Quakers Today explores Quaker thought, faith, and action for everyone seeking to deepen their spiritual life and navigate our changing world. In Season Six, we’re going "into the wallet." Host Peterson Toscano is joined by new co-host Diana Yañez, a certified financial planner and Quaker. Together, they explore money not as personal math, but as a spiritual practice. From reparations to ethical investing, we dive into "The Priesthood of All Believers, Economics" to learn how to align our resources with our deepest values.
Listen to this Friends Journal podcast or watch the extended video edition on the Friends Journal YouTube page. Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. Season Six is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Fiduciary.
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In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “What does Quakerism have to offer society?”
Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore the concept of prefigurative practice within a Quaker classroom and beyond. What happens when students don't just learn about the future but begin to live it? They also feature queer Jewish poet Jessica Jacobs, who in her new book of poetry, interacts with the ancient book of Genesis.
Sam Thacker and Zoe Levenstein
Sam Thacker is a history teacher at Germantown Friends School. Every January, GFS offers “mini-courses” that provide teachers and students a space for experimentation, investigation, and reflection. In his Friends Journal article “Let Your School Speak: The Power of Prefigurative Practice in Friends Education,” Sam wrote about his course, “Another World is Possible.” Through it, he invites students to engage deeply with hopeful and ambitious visions for social change. Sam and one of his students, Zoe Levenstein, explore how they brought prefigurative practice to life in their classroom.
Sam explains that prefigurative practice is about more than just learning about change; it's about living it. We don't have to wait to build the institutions that will bring about the change we seek. Instead, we can start creating those institutions and practices now, making sure they align with the inclusive, just, and loving world we envision for the future.
Sam says, “If, for example, we are working toward a just, inclusive future, our institutions now should be just and inclusive. Prefigurative practice is proactive, courageous, and true to itself. In Quaker parlance, its life speaks.”
Sam reasons that prefigurative practice is nothing new for Quakers, “I see Quaker institutions as examples of prefigurative practice. By and large, I mean in my article, I discuss meetings for business. Quaker meetings are prefigurative, both in their organization and in the form of worship: Prefigurative practice is vital.
Zoe shares her experiences of engaging with this radical educational approach. Through readings from influential thinkers like George Lakey, Joanna Macy, and Adrienne Maree Brown, the students were encouraged to reimagine the world and consider how they could contribute to creating it.
I imagine a world where everyone is engaged because I think what really dampers my hope a lot is that it seems like people don't care in 20 years, my hope would be that even on the street level, I see people actively working to help each other. I also kind of imagine a world where song and music is more incorporated and like groups singing because I think it just kind of boosts the mood. I imagine a world in which doing activities like that is more encouraged. Yeah, I think it all comes down to human connection, and that makes people care.
Sam Thacker (he/him) teaches high school history at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, where he works with students on sustainability and climate action. He lives with his wife, Pam, and two young children; they are pursuing membership at Germantown
Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa. He is a songwriter, musician, artist, and lover of nature. In this episode, you heard Sam singing Purple Dreams. Hear more of his music on his BandCamp page: 2xtruck.bandcamp.com
Zoe Levenstein is a rising junior at Germantown Friends School, a member of the Quaker Unity & Inclusivity Team (QUILT) at GFS, and helped to plan the 2024 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference in partnership with Penn Charter. Next year, Zoe will be the Environmental Action Club's student leader and participate in the community-wide Campus Climate Coalition. Zoe’s passion is music—listening, singing, and playing the oboe.
Jessica Jacobs
In the August 2024 issue of Friends Journal, Michael S. Glazier reviewed Jessica Jacobs’ latest poetry collection, Unalone: Poems in Conversation with the Book of Genesis. Jessica Jacobs shares her journey as a writer, teacher, and editor, including founding Yetzerah, the first literary organization in the U.S. dedicated to supporting Jewish poets. Jessica reflects on her secular Jewish upbringing, her return to spirituality through studying the Torah, and the seven years she spent immersed in the Book of Genesis. She reads her poem "Prayers from a Dark Room," where Jessica reimagines Gehenna—not as a place of torment but as a mirrored space of self-reflection and repentance.
Jessica Jacobs (she/her) is the author of “unalone, poems in conversation with Genesis” (Four Way Books, March 2024); Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going (Four Way Books, 2019), one of Library Journal’s Best Poetry Books of the Year and winner of the Devil’s Kitchen and Goldie Awards; and Pelvis with Distance (White Pine Press, 2015), winner of the New Mexico Book Award and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award; and is the co-author of Write It! 100 Poetry Prompts to Inspire (Spruce Books/Penguin RandomHouse, 2020). Jessica is the founder and executive director of Yetzirah: A Hearth for Jewish Poetry.
