Online events for spiritual exploration and deepening, social action, and finding connection

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Exercises for the Quiet Eye (EQE) is a series of exercises emphasizing experiences of art that encourage patient reflection, direct connection, and an attempt to avoid the premature rush to understand or determine a set interpretation, for what we see. 

You can see a full description of this practice here.

Annie Storr is a Quaker, scholar, museum educator, and art historian. She is a Resident Scholar at Brandeis University’s Women’s Study Research Center and has devoted her career to exploring the intersection of art history and education, in theory, and in practice. In 2014, Annie had six months at Pendle Hill as the Minnie Jane Arts Fellow to polish EQE and develop its Quaker resonances. She is a long-time member of Adelphi Friends Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting and for several years a sojourner of North Shore Friends in Beverly. Annie has just been awarded a 2021 Frances Shaw residency at Ragdale Art Colony, north of Chicago, to finish the book on EQE.

MIDWEEK Nov. 11: Annie Storr | Exercises for the Quiet Eye

Who is God? What do you “know” about God? What were you taught? What images come to your mind? What if you gave yourself time to name those things, and permission to let some, or even all of that go?

In this practice, we will learn from the ancient mystical tradition of apophasis — which focuses on what cannot be said about God or the divine. In our time together, we will define apophasis and learn from several short passage what it might look like. The majority of our time together will focus on exploring the concepts we have been taught to hold as “true,” about God, testing their limitations, and allowing ourselves to let go of some of them in order to embrace divine mystery and transcendence. We will allow ourselves to sit in the dis/comfort of “unsaying” what has been said about God to focus on what cannot be said.

Jen Higgins-Newman is a convinced Friend, theologian, feminist, and mystic. Jen came to Quakerism out of evangelical Christianity, and found solace in Feminist and Queer theology, which gave her new ways of redefining God, and apophatic theology, which reminds her that she does not have to define God at all in order to have faith and a spiritual practice. Jen holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and serves as the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House where she plans programs to cultivate and nurture community and our spiritual lives.

MIDWEEK Nov. 18: Jen Higgins-Newman | Divine Unsaying

 This is an interactive event, where participants will be invited to consider difficult truths about Thanksgiving, reflect with others, and hear some messages of hope around what a new Thanksgiving built on justice and right relationship might look like.

The story or the narrative that most of us were told by schools, churches, and/or our families about Thanksgiving is deeply flawed — and is not truthful about the relationship between Puritan peoples and the Indigenous peoples in the Northeast.

In this event, sponsored by the 400 Years Project, Beacon Hill Friends House (Quakers), and the Justice and Witness Ministries of Southern New England Conference UCC, we’ll consider this history of Thanksgiving from a Native perspective, and why many Native people consider it as a national day of mourning for Native peoples. This will be an opportunity for our communities to come together, face some hard truths about Thanksgiving, and reflect on Turtle Island’s (aka America’s) history from an Indigenous viewpoint. This work can be uncomfortable, but it is vitally important. We will create space in community to hold that discomfort.

This event will also be a place to bring hope to the circle and begin the discussion of right relationship and reparation.

– Presentation by Joan Tavares Avant and Gail Melix: Hearing Indigenous people’s truth around Thanksgiving

– Small group sharing: How we (those present) respond to and reflect on this truth

– Discussion (with presenters & panelists): The journey to a new Thanksgiving built on justice and right relationship

. Suggested donation is $10 to $25. (The scale goes down to $0, just type in $0 in the “Name your price” box). 100% of the proceeds will go to the Native Land Conservancy. If you are able to be generous, please consider doing so.

Closed captioning provided (Please let us know on the registration form if there is anything else we can do to make this event more accessible for you).

Contact Beacon Hill Friends House Program Manager Jen Higgins-Newman at program@bhfh.org.

, aka, “Granny Squannit” is a Mashpee Wampanoag Deer clan mother, historian, and Tribal President (three terms). Joan served as the Director of Indian Education in the Mashpee Public Schools, is the author of People of First Light (2010), a columnist for Mashpee Enterprise, and an editor for the National League of American Pen Women. Joan is also a founding trustee for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.

 is Manomet Wampanoag and Quaker. She is a board member of the Native Land Conservancy, co-clerk of New England Yearly Meeting (Quakers) Earthcare Ministry, and a member of the Faith Community Environmental Network (Cape Cod). Gail recently retired after 46 years of nursing, specializing in the following fields: hospice, detox and rehab- Addiction services, infectious disease.

