The Experience of Convincement: A Weekly Retreat

When Quakers have described their experience of convincement, there is always, necessarily, a personal dimension. Each experience is unique. Yet there is a pattern to what happens. There are recognisable themes in the experience, and the impact it has in a significant change of life is also evident. On each of the four afternoons of this retreat we will give attention to one of these themes.

The way the word ‘convincement’ is generally used today inclines towards something intellectual, as in being convinced by an argument, but that is not how it has been traditionally understood by Quakers. If convincement is a realignment of both head and heart, it is the opening of the heart that takes the lead and that is what this retreat is designed to encourage.

Our four topics will be: ‘creation made new’; ‘being shown our darkness’; ‘purifying fire’; ‘the guiding voice’. Each session will include a presentation to introduce the theme along with a set of Quaker and other resources chosen to give you a fruitful focus as you enter into a period of quiet reflection. You will then have the chance to share what you have found with two other participants before a concluding time of worship sharing.

Comments from previous participants using this unusual format indicate its potential value for Friends: ‘An online retreat was an odd idea I felt at first, but worked well. A real sense that we were together in the reflection.’; ‘It has been an enrichening and engaging experience’; ‘It provided me with very deep spiritual reflection and inspiration’; ‘It was wonderful to have the longer time, so that our periods of reflection during the afternoon really bore fruit, which we were then able to share in conversation in the breakout groups.’

There will be some material to look at before the first session. We will email you around one week prior to the course with information about accessing the course, including this material, on our online learning platform (Moodle).