Here are our questions for next month: What is a Quaker response to climate change? What is a queer Quaker response to climate change? By looking at climate change-related issues through multiple lenses, like queerness and/or Quakerism, we can discover fresh ways of responding. Answer the question that calls to you, or both!
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.
Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG.
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Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. You can also call or text our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.
Johanna and Naveed discuss how George Fox, a revered Quaker founder, held and expressed pro-slavery views. Fox's writings showed his alignment with the status quo of the time, defending the institution of slavery rather than challenging it. The authors explore how contemporary Quakers cannot undo the harm caused by historical figures like George Fox but can address it through acts of reparation. They also stress the importance of facing Quaker history honestly, recognizing the patterns of oppression that have persisted, and striving to transform behaviors and systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice today.
Naveed says,
Kintsugi is the art of repairing something that is broken with a gold powder that is combined with an adhesive. And what it does is it doesn't repair in the way that we traditionally think of repair…What we need as Quakers is a form of Kintsugi, where we don't choose to paper the past, or repair it, or replace it or fix it so that it never happened. We need to acknowledge that it happened and how it happened, and where the break occurred, and then put some gold where the break was to bridge the gap.
Johanna Jackson is a white Friend and member of Three Rivers Meeting (New England Yearly Meeting), a group reclaiming Quaker practice for today’s time. Her ministry is
@QuakersToday
@Quakerstodaypodcast
@QuakersToday
Quakers and Barbie: How Lies Exposed the Truth About Plastic Pollution
Season 2 · Episode 4
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 • Duration 15:00
In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"
A Barbie Hoax with a Message
Actress and eco-activist Daryl Hannah speaks with host Peterson Toscano about her announcement that "Mattel intends to go 100 percent plastic-free by 2030 in all their toys. They hope to support a global ban on plastics."
In an email, Mattel described the campaign as a “hoax” that had “nothing to do with Mattel.” The company said that the activists had also created fake websites made to look as if they belonged to Mattel. “Those were duplicates — not Mattel actual sites,” it said.
This elaborate hoax was perpetrated by Daryl Hannah and the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) against the Mattel Corporation and the media. Yet, behind this public trickery was a broader, poignant message: the need to address the environmental crisis wrought by plastic waste.
One of the tricksters behind the hoax graduated from Greenwood Friends School, a Quaker elementary and middle school. As a boy, he attended Millville Friends Meeting. Operating under the pseudonym Jeff Walburn, this member of the artist-activist group the Yes Men describes the methodology behind their "mischief performances."
Quakers and Worship, Nature, and Hunting
Episode 9
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 • Duration 20:23
Quaker Worship, Nature, and Hunting
The episode introduces Timothy Tarkelly, a Quaker in Chanute, Kansas with a deep love for nature. Tarkelly draws parallels between the stillness of Quaker worship and his experiences in the outdoors, emphasizing the power of silence and anticipation in both settings. He wrote the Friends Journal article, Allowable Diversions: A Friend Explores the Morality of Hunting.
Timothy published several books of poetry including On Slip Rigs and Spiritual Growth (OAC Books), Objects We Know We Don’t Deserve: Poems on Dutch Art (Alien Buddha Press), and Gently in Manner, Strongly in Deed: Poems on Eisenhower (Spartan Press). He recently collaborated with Elena Samarsky, a Ukrainian visual artist, on a work of paintings and poems entitled All Other Forms of Expression. When he’s not writing, he teaches English and Debate to students who, according to Timothy, are far more talented and interesting than he is.
You can find Timothy’s squirrel quiche recipe below.
Erin Wilson's story shines a light on LGBTQ inclusion within Quakerism. She demonstrates how questioning and embracing equality are integral to both her Quaker faith and her journey of self-discovery. Wilson's tale underscores the significance of creating space for diverse identities within the community. You can see Erin Wilson’s QuakerSpeak video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube Channel or at QuakerSpeak.com.
Navigating Christianity and Quakerism
Timothy Tarkelly’s Squirrel Quiche Recipe
Quakers and Decision Makers
Episode 8
Tuesday, July 11, 2023 • Duration 18:31
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What Do You Desire?
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What do you expect and need from a leader?