is a Justice & Witness Minister for Southern New England Region of the United Church of Christ. Kelly seeks to encourage the churches of the Southern New England Conference to consider their history as descendants of the Pilgrims and Puritans who invaded and colonized this land. She spent her sabbatical summer visiting the member churches of the United Church of Christ Council of American Indian Ministries (CAIM) in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota forging relationship and shared ministry. She acknowledges that she still has much to learn to be an effective ally in this work.

 is the current clerk (chair) of the governance board of New England Quakers and a member of the Durham ME Monthly Meeting. Leslie’s concerns for right relationship with Native peoples include her work with Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy, the Maine Council of Churches, the De-colonizing Faith Group of Maine Wabanaki REACH and the Reparations (for Native Americans) Workgroup of New England Yearly Meeting and bynow serving on the Right Relationship Resource Group. Leslie lives near the Kennebec River on Ckuwaponahkiyik Territory, one of about 20 tribal communities that was part of the Wabanaki Homeland, of whom 4 survive and thrive.

– Peter Blood, 400 Years Project, Mt. Toby Friends Meeting.

– Jen Higgins-Newman, Beacon Hill Friends House and Beacon Hill Friends Meeting.

** HOW TO REGISTER ** Please fill out the questions above, and put the amount you’d like to pay in the system. If you put in “$0” the button at the bottom will change from “Pay” to “Register” and you will be able to register for free.

More information and additional resources at: 

https://bhfh.org/looking-deeply-at-thanksgiving/

Looking deeply at Thanksgiving

 A programmed Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in gratefulness. We will draw on Beacon Hill Friends House traditions as well as experiment with being together on Zoom to share a meal the Friday after Thanksgiving.

** This event is free and open to the public. 

If you'd like to make a donation to support the event, you can do so by selecting the red "tip the host" link in the upper right-hand corner.

Accessibility: Closed captioning provided. Participants will be able to call in if needed.

One of the things the Beacon Hill Friends House community has deeply missed during the coronavirus pandemic has been having folks over for dinner. You might be missing this type of gathering, too. Sharing in a meal, joining a lively discussion, feeling a part of a group of other people, the noise of other conversations surrounding you... these all help us feel in community with others.

In an effort to both recreate the experience of a house dinner, as well as experiment with possible ways to cultivate community on a deeper level, we bring to you GATHER: An intentional Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in gratefulness.

Why have a programmed Zoom dinner gathering? Because meaningful gatherings where we can truly connect with other people are crucial to our lives, especially in this time.

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

"It is, amid the grimness, an opportunity to experiment. We won’t be able to fuss over the things I believe we have been wrongly fussing about for too long. We can’t worry about the fish knives. Or the stage lighting. Or the theme colors. Instead, we will have to focus on what we should have been focusing on long before the World Health Organization declared a pandemic: creating magic among people."

This event is free and open to the public! Closed captioning provided for portions of the event. If you need closed captioning in your table room, please email program@bhfh.org.

Thank you to the People's Supper, for inspiring us to think differently about how we might gather for dinner in this time. Learn about the People's Supper at: 

Beacon Hill Friends House is an independent Quaker not-for-profit organization that operates a 20-person community residence, overnight guest accommodations, meeting and event space, and public educational programming in a large historic house in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The Friends House exists to provide opportunities for personal growth, spiritual deepening, and leadership development, drawing inspiration and guidance from the values, principles, and practices of the Religious Society of Friends.

GATHER: An intentional Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in gratefulness

"It is the task of the translator to release in [their] own language that pure language that is under the spell of another, to liberate the language imprisoned in a work in [their] re-creation of that work." -Walter Benjamin

Script or Psalm, writing or reflection, sometimes the words and, more importantly, the meaning of the Divine gets lost in translation. In this exercise, we will be reclaiming the passages which puzzle us by recreating them in our own language. We will spend a majority of our time together deciphering unique texts and translating them into language that is more accessible to each of us while listening to downtempo ambient and instrumental music. It is my hope that we will leave this practice with a closer connection to the texts we bring, a deeper understanding of the messages within, and a more full realization of ourselves.

For this practice you will need: a notebook/something to write on, a writing utensil, a puzzling passage (something at least 12 lines long), a quiet space, an open mind, and, perhaps, a dictionary.

Emma is a wannabe Quaker, committed youth worker, and thoughtful F/friend who's interested in bending the spiritual and breaking into the Divine. She hails from the great Midwest and graduated in 2018 from Earlham College with a major in Human Development and Social Relations and a minor in Religious Studies. The following year she moved to Boston to participate in the Quaker Voluntary Service and currently serves as a Youth Leadership Coordinator at a Boston-based non-profit.

