36th Southern Appalachian
Yearly Meeting
June 8 - 11, 2006
Workshops
NOTE: some workshops are repeated on a second day. These are not two-part
workshops. Number of attenders is unlimited unless indicated.
Friday and Saturday (same workshop each day)
Survival and Resistance: Peace Witness in Critical Times
#1 and #16 Chuck Fager
The war continues. Spying on citizens (including Friends) expands. The middle
class shrinks. How do we survive and resist this burgeoning crisis? Chuck
Fager’s work at Quaker House grapples with these concerns full-time. Come share
his reflections and leadings. Length: 90-120 minutes. Open to: All.
The Challenges and Joys of Healing from Genocide!
#2 and #17. David Bacura
After a brief introduction to the Rwandan genocide, the workshop will discuss
methods Rwanda Friends have used to bring healing and reconciliation to the
Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda. There will be worship sharing of quotes from
participants in the Rwandan workshops, which will allow Americans to be in the
space of survivors/perpetrators/bystanders to the genocide. Length: 90-120
minutes. Open to: All.
Faith in Action; the SPICE of Life
#3 and #18. Deborah Fisch
It seems that the testimonies are held up by many as a short hand for what
Quakers believe, but do they still testify as to our experiences of the Divine?
Explore together the faith roots from which the testimonies sprang and examine
how they speak to us today. We will look at the purpose of the early
testimonies of Friends and share with each other how we are called to live with
the testimonies in our own lives. Length: 90-120 minutes. Open to: All (max
25).
Faces of Hope: Visiting the Olives of Palestine, Tasting the Fruit of Hope
#4 and #19. Alta Schwartz
This workshop will explore the lives of Palestinian olive farmers under
Occupation, explain their current and historic connection to the land. We will
see and taste the fruits of their labor, find hopeful aspects amid the
suffering, and discover simple ways we can all contribute to a just solution
for all sides of the conflict. Length: 60-75 minutes. Open to: All (max 15).
Two Thousand Years Ago in Jerusalem: 8 original piano pieces
#5 and #20. Richard Allen
Richard will play eight piano pieces that describe events in the week of Jesus’
crucifixion. He composed them over a period of about fifteen years. In titling
the individual pieces, great care has been taken to avoid language that could
convey exclusion toward anyone who might not believe in the Nicean Creed or
even Jesus himself. Comments and questions are welcome. Length: 60 minutes.
Open to: All.
FRIDAY
What does it mean to be a Universalist Friend?
#6. Carol Ciscel
We will explore what it means to be a universalist Friend. Does it mean
rejecting the supernatural, moving from tribal gods to an all-embracing spirit,
or… something else? Do our testimonies lead us to universalism? In a world
where fundamentalism is so insistent, can we hold fast to universal values?
Length: 75-90 minutes. Open to: All (max 24).
Choosing Green – The Color of SPICE
#7. Roy Taylor III
Choosing Green – The decision making act to live a healthy and sustainable
lifestyle. What we eat, the clothes we wear, what we drive, the homes we build
and how we maintain these has an effect on the world we live in. This workshop
will reveal how learning to live our testimonies will motivate us to be
conscious of the consequences of our choices, Come learn the Ethics of Choosing
Green and why this is more than a feel good throw back to the Sixties. Has it
become a Moral imperative? Come help us decide. Length: 75-90 minutes. Open to:
All (max 18-25).
Green Walkabout
#8. Susan Carlyle
This is a repeat of last year’s popular workshop. The green walkabout is
designed to introduce Friends to Warren Wilson College’s waste management and
recycling, their alternative power and transportation and their sustainable
building design. It is led by staff from WWC’s Environmental Learning Center.
Length: 90 minutes. Open to: All (max 30).
Building the Beloved Community
#9. Mary Ann Downey and Ron McDonald
How can we build the beloved community within our monthly meeting: a safe
place, a laboratory for personal disarmament, a home where we can find support
for building the kind of community we would like to create everywhere? Our
discussion and interactive exercises will focus on essential characteristics
for and barriers to community. Length: 90-120 minutes. Open to: All (max 20).
Holding Each Other In The Light – Quakers and Healing
#10. Mark & Ceal Wutka
Quakers have had a long relationship with healing. George Fox recorded many
instances of healing in his journal and other writings. We present a brief
history of Quakers and healing, then discuss “holding in the light” and other
forms of healing, and finally describe the process of a Meeting for Worship For
Healing as it is practiced at Atlanta Friends Meeting and other places. In the
last half of the workshop, we hold a Meeting for Worship for Healing. Length:
120 minutes. Open to: All (max 30).
SATURDAY
Meaningful work in a difficult world: Support for the Activist Life
#11. Ralph Hutchison
The Stop the Bombs campaign of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance aims
to end nuclear weapons production in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The workshop will
use OREPA's work as a case study to explore the development of nonviolent
community in support of activism. Learn about nuclear weapons production,
experience nonviolent community building with exercises and discussion. Length:
60-75 or 90 minutes. Open to: All.
Living Green: Is There a Connection Between Home and Washington, DC?
#12. Tim Barner
U.S. national policies could provide cleaner greener energy and reduce US
dependence on oil and fossil fuels. FCNL sees a connection between peaceful
prevention of deadly conflict and global competition for a finite oil supply.
We will discuss opportunities for citizens to have influence with Members of
Congress and the Bush Administration for greener national policies. Length:
60-75 minutes. Open to: Adult/young adult (max 30).
Gulf Coast Listening Project: A Quakerly Response to Hurricane Katrina #13.
Harry & Rebecca Rogers
This workshop is both a report on the progress being made on the Listening
Project in our different Monthly Meeting areas as well as a chance to share
experiences. The Gulf Coast Listening Project involves listening to Hurricane
Katrina evacuees in our different communities so that they have a chance to
tell their stories but more importantly to help us to learn what their
Hurricane Katrina experiences revealed and to help insure they have a voice in
how recovery happens. Length: 75-90 minutes. Open to: All.
Toward a Greater Awareness of the Principles of the Earth Charter
#14. Susan Carlyle
The Yearly Meeting endorsed the Earth Charter in June 2005 as “an invitation
for spiritual practice and social action.” Would you like to learn how to
present the principles of the Earth Charter to your Meeting, to a church or
civic group or to a school group? We’ll do this joyfully through discussion,
demonstration and brainstorming. Length: 75-90 minutes. Open to: All (Max 30).
Exploring Personal Pilgrimages
#15. Jonah McDonald
What is your pilgrimage at the moment? What do you want it to be? This workshop
challenges us to embrace the journey and begin to approach it more mindfully.
We will focus almost entirely on our individual journeys and will work to
define goals and create specific processes to help facilitate our personal
growth. We will also explore ways in which our Monthly Meetings can better
support our transformative journeys. Length: 75-90 minutes. Open to:
Intergenerational—15-20 (max 25).