Kat Griffith steps out of her comfort zone and runs for local office. The lessons she has learned about herself and her community will encourage, inspire, and challenge you. Learn more about her experience through her article, “One Quaker’s Excellent Adventure in Politics.”
Kat is a former high school teacher, homeschooler, and yearly meeting co-clerk. She describes her current circumstances as “cheerfully unemployed but awfully busy! Interesting times and no lack of meaningful work!” She is primary caregiver to her 91-year-old mother-in-law, is active in Northern Yearly Meeting, clerks the vibrant Winnebago Worship Group in east-central Wisconsin, writes regularly for Friends Journal, interprets (Spanish/English) for FWCC, and is editing an antiracist clerking manual—a work in progress. She is also busy with county board work and a range of local social justice, community building, and environmental initiatives. Personal joys include kayaking, snowshoeing, writing, cooking, tending a ridiculous profusion of houseplants, being a news junkie, and most recently, learning ASL.
Windy Cooler shares a review and a reflection about the award winner film, Women Talking. See Windy’s longer written review of the film, “A Thought Experiment in Sympathy and Love.” Windy Cooler, is currently the convener of Life and Power, a discernment project on abuse in Quaker community.
Windy Cooler (she/her) is an embraced public Friend and the assistant clerk of Sandy Spring (Md.) Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Her ministry has long centered on Quaker caregiving in times of crisis and in group discernment: finding the wisdom in communities to address sticky issues. A regular guest of Quaker communities in the United States, and more recently in the United Kingdom, she is also Pendle Hill’s 2020 Cadbury Scholar and a 2022-23 fellow of Odyssey Impact, a change-making organization that centers story-telling as a strategy for building social justice.
Quakers and Revival
Season 1 · Episode 6
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 • Duration 21:18
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?
The host of Quakers Today, Peterson Toscano, speaks with Karla Jay, the global ministries coordinator for Friends United Meeting. Her husband, Michael Jay, is the pastor of Raysville Friends Church. Karla has been on the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis, where her father, Carlos Moran, is pastor. Karla was an eye-witness to a modern revival in Wilmore, Kentucky, a spiritual event that made national news. Was it a hoax? Group hysteria? Or was this a genuine spiritual encounter? Karla Jay tells us what she heard and saw on her visit to Asbury University.
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual online worship communities?
Writer Linda Seger talks about the essential work of centering into quiet as part of her regular writing process. In her QuakerSpeak interview, “Quakerism, Creativity, and the Artistic Process,” Linda shares about her approach to creativity and spirituality and how it is shaped by her Quaker faith.
“Being able to center allows you to go to the computer to start that process without being in a frenetic desperate state.”
Linda also wrote the article “Nothing Can Separate Us from the Light” for the March issue of Friends Journal, in which she asks the question, “How isolated are we?”
“The format is similar to worship sharing. What distinguishes it as unique is a handful of elements. One is the nature of the queries, which are written to be especially deeply searching and broadly welcoming.” Ann agreed to share some of the queries with us.
What is silence, in addition to the absence of sound?
When have you experienced rebirth?
How do you know when you’ve entered sacred space, or when sacred space has entered you?
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, How has your view of Jesus God or religion changed since you were young?
Hayden Hobby was raised in an evangelical church. He reflects on leaving an abusive God and finding a new way of expressing faith. For Quakers today Hayden talks about the experience that led him to write the essay "Surviving Religious Trauma, How I left an Abusive God." Today he studies in a program taught jointly by Bethany Theological Seminary, and Earlham School of Religion.
Calliope George, a young adult and lifelong Quaker, continues to find her place in Quaker meetings. She talks about community within her age group and beyond. You will find the full video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel, or visit Quakerspeak.com
You will also hear about a new book that explores forests around the world. In The Tree Line, The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth, Ben Rawlence connects with indigenous leaders who have been guardians of threatened wild spaces. He hopes his readers will learn how to think like a forest.
You will find a complete transcript of this episode over at QuakersToday.org.
After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, How has your view of Jesus God or religion changed since you were young?
Question for next month
In the March 2023 issue of Friends Journal various writers will share their experiences, insights, and opinions about the many ways people found or failed to find community on-line during the COVID-19 Lockdown. They raise questions about the merits and limitations to virtual Quaker meetings for worship, and they highlight best practices that worked for some.
What about you? What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual on-line communities or worship? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. 317 Quakers. +1 if calling from outside the USA.