MIDWEEK Dec. 2: Emma Turcotte | Rewriting the Script: An Exercise in Translating the Divine 

As Bobby Trice noted during his MIDWEEK practice on October 28, Quakers have often carried concerns about justice, some of which have led them to lobby for change. One concern for many Quakers and others right now is that in these difficult times, our undocumented siblings are especially vulnerable to political attack.

In this practice, we'll build from Bobby's practice to learn how to leverage our stories and testimony to convince our elected representatives in Congress to take action toward recognizing human dignity, reflect/share your experiences with immigration, and take some the first steps toward supporting undocumented people in your state.

James (he/him/his) is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Peru, a graduate student in International Development with a focus on immigration, refugees, and displaced peoples at Clark University; and recently became a member of the Friends Committee on National Legislation's Advocacy Corps team. He grew up in Massachusetts attending NEYM Sessions and he is most proud of being a former-counselor at Friends Camp.

MIDWEEK Dec. 9: James Rider | Anyone Can Lobby for Immigration Reform

Reflect on your spiritual journey through making a creative "map," noting highs and lows, turning points, landmarks, paths not taken, and the roads branching out in front of you now. Clear some space, grab some markers, and let's discover new treasures in the twists and turns.

With a passion for creating community in every form she can think of, Rachel was active in community development in Woodstock, VT, most recently ran a coworking space in Portland, OR, and is currently taking time off to do creative exploration and incubation of whatever beautiful thing is next. She now lives in Milwaukee, WI.

MIDWEEK Dec. 16: Rachel Shields Ebersole | Spiritual Journey Mapping

In many faiths and traditions, the Winter Solstice is a time for renewal and reflection. As we embrace the longest night, we also look forward to the renewal and return of the Light.

Join the Beacon Hill Friends House community for an evening of guided meditation and reflection as we gather around the Meeting Room fireplace from wherever you are.

During our time together, we will reflect on what we need to let go of and what we need for rekindling our own Inner Fire during this celebration of light and darkness.

is the Youth Ministries and Education Coordinator for Friends Meeting at Cambridge. As a disabled Quaker, he found himself fully embraced by God when he discovered the field of Disability Liberation Theology while in seminary. Prior to working at FMC, he worked in campus ministry and service-learning.

 is a trained and experienced banquet and catering chef, who also happens to be the Resident Chef and Kitchen Manager here at Beacon Hill Friends House. Vickie grew up just outside of Anaheim, CA, and moved to Worcester, MA for college where she attempted to get a degree in biomedical engineering but ended up with a degree in theatre instead. In her spare time, she continues to enjoy being involved in local community theatre. Occasionally she also updates her blog and website at www.vickiewu.com.

Tending to the Inner Fire: A Guided Meditation and Reflection on Winter Solstice

Winter is a sacred time that offers us particular challenges. Winter nights are long and cold. Nature slows down. The trees are bare, their sap running thick and slow and creatures hibernate and live off of the abundance of summer. We usually gather together during the long evenings and restore ourselves with celebrations of light and gatherings with loved ones. This series of virtual gatherings in the time of Covid is intended to help participants embrace winter and all that it offers us.

This series is designed as a gentle, loving and sacred container for exploring our relationship to the Divine in places we normally would not seek or recognize it. Expanding our capacity to hold the sacredness of all that winter brings - isolation, limited resources, cold and discomfort for example - is part of our work to weave the fabric of a beloved community that cares and tends for all.

Participants are welcome to drop in and out of the series. While the sessions build on each other, they are also designed so that each individual can participate at whatever level they choose.

Preparing for Winter: Setting up a Sacred Space and Prayer Life

Over centuries and in every faith, prayer has been a conduit for connecting to the Divine/Spirit/God. Yet in our contemporary lives, understanding how to pray or what it means to pray can be confusing and elusive. During this workshop, participants will explore the meaning of prayer; the diversity of what prayer can look like; what their own style of prayer might be and/or how to deepen the prayer life they already have.

Personal sacred spaces and altars help remind and open us to the Divine as we understand it. They can be as simple as candles on a window sill or a few stones on top of a dresser, or they can be an entire meditation nook, complete with cushion and wall hangings. After exploring what prayer might look like for them, participants will also be invited to begin the process of setting up a sacred space in their home to help facilitate their prayers.

