“How good it is, how pleasant for God’s people to live in unity.” – Psalm 133:1
The first time I experienced a gathered meeting was at Mid-Year Meeting of Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative. We were in an old meeting house up on a hill that overlooked the prairie. It was a windy day. As we sat in meeting for worship, the wind whipped around us. The silence was deep and rich. As the wind swirled, stirring up dust and bringing a breeze into the meeting house, I could sense the Spirit also moving in the room. I felt as though we were one body, coming together.
Lucy served as Director of Friends Relations for AFSC. She writes, teaches, and organizes Quakers to work for justice.
Madeline served as the Friends Relations Associate.
Noah Baker Merrill is a member of Putney Friends Meeting in Vermont. He travels widely in the ministry, offering messages at Friends' gatherings and beyond; seeking to encourage faithfulness; and nurturing the integration of worship and witness in the Quaker movement. In this service, Noah leads workshops on spiritual activism, "prophetic service", deepening worship, traveling ministry, and the future of the Religious Society of Friends.
Cara Curtis is a lifelong Quaker who currently lives and worships in West Philadelphia. She is a listener, sometimes writer, researcher, woman-encourager, triathlon finisher, mashed potato maker, Frisbee player, and believer in stories. She is currently participating in the Word and World mentoring program and was one of the editors of Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices, published by Friends General Conference. Cara is unsure of w
Paul Lacey earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded a Ph.D. by Harvard University. He taught in the English Department at Earlham from 1960-2003 and is Professor Emeritus of English. Well-known on an international level, Lacey has shared his wisdom through extensive writing and speaking.
Angelina Conti lives in Philadelphia and works in higher education. She taught Peace Studies for two years at the Woolman Semester. This piece also appears on her blog:www.notafraidofthunder.com.