Friendly Schools

Friendly Schools at JanYM24

A Friendly School is when Friends from around Australia offer workshops on a theme. Themes explore a variety of topics such as spiritual writings or practices, creative writing, poetry, social justice issues, Earthcare, Indigenous concerns, and so on. 

On Friday, join Jason MacLeod for Compassionate Communication 
On Sunday, join Sheila Keane for Nurturing the Life of Our Meetings
 

Friday, 19 January 2024

Friendly School - “Compassionate Communication” with Jason MacLeod

On Friday, we will have the opportunity to hear from Jason MacLeod for our first Friendly School at 7pm AEDT. The session will be hosted on Zoom.

In this workshop, Jason MacLeod will lead us in exploring how we can build compassionate communities through respectful listening and compassionate communication.

Jason says, "Have you ever been caught in a difficult conversation? Perhaps with a person who ‘pushes your buttons’, or a conversation that stirs up potent feelings? This session will explore Marshall Rosenberg’s framework for compassionate and nonviolent communication. It’s an art and science of conversation that holds respectful listening, honouring feelings, and taking responsibility for our own needs, together in creative and loving tension."

 

Sunday, 21 January 2024

Friendly School - “Nurturing the Life of Our Meetings” with Sheila Keane

For the Friendly School session on Sunday, 21 January at 2:15 pm AEDT, Sheila Keane will introduce the idea of the “Life of the Meeting” and participants will share their experience and inspirations on the questions of:

  • Where is the Spirit alive in your Quaker meeting(s) now?

  • Where are there opportunities to further build the spiritual Life of your meeting(s)?  How can we do things differently?

Some queries you might want to reflect on in preparation for the workshop:

  • How are you participating in the Life of the Meeting? How does your participation enrich your own spiritual life, and how does your participation deepen the spiritual life of the Meeting?

  • There are lots of ways to participate: Personal spiritual preparation for Meeting for Worship, attending regularly; study groups; shared meals; protest actions with other Friends; fundraising or service projects; half day mini-retreats; inter-visitation of Friends; service positions (clerk, treasurer, librarian, etc.); working bees; all ages worship, intergenerational workshops; zoom groups…etc.  Is your participation right for you? Not too much, not too little?

  • What is the quality of worship and of vocal ministry in your meeting? How does your Meeting deepen its worship, which is the bond that holds the community in unity?

  • Where are there opportunities for the Meeting to:

    • Encourage individual spiritual development

    • Link ‘necessities’ with development: matching gifts to tasks, giving opportunities for people to exercise and grow their gifts.

    • Mature our elders and overseers

    • Encourage our current and future ministers

    • Provide spiritual support for those in active witness

    • Tap into the broader Quaker world

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