Intergenerational Book Groups (QuakerBooks)

For small meetings or meetings that wish to increase the contact of young people with the adults in the meeting, an intergenerational book group may be ideal.

For several weeks the meeting may wish to combine the young adult First Day school with Adult First Day School or may wish to establish a mid-week or after meeting session to engage the whole meeting in grounded study of a text. Mary Snyder, author of Bringing Religious Education Home suggests convening small ‘covenant groups’ in which 4-5 families come together for a potluck and group reflection on foundational Quaker and Biblical texts. The key to a successful book group experience is skilled facilitation and the selection of appropriate titles for the age range of the group.

A successful structure of the book group will include time for silent worship before and after the reading and/or worshipful sharing about the book or story and ongoing throughout each session. Some meetings may choose to read a shorter text to the entire group, with skilled readers taking turns, rather than asking the group to read before the session. This technique is especially helpful when younger children are included in the group. Each session should be facilitated by one person who is skilled at keeping the session grounded in worship and can think ahead in order to keep all participants engaged. Taking the time to plan some thoughtful, open-ended questions for the group to consider is an important role for the facilitator and making a space for this reflection after the worship or group reading is important.

Openness to responses to the text other than worshipful discussion after the discussion can be helpful. Depending on the text, facilitators may wish to plan for drawing in response to the text, acting out the story, building a scene from the text in blocks, planting seeds together or some other response. Creating some time and space to play together will enhance the experience, though simply responding worshipfully to a well told or read text can make for a very rewarding time together.

When younger children are involved, selecting vivid stories or poems to be read and reflected upon will be the best choice. In this case it may be appropriate for one person to prepare the reading and/or telling of the stories. An energetically told story can be an excellent opening for sharing. Having some carefully thought out wonder questions and queries for the participants can also help lead the group into a more focused consideration of the text. There are many foundational Quaker stories that can be approached from many levels in a mixed-age group. The stories in Lighting Candles in the Dark and Mary Snyder’s Quakers I & II are all rich with nuance and meaning. Reading these in a mixed-age group can illuminate the many layers more fully than if a group of all the same age were studying the stories.

When older elementary children or young adults are involved, the group may still choose to read the texts together. This puts less pressure on the participants to prepare and ensures that everyone is responding to the same text, as well as giving the group a time to focus together and share stories at the same time. Many older children and young adults are fine readers and this gives the older children a chance to share this gift with the group. Including time for a play presentation, drawing or some other response with this older group may be a wonderful addition to the experience, though it is not necessary. There are a few books which are well set up for this kind of group study, with distinct chapters that can be read with time in between and which even include study questions. Lives that Speak: Stories of Twentieth Century Quakers is an excellent resource for intergenerational study. The book is divided into chapters that focus on a different Friend, with study questions and suggested activities following each chapter. After the discussion of the person featured in Lives that Speak one person in the meeting— with a similar witness—could be invited to talk about his or her life.

Book groups are an excellent tool for intergenerational study and serve the dual purpose of bringing together young people with the adults in the meeting and providing rich religious education experiences for the attenders of the meeting. I hope that every meeting can find a time for such sharing together—sharing of Quaker and Quaker-related books and sharing of fellowship.

Lighting Candles In The Dark
Stories Of Courage And Love In Action
BY THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE

Quakers I And Ii
An Experiential Curriculum For People Ages Four Through Adult
BY MARY SNYDER

It's Our World, Too
Young People Who Are Making A Difference - How They Do It - How You Can, Too
BY PHILLIP HOOSE, FOREWORD BY PETE SEEGER

Standing In The Light
The Captive Diary Of Catharine Carey Logan
BY MARY POPE-OSBORNE

Lives That Speak
Stories Of Twentieth Century Quakers
BY THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE, EDITED BY MARNIE CLARKE

Quakers I And Ii
An Experiential Curriculum For People Ages Four Through Adult
BY MARY SNYDER

Intergenerational Book Groups

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