Worldwide Quakerism can be seen as an extended family tree – with many branches spreading out in different directions and bearing different fruit. But when we come down to it, we are all one family, rooted in a common heritage and core beliefs that still bind us together. FWCC (Friends Worldwide Committee for Consultation) is like the loving super-auntie who keeps us all connected, spreading the family news, smoothing out differences and making sure that once in a while we all get together for a really good family celebration.
The next big family gathering, the FWCC World Plenary, will take place online and in-person in August 2024. In anticipation of this, Woodbrooke and FWCC have joined forces to help us all get to know our Quaker cousins a bit better. From 5 to 26 June, we are offering World Quaker Voices, a free four-week online course covering the themes of community, worship, history and experience. Weekly discussions on Zoom will complement the extensive online resources that have been contributed by Friends across the globe in the form of text, images, audio and video.
Would you like to know…
How Friends in the Philippines celebrated World Quaker Day in a food forest?
How a South Korean Quaker draws on Taoist mysticism as well as Quaker teachings as he seeks to build peace in a competitive, fractured world?
How a Palestinian Christian Quaker woman has spent 43 years ‘walking the edge where the spiritual meets the political’?
How a Kenyan Friend’s work for social action training group Turning the Tide has given her deep insights into the nature of social injustice and non-violent responses to it?
Then World Quaker Voices is the course for you.
The course has been developed by long-standing Woodbrooke Associate Tutor Jasmine Piercy, a British Quaker living in Slovenia. She has previously led several European Quaker Voices courses for Woodbrooke, and has coordinated Quaker Voluntary Action working retreats across Europe. Jasmine says “I’m excited to be getting this course off the ground at a time when our Quaker world is opening up to new post-pandemic online connections. Really looking forward to meeting the participants and growing our community through shared exploration.”
Jasmine will be co-facilitating the course with Hezron Masitsa, a lifelong Quaker, who is a peace-building specialist from Kenya and FWCC’s Peace and Justice Secretary. Hezron says “I am really looking forward to facilitating this course because it is the heart of who I am as a Quaker; very passionate, enthusiastic and open-minded. It is a great opportunity to share my journey as a Quaker from birth and the lived experiences of Quaker Faith and Practice in my leadership roles and active engagement in Quaker peace building processes. Besides being born and raised as a Quaker, I have travelled, interacted and worshipped with Friends from different traditions. I am excited that I will be connecting with and learning from our diversities, thus enriching our knowledge and understanding. As a facilitator, I will be keen to create an environment where these diversities are appreciated, where everyone is valued and that respectful communication is upheld.”
The live Zoom sessions are every Wednesday at 18:30-20:00 (UK time). The text, audio and video resources will be available online for participants throughout the period of the course, to make learning as flexible as possible.
There is no charge for participating, but you are encouraged to make a donation towards the costs if you are able, under our ‘pay as led’ scheme.
Click here to find out more and book your place on the course
