November 18-20, 2019
with Ben Pink Dandelion
“… the kingdom of heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net; and his heavenly power at one time drew many
Edward Burrough, 1634-1663
hundreds to land [from the sea of the world’s nations], that we came to know a place to stand in, and in what to wait in, …”
How do we make our Meetings vibrant and Spirit-led when we are all so busy, and beset by the worries of the world? How do we realize our gifts in a secular world? Quakerism is facing many challenges, not least the increasing secularisation of wider society, individualism and the growing disinclination to join organisations, and our own internal hesitations about how to present the Quaker tradition to newcomers and enquirers. The world seems to be heading away from our values and the demands of daily life combined with Quaker commitments can feel overwhelming. This course will try and put our collective spiritual quest in perspective and offer some suggestions for lightening our load and nurturing the spiritual life within our Quaker communities.
Both courses will be centered around talks but with some small group sharing. Worship will frame our time together. No prior knowledge or experience is required and participants need only to bring their curiosity.
About the Workshop Facilitator
Ben Pink Dandelion is a member of Pendle Hill Area Meeting, part of Britain Yearly Meeting. He has worked at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre since 1992 and currently directs their postgraduate program. He has written and edited a number of devotional and academic books on the Quaker way and the history, theology and sociology of Quakerism. He gave the 2014 Swarthmore Lecture Open for Transformation: being Quaker and also wrote the
companion volumes celebrating the Quaker Way and Living the Quaker Way. This is his first visit to Ben Lomond.