Quakers and Reparations
Episode 4
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 • Duration 18:51
Lucy Duncan and Rob Peagler from Reparation.Works discuss the questions that help guide their work. Lucy has been involved with groundbreaking reparations efforts in Philadelphia's Green Street Friends Meeting. Later this month Lucy and Rob will co-lead an online workshop called Exploring a Quaker Commitment to Reparative Justice. It is sponsored by Pendle Hill Quaker Center in collaboration with the Woodbrooke Centre in Birmingham, England.
We share an edited excerpt of the conversation. Click Here to listen to the complete conversation.
Naveed Moeed is a British-born Pakistani and a Muslim-Quaker member of Chapel Hill (N.C.) Meeting. He is part of the American Theatre Critics Association and a semi-professional photographer. You can find his work at fractalsedge.net.
Richard Nixon
Larry Ingle describes how Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, grew up in a Quaker household. However, Larry points out that Nixon's political career often contrasts these principles.
Quakers in Politics by Carl Abbott and Margery Post Abbott describes a Quaker approach to politics and encourages Friends to leverage our unique willingness to listen and seek common ground. The book is part of the Quaker Quicks, a series of short paperbacks useful for outreach and religious education. Paul Buckley reviewed Quakers in Politics for the June/July 2024 issue of Friends Journal. You can read the review for free and hundreds of others at Friends Journal Book Reviews.
Question for next month
Here’s our question for next month: What does Quakerism have to offer society in 2024? Quakers Today seeks wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. What do you think Quakerism has to offer society in 2024?
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.
Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org, or call our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.
"I helped write a lot of the materials, which includes press releases and websites. And we had a press conference. We made a fake product commercial for this new line of Barbies that would, instead of being made of plastic, be made out of mycelium and mushrooms. It's a little far-fetched because it's not being done yet, but it's also still very feasible."
The Yes Men not only impersonate corporations but also suggest that these corporations are finally doing the "right thing." In doing so, they engage in what they refer to as "identity correction."
In a world where conversations around activism are often steeped in solemnity, the latest episode of the Quakers Today podcast injects an element of whimsy while navigating the moral complexities inherent in social change. Host Peterson Toscano delves into a topic that straddles the lines between activism, ethics, and trickery, raising a tantalizing question: "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"
Dig Deeper
Read Peterson Toscano’s article, “Speaking Lies to Power: Daryl Hannah, Barbie, and Quaker Tricksters” and learn about Quaker tricksters Bonnie Tinker and Benjamin Lay.
The September issue of Friends Journal explores how to welcome a new generation into the Quaker community. The episode features an audio collage of five writers who shared their insights and experiences around the theme.
Nikki Holland shares how Quakerism allowed her and her husband to bring their "full, true selves to worship," a stark contrast to their previous faith communities where they felt marginalized.
For this episode of Quakers Today, we ask the question, "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live, and we may include your message in our October 17th episode. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. Dial +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Next To Me by LVLY, Sneaking Into the Kitchen by Arthur Benson, Young Mystery Detectives by Trailer Worx, Meet myCelia EcoWarrior Barbie takes on plastic polluters by Jeff Walburn, Confidence is Key by Arthur Benson, Rewind time by Clarence Reed, Stay with Us by Sleeping Vines, Clockmaker’s Daydream by 369, A Beginning by Rymdklang Soundtracks.
Mark Russ' reflections on the intersection of Christianity and Quakerism offer insights into the complexities of his faith. Russ, who lives in Birmingham, United Kingdom, candidly shares his experience as a Christian within the Quaker community in the UK, exploring the struggle of reconciling his identity with the broader Quaker ethos.
Mark Russ is a writer, theologian and teacher. Since 2013 Mark has written useful, Quaker-shaped Christian theology on his blog jollyquaker.com. From 2015 to 2022 he was a member of the Learning and Research Team at The Woodbrooke Centre, an international Quaker learning and research organization based in Britain. Before retraining as a theologian, Mark enjoyed a successful decade as a music teacher in London, and spent a year visiting and living in various faith-based intentional communities in the UK and USA. He is currently a full time PhD student at the University of Nottingham, researching liberal Quaker theology and whiteness. He lives with his husband in Birmingham, England.
You will find a complete transcript of this episode at QuakersToday.org.
After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What was a time when you rebelled and why?
Question for next month
Here is our question for you to consider. Who is someone who has inspired your faith or worldview?
