Southern California Quarterly Meeting Religious Society of Friends
SPRING GATHERING
WHEN: Friday evening, April 24th (Zoom only) & 9AM to 3PM, Saturday April 25th (Zoom and onsite) WHERE: Santa Monica Friends Meetinghouse, 1440 Harvard St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Please join Friends from throughout SCQM, in person and via zoom, to hear about the Spiritual State of the Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups in our Quarter.
Snacks, coffee/tea, and lunch will be provided for a donation, and there will be activities for children.
We will provide a zoom link for all sessions.
Please register at the link below by Midnight, Tuesday April 22, 2026.
Come to Meeting with hearts and minds prepared to be open and faithful to the leadings of the Spirit. Then the conduct of business will lead to truth, unity, and love.
When a matter is before the Meeting for Business, each person present contributes to the corporate search for a decision that accords with the will of God. Inaction is a form of action. Silent worship in the Meeting for Business contributes to the process of achieving unity.
Listen attentively to others’ words and use the silence between messages to reflect carefully on what you might contribute. When you are clear, speak simply what is in your heart, without repeating what has already been offered. While making your insights clear, lay aside personal opinions and attend to what God requires.
Queries
Do I attend Meeting for Business regularly?
Do I speak in Meeting for Business only when I am led to speak?
Is the Meeting for Business held as a Meeting for Worship in which we seek divine guidance for our actions?
Are we tender and considerate of different views, coming to a decision only when we have found unity?
Do we give prayerful support for our clerks that they may be sensitive to the movement of the Spirit among us?
The life of the spirit gains depth and vigor through devotional practices, prayer, study and meditation. Take time regularly for individual and family worship, discussions. Readings from sacred texts and other spiritual refreshment in order to live a more centered life and to bring a deeper presence to the Meeting for Worship. Friends believe that the spiritual path is best found in community. Create opportunities in your Meetings for people of all ages to explore and express their evolving relationship with the Divine, their spiritual highs and their doubts. If different metaphors and language interfere with communication, listen more deeply, honoring the Spirit in which the thought and words have their beginnings.
Queries
Do I live in thankful awareness of God’s constant presence in my life?
Am I sensitive and obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit?
When do I take time for contemplation and spiritual refreshment?
Do we share our spiritual lives with others in the Meeting, seeking to know one another in that which is eternal?
Does the Meeting provide religious education including study of the Bible and Friends’ history and practices?
Earthquake, Wind, or Fire: Attending to the Still Small Voice
Breathe through the heats of our desire Thy coolness and Thy balm; Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm!
(John Greenleaf Whittier, The Brewing of Soma)
“The poem references 1 Kings 19:11-12, in which the prophet Elijah is confronted by God in the wilderness. Elijah faced tumultuous times in his prophetic task of speaking truth to power. Whittier, a Quaker abolitionist, similarly dealt with seismic issues in his commitment to the cause of anti-slavery and social reform.”
(Max Carter: Stephen G. Cary Memorial lecture, Pendle Hill 2025)
For some of us, this retreat comes after literal fires, winds, and rains. Surely, we have all experienced political and social storms. We have grief; we have confusion, bewilderment, anger and overwhelm. We long for peace in the chaos, despite the external turmoil.
What if we bring our fear, discouragement, anger and grief, and lay them at the foot of the mountain? What might we hear if we surrender our desires and the limitations of our mind and body and sit and listen to the Still Small Voice? Maybe strength and new purpose, maybe permission to change direction. Maybe a perspective on what part of Spirit’s work is ours and what is for others.
The silent retreat offers a sanctuary for us to listen deeply, whether walking the beautiful grounds, participating in optional activities or sitting quietly in our rooms.
Registration Information
COVID PROTOCOLS: Masks will be optional. We kindly ask participants not to come if they are having any symptoms.
REGISTRATION: The retreat is open to members of Friends’ Meetings and to attenders of at least three months. Please register by clicking here:
Registration by February 20th: Double room, $325 per person Private room, $350 per person Financial Aid is available**
Late registration until February 27th: Double room, $350 per person Private room, $375 per person Financial Aid is available**
The Abbey has raised their fees and we had to raise ours accordingly. Our actual per-person costs are about $350. Those who are able to pay more than $350 will help subsidize others who need financial aid. Fees include program, lodging, and six meals. We can’t accept registrations submitted after Friday, February 27th. Cancellations received by Friday, February 20th will receive a full refund. After that date, a $30 cancellation fee will be deducted.
