Whispers of Faith (August 2005)

Dear Friends,

Before I begin this "Book Musings," here is a disclaimer. I've been intimately involved in the publication that I feature this time since its beginning, so my perspective is by no means unbiased.

The editorial board for the QUIP book that would become "Whispers of Faith: Young Friends share their experiences of Quakerism" arrived at Twin Rocks Conference Center the day before our meeting would take place. I showed Geoffrey, Zion, Claire, Milam and Rachel their rooms and as soon as they had the chance, they went down to the ocean. Zion had brought a Frisbee and all five of them stood in a circle on the blustery beach and threw it back and forth to one another. Their skill varied, but they were gentle with one another and laughed together and kept the Frisbee in the air. It was such a strong image, these five young Friends, most of whom hadn’t met before, standing together and keeping a small disc aloft on the air. This was the way they would work together on the book, tenderly with a lot of laughter, with great care and grounded in worship, considering what the shape of this book would be, could be. When they had disagreements about individual contributions they would fall into worship, gently grapple with one another’s perspective, then come to unity and laugh again. They saw there weren't enough submissions from Christ-centered and pastoral Friends and made a plan for soliciting more writing from these perspectives; they wanted the book to represent the spectrum of Friends as closely as it could. They worked late and as the hour slipped towards morning, they came up with a title and set themselves a very tight schedule for completing the work on the book and finding submissions to fill the holes.

Their tenderness and care; along with the thoughtful, contemplative writing by the young Friends in this book has made this a worthy record of young Friends thought and life today. If you are concerned with youth ministry or the survival of the Society of Friends, this book has something to teach you. If you are curious about how to get to know young Friends in your meeting, or how to serve those young Friends, this book can help. I hope that this book will help to inspire a greater fellowship between young Friends and older and a greater sense of community among young Friends. To that end, it would make a wonderful gift for young Friends as they journey, for instance, from first day school to spending more time in meeting for worship, or move from middle school to high school.

This book is really a collection of vocal ministry, in writing, from young Friends. The voices in this book offer prophesy, admonition, spiritual hunger, silliness, and, most importantly, a glimmer of young Friends lives and their (quite vivid) experiences of Quakerism. Offered are glimpses of what is working in meetings to encourage a rich faith life; and what isn't. Working with the editorial board on this book has been one of the most inspiring experiences of my last few years and this is why: to encounter young people who have such strong early faith experiences and such a commitment to Quakerism has really worked on me. If the young people in this book can grapple so honestly and deeply with their faith, we must wrestle with it, too, and ensure that our faith is strong enough and distinct enough to excite and inspire our young Friends. These young voices have asked and responded to the question, "What does it mean to be a Friend?" and when they walk through the doors of our meetinghouses, there should await them vivid experiences, in worship, in fellowship, in mentorship, in witness. And there should await them open, loving arms eager to transmit our faith and eager to listen to the gifts these young Friends bring to us. Having worked on this project for three years, I have a new vision of Quakerism. It looks a lot like that circle of young Friends throwing the Frisbee on the beach, except the circle includes the full spectrum of Quakers, pastoral and unprogrammed, older and very young. The young Friends are throwing the Frisbee our way and all of us are helping one another to learn how to keep it aloft, all of us.

I hope the writing in this book can work on you, too.

In Friendship,
Lucy

Posted by QuakerBooks on August 1, 2005 12:00 AM | Permalink