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of change makers. Visit AFSC.org.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Noche de Sueños by Lawd Ito, Against a Paler Sky by Hushed, Es Solo by Mimmi Bangoura, Keep Together by Indigo Days, Could Have Been Us, by Blue Topaz
Squirrel Quiche is a two-part process. Before you can make the quiche, you need to cook the squirrel. I developed this recipe on my own. Once you get it down, you can use the meat to make a variety of dishes: quiche, pizza, bbq sliders, soup, tacos, etc.
Slow Cooked Squirrel
Ingredients:
1-2 Squirrels, skinned and gutted
As many cloves of garlic as you can handle
1 tbsp each of salt, pepper, and oregano
Half an onion
1 peeled lemon (helps with gamey flavor - can also use lime, vinegar, or some other source of acid)
1 can of beer (I use NA Busch, as I don’t drink alcohol)
6 cups of water
4 bullion cubes
Steps:
In a crockpot, place the squirrels in the crockpot. Add all other ingredients.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours (fox squirrels tend to take longer than gray squirrels).
Remove squirrels and place in a large bowl.
Let the squirrels cool until you can touch them without burning your hands.
Carefully remove the meat from the bones. Arms, legs, and back strap are the easiest and most enjoyable pieces, the rib, belly, and spine meat is much more difficult to get, is more stringy, and is optional. However, I always go for it.
Discard bones and remove any bbs from the meat if you find any (only a problem if you hunt with a shotgun).
This meat can be used in a variety of dishes.
Squirrel Quiche
Ingredients:
3-4 strips of bacon
A cup of diced green onions
1 diced serrano or 1 small jalapeno
Salt & Pepper
Tony Chachare’s creole seasoning (or your own cajun blend of salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder).
1.5 cups of shredded cheese
6 eggs
Pre-made pie crust
Steps:
Preheat oven at 375
In a skillet, cook the bacon until desired crispiness (mine is basically burnt) and crumble into small pieces.
Put the pie crust in a nine-inch pie pan (it helps to let the crust warm up on the counter for 20-30 minutes beforehand.
Add the bacon, green onions, squirrel, serrano, and 1 cup of cheese into the pan.
In a separate bowl, beat the six eggs until smooth and consistent.
Pour the eggs over all of the ingredients in the pie pan.
Add the remaining cheese on top.
Place in the oven for 40 minutes.
Let cool, slice, and then serve.
You will find a complete transcript of this episode at QuakersToday.org.
After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What do you desire?
Question for next month
For the August episode of Quakers Today we ask the question, What was a time in your life when you rebelled and why?
Rebelling against society norms and breaking the rules may have gotten you in trouble. In the end you may have decided that it was totally worth it. Or you may have regretted the rebellion even if the cause seemed right.
What was a time in your life when you rebelled and why?
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Strapt and Alone in Swan Lake by Pandaraps, My Lifeline by Hector Gabriel, Stillness Within by Roots and Recognition, Morning Hike by Linsey Abraham, Morning Mist by Staffan Carlen,and El Que La Hace La Paga by Wendy Mancini.
Jean Parvin Bordewich is a member of San Francisco (Calif.) Meeting, now attending Friends Meeting of Washington, D.C. She is a trustee of Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. A former senior staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and local elected official in New York's Hudson Valley, she now writes plays about politics and history.
In the July episode of Quakers Today we ask, What do you desire?
The question comes from listener Glen Retief. Glen asks us to consider this question, What do you desire? It is a broad question that you can answer in lots of ways. What do you desire for yourself? Your future? Your relationships? It could also be connected to the wider world around you. What do you desire for your community? The place where you worship? Or for other earthlings? What do you desire?
Here is our question for you to consider. What do you desire?
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is hosted by Peterson Toscano, and it is produced for Friends Journal through Peterson Toscano Studios.
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. That’s AFSC dot ORG
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard In Love with Myself (Instrumental Version) by Katnip, Hidden Fields by Clarence Reed, Shinjuku by Leimoti, Rising Hope by Reynard Seidel, Work Together by Isola JamesGuuter Gator by Benjamin King
You will find a complete transcript of this episode below after the show notes.
After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?
Question for next month
In the June episode of Quakers Today and the June issue of Friends Journal we consider the topic leadership.
The world is changing rapidly and these include changes in how we view our leaders in the political realm and in religious spaces. With so many people working remotely, even the relationships between managers and workers have changed.
Here is our question for you to consider. What do you expect and need in a leader? This could be a leader on the job, in a religious space, in your community or in the political world.
