FriendQuaker Conferences and Retreats

SILENT RETREAT 

WONDER

28th Annual Friends’ Silent Retreat
Friday, March 14-Sunday, March 16, 2025
Optional Extended Retreat, Monday March 17
Prince of Peace Abbey, Oceanside, CA 92608

Oh Lord, My God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds thy hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.  When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze, Then sings my soul…How Great Thou Art!!

Stuart Hine, 1953

If there is an antidote to the ills of the world, the rat race, and the chaos around us, then it is in the wonder of creation. It allows us to be insignificant and magnificent at the same time.  Wonder is available to us anywhere. If we peer closely. If we stand back quietly and observe.  If we look through telescopes or microscopes. If we close our eyes and listen. If we shut down our bodily senses and sink into our souls.  From observing the vastest reaches of the universe and the smallest particles in accelerators.

Britain Yearly Meeting advises, “Be aware of the spirit of God at work in the ordinary activities and experience of your daily life. Spiritual learning continues throughout life, and often in unexpected ways. There is inspiration to be found all around us, in the natural world, in the sciences and arts, in our work and friendships, in our sorrows and in our joys. Are you open to new light from whatever source it may come? Do you approach new ideas with discernment?”

We invite you to join us in wonder at the miracles and mysteries of life. 

Registration form

FriendQuaker Advices and Queries, Spiritual Life

Advices and Queries for the Second Month*

Spiritual Life

Advices

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?
FriendQuaker Memorial Service, The Meeting Community

Memorial Service for Dee Abrahamse

We will be having a memorial meeting for worship in remembrance of our beloved Friend Dee Abrahamse on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 2PM in the sanctuary of the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church at 2845 Mesa Verde East, Costa Mesa. Use the link below if you wish to attend online.

Click here for Zoom

If you’d like to learn more about Dee’s life, you can read her story here. You can also see her being interviewed about her spiritual journey here.

FriendQuaker Advices and Queries, The Meeting Community

Advices and Queries for the Twelfth Month

The Meeting Community

Advices

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?

*From Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, pp. 58-59

FriendQuaker Advices and Queries, Faith and Practice, Peace

Advices and Queries for the Eleventh Month*

Peace

Advices

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?

*from  PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING FAITH AND PRACTICE (2001), 57-58

FriendQuaker Conferences and Retreats, Fall Fellowship, Southern California Quarterly Meeting

Registration for Fall Fellowship 2024 is Open

Registration is open until October 25, 2024

Click here to register

Call to SCQM Fall Fellowship
November 1-3, 2024
at Temescal Canyon & on Zoom

Friends, we are called to gather again in fellowship at our traditional place, Temescal Canyon. We have a long history with that spot, and if you’ve never been, we encourage you to make the effort to come in person. We plan to have a hybrid gathering, so the option of remote participation will be available, but if it’s at all possible, being in the beautiful place with fellow Quakers from around the Quarter is a wonderful experience.

The Ministry and Counsel Committee has chosen to consider “Faith and Prayer in Action” as the theme for the gathering, and speakers who will lead us to consider this theme are being invited. With the rich variety of people in our Meetings, we hope this topic will stimulate broad discussion. On a very basic level, many of us consider the “Ministry of Small Things” to be prayer – the prayer while washing dishes, preparing food, or arranging the logistics for Fall Fellowship. At the same time, many of us have been appalled by uncaring response from politicians to, for example, mass shootings, with the hypocritical “thoughts and prayers”. This is why Ministry and Counsel has deliberately chosen the phrase “Faith and Prayer in Action”. Come and engage in this worship and learning.

In addition to our keynote presentations and worship sharing on Saturday and Sunday mornings we will have interest and affinity groups, time for fellowship, hiking, plenaries, community night, and worship.

We will be offering a rich children’s program for all ages during plenary and interest group sessions.  Fall fellowship is an opportunity for kids to get to know one another in our geographic region and spend some time in nature. Attendance fees are automatically waived for babies, toddlers, children, and teens.

Please join us for SCQM’s Fall Fellowship on the beautiful grounds of Temescal Gateway Park in the Pacific Palisades, just north of Santa Monica, or via Zoom.  See below for details.

In peace,
Dan Strickland, SCQM clerk

Click Here for more details

FriendQuaker Faith and Practice, Harmony with Creation, Personal Relationships

Advices and Queries for the Tenth Month

Personal Relationships

Advices

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?

from Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice (2001), 56-57

FriendQuaker Conferences and Retreats, Fall Fellowship, Southern California Quarterly Meeting

Save the Date for Fall Fellowship!

Southern California Quarterly Meeting
Fall Fellowship
November 1-3, 2024
at Temescal Canyon State Park

On the first weekend of November (1-3),  join Quakers from around southern California at Temescal Canyon. It’s a beautiful location a couple of miles inland from Will Rogers State Beach. We’ll sleep in cabins, share meals in the dining hall, and enjoy discussions, speakers, meeting new people and old friends, and have fun. There will be programs for children and teens. There’s some very fine hiking as well. More information arriving shortly, so keep an eye on your mailbox (of the electronic sort).

FriendQuaker Annual Session, Conferences and Retreats, Pacific Yearly Meeting

PYM Annual Session 2024

Pacific Yearly Meeting’s Annual Session will be held in person July 19-24,
2024 at Whittier College in Whittier, CA. It will also be possible to attend
remotely via Zoom. This year’s theme will be Transformation. Registration for in-person attendance closes July 1st, and registration for online attendance closes July 15th.

Click here for more information, including the Clerk’s Call,  the schedule, fees, and a link to
registration.