**FINANCIAL AID: No one is turned away because of lack of funds. We have financial aid available and many meetings offer scholarship grants. Please contact our registrar, Judy Leshefka, for details about financial support options (judyleshefka@gmail.com).
Venmo or Zelle: Make your payment to Sarah Crompton, Treasurer for the Silent Retreat: cromptonclark@gmail.com (310) 963-6319.
Check:
Make a check out to our treasurer Sarah Crompton and put Silent Retreat in the memo line.
Mail your check to: 440 N. Broadmoor Blvd. Springfield, Ohio 45504.
After registration, you will receive a confirmation letter with more information about the retreat and directions to the Abbey. If you will be using public transportation (bus, train) and need a ride to the Abbey, contact Judy Leshefka by Monday, March 9th.
ARRANGEMENTS: Please plan to arrive between 3 pm and 5:30 pm on Friday, March 13th to check-in and get your room key. Dinner will be at 6 pm. We’ll gather at 7 pm for a brief tour of the grounds, followed by an orientation and preparing to enter into the silence, which will last until late Sunday morning. The retreat will end after lunch on Sunday. Please plan to be present for the entire retreat. The spiritual richness of our gathering is enhanced by each participant, and it can be disruptive to have people arriving or leaving at odd times.
(Questions or concerns: contact Judy Leshefka at 858 652-1406 or email: judyleshefka@gmail.com
EXTENDED RETREAT DAY OPPORTUNITY
March 15-16, 2026
Participants may choose this opportunity to stay an extra day for deeper reflection. They can continue their silence during Sunday lunch and throughout the afternoon or join in conversations.
At 3:45 PM, we will meet for a brief worship and set our intentions for the remainder of the retreat. We will then re-enter into silence. On Monday morning, a writing exercise will be offered as an optional activity. We will all meet at 10:30 AM for worship and worship-sharing. The retreat will end after lunch.
If you wish to stay over, please indicate your intention on the registration form. We must know by February 27th so we can inform the Abbey. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer any scholarships for this opportunity. The cost will be $150, the Abbey’s
Meetings for Worship and Business are the center of our spiritual community. There, as we come to know each other in the Spirit, we build the “beloved community.”
Mutual respect and care in the Meeting form the foundation from which we can test, support, and exercise leadings of the Spirit. At its best, the Meeting community provides a framework for us to learn and practice mutual care, which strengthens us as we act in the world.
All members of the Meeting community should share in the care of one another. While respecting privacy, we must be aware of and sensitive to each other’s needs. We must also be willing to ask for assistance when we are in need.
Queries
Do I strive to be inclusive in my relationships within the Meeting?
Do I care for the reputation of others, refraining from gossip or disparaging remarks?
Am I committed to the difficult work of forgiveness, and affirming God’s love for the whole community?
How are love and unity maintained among us?
Do we practice the art of listening, even beyond words?
How have we been sensitive to the personal needs and difficulties of members and attenders, young and old?
Do we visit one another in our homes and keep in touch with distant members?
Friends oppose all war as inconsistent with God’s will. As every person is a child of God, we recognize God’s Light also in our adversaries. Violence and injustice deny this reality and violate the teachings of Jesus and other prophets.
Friends challenge their governments and take personal risks in the cause of peace. We urge one another to refuse to participate in war as soldiers, or as arms manufacturers. We seek ways to support those who refrain from paying taxes that support war. We work to end violence within our own borders, our homes, our streets, and our communities. We support international order, justice, and understanding.
Become an instrument of peace. At every opportunity, be peacemakers in your homes, workplaces and communities. Steep yourself in the power of the universal Spirit. Examine your actions for the seeds of violence, degradation and destructiveness. Overcome the emotions that lie at the root of violence and nurture instead a spirit of reconciliation and love. Come to know the oneness of all creation and oppose the destruction of the natural world.
Queries
Do I live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars?
How do I nourish peace within myself as I work for peace in the world?
Where there is distrust, injustice, or hatred, how am I an instrument of reconciliation and love?
What are we doing to remove the causes of war and destructions of the planet, and to bring about lasting peace?
Do we reach out to all parties in a conflict with courage and love?
In daily relationships with others, both inside and outside the home, our lives as Friends speak immediately and lastingly. In these relationships, our faith may also be severely tested. We are called to respond to that of God in everyone: we are all children of God.
Friends celebrate any union that is dedicated to mutual love and respect, regardless of the unique make-up of the family. We strive to create homes where the Spirit of the Divine resides at the center and where the individual genius of each member is respected and nurtured.