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult Friends and seekers. Learn about the year-long fellowship program for young adults. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org. And Follow QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Get a Hold on Me by Martin Klem, Revive Us by JOYSPRING, Toward Success by From Now On, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts (Instrumental Version) by Roy Williams, Be This Way by Hallman, Got Nothing to Worry About by Garden Friend
Transcript for Quakers and Revival
SPEAKERS
Karla Jay, Alissa Vanderbark, Sunny, Jonah Sutton-Morse, Anthony Kirk, Peterson Toscano
Peterson Toscano 00:00
In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?" I speak with an eyewitness to a modern revival in Wilmore, Kentucky, a spiritual event that made national news. Was it a hoax? Group hysteria? Or was this a genuine spiritual encounter? Karla Jay tells us what she heard and saw on her visit to Asbury University. Anthony Kirk, a transgender pastor at a Friend's Church shares a Bible passage that has been central to his spiritual and gender journey. And Kathleen B Wilson dusted off and reformatted the writings of an early 20th century mystic. You will hear readings from the new pamphlet, Quaker Thomas Kelly, Life from the Center.
Peterson Toscano 00:49
I am Peterson Toscano. This is the sixth episode of Quakers Today, a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. This first season of Quakers Today has been sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service.
Peterson Toscano 01:05
Karla Jay serves as the global ministries coordinator for Friends United Meeting or fu M. Her husband, Michael Jay,is the pastor of Rayville Friends Church. Karla has been on the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis, where her father Carlos Moran is pastor. Like many people, it was online that she first learned about the Asbury revival.
Karla Jay 01:30
I just thought, oh, you know, these are people that probably want attention or just want to say that you know, the spirit is being poured over them.
Peterson Toscano 01:40
On February 8 2023, after an on campus chapel service, a group of Asbury students decided to stay in the chapel to pray and sing. For the next two weeks students, community members and visitors from around the USA attended impromptu worship services. During that time classes were suspended online and in the media, people called it an outpouring of the Holy Spirit or the Asbury revival. According to Inside Higher Ed, "Asbury is part of the Wesleyan theological tradition, which emphasizes transformational encounters with the Holy Spirit." This year during the two weeks of nearly constant prayer and worship, over 50,000 visitors joined the students. Karla Jay was not interested in traveling the three hours to the Asbury campus. But her sister, who Karla doesn't get to see often, proposed they meet up and visit together. Karla shared with me what she saw and heard. And she reflects on what revival means to her.
Karla Jay 02:47
It wasn't hard to find; the campus is not that big. We found it, and we saw that it will be a while before we got in. There was maybe 2000 people outside at the time we went there. Being already suspicious of what was happening, I was looking for like, are there any other Latinos? Are there other Black people here, you know, people that are different from regular white people? Or is this just like a white people movement? There was some other Latinos maybe not as many as I would have liked there to be. But there were some other Latinos in the crowd. The majority of the crowd was white.
Karla Jay 03:28
We waited about 45 minutes to get in. And in the meantime, an usher came in. He asked us, What did we need? And what were we doing there? Like, did we come for anything in particular? And we said, we just came to feel the presence and to be here. He said, Are there any needs that you have that you would like me to pray for you? And we said just that we feel the presence that he prayed for us, that we may feel the presence and that we may be blessed?
Karla Jay 04:03
It was just very quiet, even though there was music being played in the background. The worship leaders weren't not really leading people into worship. They were there. There was background music, people were praying, some people were singing to the music that was being played. Some people, if they felt like it, they went up and gave testimony. People were allowed to go in and out as they felt led. It almost felt like in a programed Meeting for Worship with background music. It wasn't organized. It was spontaneous.
Karla Jay 04:44
We were there for about an hour and a half. And I felt like we had only been there for 15 minutes. I didn't feel bored or anxious then. I usually feel that in a lot of church meetings, I'm bored. I'm anxious that I want to leave. I believe I've already sang these hymns before. I probably already heard that sermon before, whether the person that I'm listening to is new, but I probably already heard the sermon in some way or another. I did not feel that at Asbury. I just felt like there was peace there. And that whatever was happening, a genuine experience for most of the people there.
