What I’ve Learned About Friends’ Decision-Making

Unlike other religious and secular organizations, Quakers have placed the final authority on decision making not with a single person, like an elite cleric, a trustee, or a clerk. They placed the final authority with Spirit as discerned by the Group. This makes decision-making full of listening to each other, trusting that the way forward may come through any voice in the room. Because we are all human with all the distractions, and human frailties, we enter silence, in waiting worship, asking all present to think of something larger than themselves. That something we call “the Sense of the Meeting.”

PANDEMICS, PLAGUES, AND QUAKERS: QUAKER HISTORY #10

“Along with imprisonment early Friends were confronted with the Great Plague as well.... Some 52 Quakers died of the plague at the New Gate prison alone.” This sentence appears in a book entitled, “The Second Period of Quakerism” written by the prominent English historian and writer William Braithwaite. The book was published in 1921, which would indicate that the author was among those who had endured the terrible worldwide Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

Spiritual Seekers Series: Brief Background on Quaker Practice

Quaker practice grew out of a movement of seekers, who sat in a circle in silence literally turning to God waiting and expecting revelation and guidance. Quakers continue to meet for worship, often sitting in a circle, waiting and expecting messages for ourselves as individuals and as a people. We have taken on other forms of worship and celebration, but we are still grounded in this practice of seeking direct divine guidance and yielding to it.

Buffalo Quaker Meeting attender creates a new book

I work with a non-profit organization entitled Jesus the Liberator Seminary of Religious Justice. In our 25 years, we have created a template for free theological education, either in prison or through correspondence. In that effort, we have visited and corresponded with over 600 prison inmates, distributed over 1000 books, published many articles, and have helped inmates get published. We have also produced two books. We are now completing our third book entitled More to this Confession: Relational Prison Theology.

Colleen Kristish bail reform editorial in Buffalo News

One of our Meeting’s regulars, Colleen Kristich, wrote a powerful editorial published in the Buffalo News on February 3, 2020 on the real impacts of Bail Reform.

From the article:

Recent bail reform prevents a defendant’s wealth from being the deciding factor in whether they are detained pretrial. It ensures that the justice system works fairly: to try cases based on facts instead of forcing poor defendants into plea deals in order to be released from jail. New York has righted the wrong of excessive bail to ensure that rich and poor defendants alike have equal protections under the law.

An International Gathering of Friends

Thanks to the outreach from Friends United Meeting (FUM), we connected Christ is the Answer International Fellowship with three Friends in FUM Ministry. Visiting from FUM were Ben Snyder, North American Ministries Coordinator; Dan Kasztelan, Communications Director; and John Muhanji, Director of the Africa Ministries Office. We shared an evening meal at my home on May 27th joined by Rodney and Ann Pierce and nine Friends from Christ is the Answer International Fellowship. After the meal, Ben Snyder spoke about FUM, and John translated into Swahili so everyone could understand. Ndanga then spoke about his church in Swahili and John translated into English. Others in Christ is the Answer International Fellowship then spoke too. Several issues came to the surface that Buffalo Friends were unaware of. These can now be addressed.

John Muhanji, left, Director of African Ministries for Friends United Meeting, talks to Ndanga Ramazani during a recent dinner gathering at Sue Tannehill’s home.

John Muhanji, left, Director of African Ministries for Friends United Meeting, talks to Ndanga Ramazani during a recent dinner gathering at Sue Tannehill’s home.

It was a rich gathering. Dan, who does the photography for Quaker Life took many wonderful photographs, one of which is included in this article.

In Scripture, it says both “Be still, and know that I am God” and “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” While Buffalo Friends and Christ is the Answer International Fellowship worship in different ways, we have much to gain from our shared roots and faith. I am very grateful that FUM Friends came to visit with us. I hope that Buffalo Friends will try to attend one of the Christ is the Answer International Fellowship meetings. These are joyful, full of music and testimony. This preparative meeting would welcome our visitation on any Sunday from about 4 to 6 pm in the Network for Religious Communities building basement.