Human sexuality is a divine gift, forming part of the complex union of body, mind and spirit that is our humanity. In a loving adult relationship in a context of mutual responsibility, sexuality brings delight, fulfillment and celebration.
The presence of children carries a special blessing as well as responsibility. Children bring unique spiritual gifts — wonder, resiliency, playfulness and more. Recognize and honor the Divine Light within children and treat them with the dignity and respect that is due to all people. Listen to and learn from children; share with them those values and practices that are central to our own lives. Special care must be given to resolving problems between adults and children in a manner that gives equal weight to the feelings and needs of both children and adults. Tender parenting is one of the critically important peace vocations in our society. Make every effort to offer all parents the personal and institutional support that this challenging work requires.
Take a strong stand against any form of abuse, whether that abuse is minor or severe, and whether it is emotional, physical or sexual in nature. The terrible impact of abuse on the most vulnerable members of our families creates lifelong suffering for its victims and is a major source of violence in our society. Perpetrators are themselves usually victims of similar violence and should be approached with compassion as well as firmness.
Queries
Do I make my home a place of friendliness, joy and peace where residents and visitors feel God’s presence?
Are my sexual practices consistent with my spiritual beliefs, and free of manipulation and exploitation?
What barriers keep me from responding openly and lovingly to each person?
Do we open our thoughts, beliefs and deep understandings to our children and others who share our lives and our hospitality?
Do we provide our children and young adults with a framework for active, ongoing participation in meeting?
Integrity has always been a goal of Friends. It is essential to trust, to all communication between people and between people and God. Integrity grounds our beliefs, thoughts, and actions in our spiritual center and makes us whole.
Friends believe that we are called to speak the truth. A single standard of truth requires us to conduct ourselves in ways that are honest, direct, and plain, and to make our choices, both large and small, in accord with the urgings of the Spirit. It follows that we object to taking an oath, which presupposes a variable standard of truth. Be true to your word.
. . . let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay.
James 5:12 (King James Version)
From early days Friends have opposed gambling and practices based on chance. These activities profit from the inevitable loss of others, promote greed, and conflict with good stewardship. Public lotteries have not furthered their purported benefit to the public good. All addictions are of concern. As the use of alcohol and tobacco all too often entail serious risks to self and others, Friends who serve alcohol at home should be diligent in offering alternatives. Alcohol should not be served at Meeting gatherings.
Find recreation that brings you joy and energy. Be aware of how your choices affect yourself and others.
Queries
How do I strive to maintain the integrity of my inner and outer lives?
Do I act on my principles even when this entails difficult consequences?
Am I honest and truthful in all that I say and do, even when a compromise might be easier or more popular?
Am I reflective about the ways I gain my wealth and income and sensitive to their impacts on others?
Is my life so filled with the Spirit that I am free from the misuse of alcohol and other drugs, and of excesses of any kind?
Do we, in our Meeting, hold ourselves accountable to one another, as do members of a healthy family?
October 31, November 1 & 2, Friday evening through Sunday morning At Pali Retreat Center, 30778 Highway 18 Running Springs CA 92382
Our theme for the weekend will be “Healing our Community and Using our Community for Personal Healing.”We will present mini-workshops with exercises selected to concentrate on community-building, conflict resolution and forgiveness. As always, our underlying theme is enjoying each other’s fellowship and meeting friends from across the Quarter while resting in a natural setting.
You’ll notice we are not gathering at Temescal Canyon. They’re still recovering from the firestorm, and expect to be available next year. Meantime, Pali Retreat, while a longer commute for most of us, offers accommodations that meet our needs. We hope to see a full gathering of Friends for this weekend.
The weekend includes both Hallowe’en and Día de Muertos. If you would like to help with plans for that, please contact Kindred Gottlieb (kindredg@gmail.com) and/or Louse Sherikar (louise.sherikar@gmail.com).
If you would like to host an interest session or an affinity group, please let me, Dan Strickland (danstrickland2001@yahoo.com), know so we can include you in our schedule planning.
Meals will be provided as part of our contract with Pali Retreat, with all options available.
On Sunday, August 24th from 12:30-2PM, we will be hosting a free screening of the film No Other Land. This film, which was producted by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists, shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank. It was named Best Documentary Feature Film at the March 2025 Academy Awards.
Visitors are welcome.
We will be having a potluch lunch before the screening, so feel free to bring a dish to share.