Karla Jay 05:26
Growing up Evangelical and Holiness, I did see adults making a plea for a revival to happen. But I'd never seen them asking for repentance or turning around. The church has been asking for revival to happen. But at the same time, I don't see many leaders of the church recognizing the sins that the church has been a part of . And some of that sin has to do with issues of justice. What I saw in Asbury is that this movement, or it might be too soon to call it revival, but this outpouring happen in very young people. I mean, these are college kids, they're not older than I don't know, twenty-three. They don't have any influence. They don't have any positions of power. This spontaneous worship happened among them. It didn't happen and an older generation that is not recognizing the sins and you know, like, the younger generation, it's been more honest about the injustice that is happening in this country. That might have something to do with you know, recognizing that not everyone in this country has the same justice and being able to recognize that and be able to say we are going to make a difference. I think that in itself is the movement of the Holy Spirit. God is not going to do an outpouring, and people that are not repenting and calling for justice in this country. If they're not calling against racism, if they're not calling against misogyny, the Holy Spirit is not going to move in that. Our relationship with God also has to do with a relationship with others around us and how we seek justice for our brothers and sisters.
Anthony Kirk 07:48
My journey with religion and spirituality has been completely intertwined. In my relationship with my gender identity and coming out as transgender. My name is Anthony Kirk, I use he/him pronouns. I live in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and I am currently the pastor of Klamath Falls friends church.
Anthony Kirk 08:18
There's actually a Psalm that has really helped me. I reflect on it a lot. I use it for Transgender Day of Visibility events, and I share it with those who are exploring their identity, exploring their gender, their sexuality, and wondering, Well, where do I fit? The scripture that I use comes from Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, from the New Revised Standard Version
Anthony Kirk 08:52
For It was you who formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was being made in secret. Intricately woven in the depths of the earth, your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your books were written all the days that were formed for me when none of them as yet existed. And it's the beautiful reminder that God knew us since our conception, as we were formed, God knew us and loved us and created us long before society put labels on us and made assumptions. And that's brought so much comfort to me and so many people in my life.
Peterson Toscano 09:55
That was Anthony Kirk, in an excerpt from the QuakerSpeak Video Made in the Image of God, a Transgender Pastor shares Psalm 139. You will find the full video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak channel on YouTube, or visit Quakerspeak.com.
Peterson Toscano 10:12
Quaker Thomas Kelly Life from the Center is a free online pamphlet that includes excerpts from two of Kelly's books, Testament of Devotion, and The Eternal Promise. While reading Kelly's writing, Kathleen B. Wilson started copying excerpts verbatim and arranging sentences and phrases. The format helped her savor each word and phrase Alissa Vanderbark, a Quaker Voluntary Service fellow, and Jonah Sutton-Morse, a member of Concord Monthly Meeting in New Hampshire. Join us to read passages from the pamphlet.
Alissa Vanderbark 10:56
I have no interest in silence as a form. But I know that devotion and dedication arise in the deep communing of the heart, in dwelling with a silence in the center of our being in periods of relaxed listening and expectancy. The silence within us seems to merge with a creative silence within the heart of God. And we hear eternity's whispers, and we become miracles of eternity, breaking into time, live a listening life. Order your outward life, so that nothing drowns out the listening.
Jonah Sutton-Morse 11:39
The second spring of hope, business, we simple humble people can bear the seed of hope. No religious dictator will save the world, no giant figure of heroic size, will stalk across the stage of history today as a new messiah. But in simple, humble, imperfect person, like you and me, wells up the spring of hope. We have this treasure of the seed in the earthen vessels, very earthen vessels, yield yourselves to the growth of the seed within you. In these our days of suffering. Sow yourselves into the furrows of the world's pain and hope will grow and rise. Be not overcome by the imposing forces of evil and of might. Be of good cheer as Jesus I have overcome the world.
Peterson Toscano 12:59
That was Alissa Vanderbark and Jonah Sutton Morse reading excerpts from the free online pamphlet Quaker Thomas Kelly Life from the Center. You can read the full version and the introduction written by Kathleen B. Wilson at the website QuakerThomasKelly.org. And you can connect with Quakers like Jonah at the Society of Friends Discord group. I will have links for you in our show notes.
Peterson Toscano 13:29
Thank you for listening to Quakers Today. This podcast is written and produced by me Peterson Toscano. I receive a lot of assistance and input from the Friends Journal staff Gabe, Gail, Martin, and Ron Thank you Friends.
Peterson Toscano 13:42
For articles and blog posts related to this episode visit FriendsJournal.org. Music on today's show comes from Epidemic Sound. This is the end of season one. But fear not Friends Publishing Corporation has renewed this show for another season. I will continue to produce it with the possibility of a co-host. We will premiere Season Two on June 13th 2023.
