Coming up quickly is our seasonal Western and Central New York Quaker meeting, called Farmington Scipio Regional Meeting’s Fall Gathering. It will be held Saturday, September 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Meetinghouse of Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting in the hamlet of Poplar Ridge, New York, which is about 130 miles from Buffalo, about 30 minutes off the New York State Thruway, south of Auburn, New York.
This Gathering will be special for two reasons. First, we will hear a presentation from Rebecca Schillenbeck about her trip to the triennial Friends United Meeting (FUM) conference in Africa this past summer. Buffalo Quakers practice “unprogrammed” Meeting for Worship which is embedded in silence, with spontaneous vocal ministry, but no formal liturgy or minister. This is the oldest form of Quaker practice. There is a much larger proportion of Quakers world-wide that practice “programmed” Meeting for Worship, which has a smaller period of silence, and a minister-led Christian liturgy, and music. So most of us in “unprogrammed” Meetings have little experience of “programmed” worship within a Quaker context, and especially within the dynamic, growing Quaker communities in Africa. There will be time for reflection about our differences and commonalities during this discussion. Second, we will be holding Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business for the region, and taking up a discussion of how we can share the opportunities to plan and coordinate future gatherings. Quakers, as you know decide everything collectively in Spirit.
If you have the ability to take a day and travel to Fall Gathering, I encourage you to check it out. Given its about two and a half hours away, I encourage us to carpool to save on gas, and be kinder to the earth, as well as to have time to get to know a Buffalo Friend or two during the road trip. And I almost forgot: you can attend virtually on Zoom if you wish.
If you have decided to go in person or virtually, please register on the link that was emailed out from the Regional Meeting. If you plan to drive or need a ride, let me know and I’ll try to connect Friends for carpooling. I hope you can have this broadening experience with a wider circle of Friends.