laughter and mutual affection – are key to our shared futures here in North America. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we come together to reimagine.MawopiyaneGwen BearThe Reverend Shirley BowenAlma H. Brooks/Zapawey-kweygkisedtanamoogkJoAnn HughesDebbie LeightonBarb MartinMiigam’aganT. Dana MitchellWayne A. NewellBetty PetersonMarilyn Keyes RoperWesley RothermelAfterword by Dr. Frances Hancock*To reflect the collaborative nature of this project, the word Mawopiyane is used to describe the full group of co-authors. Mawopiyane, in Passamaquoddy, literally means "let us sit together," but the deeper meaning is of a group coming together, as in the longhouse, to struggle with a sensitive or divisive issue – but one with a very desirable outcome. It is a healing word and one that is recognizable in all Wabanaki languages.
MIDWEEK June 2, 2021: David Coletta and Jen Newman | Exploring Hybridity Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-06-08 | Check out the interactive slideshow results at: bhfh.org/exploring-hybridityAs the world changes quickly around us, it is unclear what the future of programming will look like, exactly. What we do know is that we have learned a lot about the value of both in-person gatherings (as we reflect on what we've missed) and online opportunities (for accessibility and connecting across geographic areas). As we move into the future of creating connections and being together, how can we learn from this year, and think creatively about engaging the future? In this MIDWEEK, we'll explore some possibilities around hybrid programming, and invite audience members to think expansively and hold expectations lightly as we explore hybridity together. As a teenager in the late 1970s, David came to Quakers through the NEYM Young Friends program, and volunteered as staff for another decade. Completing a first career in technology and yearning to focus on people rather than machines, he discovered that the pandemic created the ideal conditions for him to find that work. David’s leading is to serve Quaker meetings and organizations by exploring faithful use of technology that supports worship and community. David is also a dad, the CTO of a cannabis startup, a podcaster, and one of the hosts of Three Rivers worship group.Jen Newman is a Quaker, mystic, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She is a member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, and she holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School.
MIDWEEK May 26, 2021: Hazel Monae | Sound of the Genuine: Howard Thurman as a Spiritual Teacher Beacon Hill Friends House 2021-06-07 | "There is something in every one of you that waits, listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself." - Howard Thurman Ready to let the sound of the genuine flow through you? Ready to cultivate practices that tune you to your authentic self? During this practice, participants will draw on the commencement address of Howard Thurman and explore practices that will help your discern our authentic spiritual voices.Hazel enjoys seeing the world through travel, eating spicy food and laughing heartily. She received her BA from Willamette University and her M.Div from Boston University. She is a proud aunt, skilled in the art of word searches, loves to sing and is a huge fan of orca whales. Learn more about Hazel at: www.hazelmonae.com