Peterson Toscano 14:10
Season One of Quakers Today was sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service. Thank you so much. QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult friends and seekers. Learn about the year long fellowship program for young adults, visit QuakerVoluntaryService.org and follow QVS on Instagram at QuakerVoluntaryService. If you have a comment or suggestion for this podcast or just want to say hi, you can email me podcast@friendsjournal.org. Stick around after the closing to hear voicemails from listeners who share their daily spiritual practices. Thank you Friend. I look forward to spending more time with you soon
Peterson Toscano 15:15
In a moment, you will hear voicemails from listeners about their daily spiritual practices. But first, I want to share with you the question for our June episode, and it is a question about leaders and leadership. The world is changing rapidly. And these include changes to how we view our leaders in the political realm and religious spaces. With so many people working remotely, even the relationships between managers and workers have changed. So here's our question for you to consider. What do you expect and need in a leader? This could be a leader on the job, in a religious space, in your community, or in the political world? What do you expect and need in a leader? I would love to hear and share your thoughts. Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317 Quakers. That's 317.7825377. 317 Plus one if you're calling from outside the USA. You can also send an email. I have these contact details in our show notes over at QuakersToday.org. Now we hear answers to the question what is a daily practice that clears your head and studies you for the day
Sunny 16:36
I'm Sunny in Virginia. I attend Richmond Friends Meeting. And thank you for the query. It helped me think through what it is that starts my day. After reading today books in the luxury of my bed without hot coffee and a dog, I go for movement in the fresh air. This morning I swept the desk with a sturdy broom while the pollen was still damp so the mask wasn't needed. Some mornings I'd like to scoop leaves or rake or follow the dog around the meadow. But breathing and moving awakens my body and pulls things together. I add a little yoga, maybe a hot shower, but the thing is the motion of leaving my body with the breath that gathers my mind, body and spirit into the center. And there I can face today. Thank you for that query again. I'm gonna watch myself with more consciousness but not obsession.
17:33
Sharlee from Allentown Pennsylvania, I worship at the Lehigh Valley Friends Meeting. So the daily practice that clears my head and steady for the day is praying a prayer a member of my meeting shared with me. She was the convener of a group that met to walk with me during a time of aa upsetting spiritual doubt. And the prayer is God most high and glorious, come into the shadows of my heart. Give me a generous spirit and let me always live in the light of your love. Thank you goodbye.
“When we are present, fully 100% present with each other in person, we are not doing anything else. I think that social skills and social interactions always excite me.”
You will find a complete transcript of this episode at Friends Journal
After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual online worship communities?
Question for next month
In the April issue of Friends Journal we will consider revival and personal spiritual growth.
What about you? What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?
Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the USA.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard “Tell It Later'” by Kikoru, “A Thousand Moons Ago” by Johannes Bornlog, “Company Keeper” by Frank Johnson, “School Days” by John Runefelt, “Breeze U” (instrumental version) by Collin Lilm, “Water Mirrors” by More Sugar, “The Big Let Down” by Curiosity, and “Stoked” by FElix Johansson Carne.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Timelapse by Phello, Sweeping Grounds by Major Tweaks, Pray by Gamma Skies, Final Wish by Dreem, and Smoky Smoky by John Runefelt.
Avis Wanda McClinton talks about Manumissions and her mission to identify the Africans enslaved by Quakers in Philadelphia. The Quaker and Special Collections archive at Haverford College contains documents for 339 enslaved Africans who were freed between 1765 and 1790 by slaveholding families in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Avis Wanda McClinton explains that “The goal of the project is to be a restorative, healing force that connects modern descendants with their enslaved ancestors, and to understand the lives of these first generations of ‘freemen.’”
This book is about the Green Book, one annual traveler’s guidebook but so much more. It is the story of a lost civilization: one that deserves to be lost but never forgotten. It tells the story of Black resistance to White repression, harassment, and tyranny. It tells about a subversive project: one that was designed to subvert Jim Crow but also contributed to the subversion of legal segregation and the denial of basic civil rights.
After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What are your thoughts, feelings, and understandings about reparations?
Question for next month
How has your view of Jesus, God, or religion changed since you were young? This question is raised in Margaret Kelso's article about Lent, which will appear in the February 2023 issue of Friends Journal.
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.
Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.
Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.
Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. Tracks include: Soakin up the Sun (Instrumental Version) by Ludlów, Humbot by Wave Saver, A Dark Road to Nowhere by DEX 1200, Brand New Beginning by Öman,
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