Monday December 21st 7:30-8:30pm: Celebrating the Fertile Night of Solstice

Solstice marks the first day of winter and longest night of the year. We will gather to recognize this evening with a celebration of the gifts that come to us after the sun has set and the sense of shadow within us. Bulbs are waiting patiently under frozen ground for their time to bloom in the spring thaw and summer sun. What can we learn from the fertility of the longest night? What do we need to release? What is growing within us? This hour long celebration will include time for individual and group reflection, worship and prayer.

Friday January 1st 1-2pm Releasing 2020 and Welcoming in the New Year

2020 has been a year like no other. From the vantage point between the two years, still in the middle of a pandemic, and still in transition between two presidents, let us gather on the first day of the New Year. This will be a worshipful and interactive time for us to reflect both individually and collectively. We will consider the challenges and surprising gifts of 2020 and look towards what we are being called to next. What needs to be released? What lamentation is left to be honored? What do we need in this moment? What can we celebrate? How are we part of the movement towards a more just society? What shall we call forth for 2021?

Exploring the Sacredness of Winter

Sometimes it's difficult to center oneself amid the hustle and bustle of life (even, and some might say especially, in the COVID-19 era). To help you kick-off the new year with intentionality, join us for a session of Jazz Spirituali-Tea, which will combine expressive Jazz music, your favorite choice of tea, and creative writing.

Rev. Andrew E. Kimble is from Los Angeles, CA, and currently resides in Roxbury, MA. Alongside his ministerial responsibilities at the historic Charles Street AME Church, Andrew is the assistant director of alumni and donor relations at the Boston University School of Theology.

This event is free and open to the public. Closed captioning provided.

MIDWEEK Jan. 13: Andrew Kimble | Jazz Spirituali-tea

When the pandemic started, Greg Woods picked up knitting again to get through Zoom meetings. It is through this medium, Greg has rediscovered a way to settle into worship amid his own fidgety self.

Bring your own fiber art, or if you don't have one, bring something that you can do with your hands in a meditative practice. We will reflect on fiber arts and the practice of centering into worship.

Greg Woods first learned how to knit as a teenager to make a scarf for a crush. Since that time, he has made scarves, hats, and dish clothes for family and friends. Lately, he has been knitting baby blankets and stuff for his 4 1/2-year-old daughter, Margaret Rae. Greg is a Quaker minister currently working for Friends Meeting at Cambridge and lives with his family in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

MIDWEEK Jan. 20: Greg Woods | Connecting With God Through Fiber Arts

Quaker practice draws much from biblical tapestry concerning the dichotomy of light and dark, oceans of chaos and order, and in truth the simply entropy in manipulating the existence thrust upon/into us as vessels of light. Since our genesis, this practice of self-expanse to hold the rich nuances of our own ever-evolving relationship with spirituality, and deep commitment towards recognizing an ocean of equal proportion and light in others, has made us tremble to our core.

But what if there were a better way? Hi, my name is Lilly Campbell, and I will be leading a 30 minute body weight circuit to strengthen your core and sculpt that light! With over 6 years of experience leading workshops for Young Friends and JHYM which have been glowingly reviewed as "a food-processor of spiritual metaphors and body weight strength training tips," my goal is to give you the tools to not only tremble in the face of the awe-inspiring beauty of existence, but also the washboard abs sure to adorn your inner light after this 30 minute session.

Participants of all levels are encouraged to come and no equipment is necessary other than some space on the floor. This will include activities such as pushups, crunches, wall sits, and planks. Modifications for different abilities will be provided.

Lilly Campbell is a Young Adult Friend at New England Yearly Meeting and has most recently attended Northampton Friends Meeting. In her infinite free time she enjoys gardening, mountain biking, reading science fiction, and staffing retreats with JHYM.

MIDWEEK Jan. 27: Lillian Campbell | Holding your center by centering your core

Learning to listen to the inner teacher or inner Light is a core part of Quaker practice. In addition to listening intrapersonally, we can also learn from others' experiences and inner wisdom in addition to our own. But too often, we listen to others from a posture of response — thinking about what we will say next, how we might also be known in the conversation, or whether we agree or disagree.

In this MIDWEEK, we will engage in deep and active listening to others — or listening to understand and to know. Through this practice, Ryan and Jen hope to show the connective power and revelatory nature of deeply listening to others in our communities.

Ryan Higgins-Newman is a Quaker, fundraiser, and Friends House resident and board member. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from BU School of Theology, where he focused his studies on Religion and Conflict Transformation. Professionally, he works for MIT as a development and events assistant. Personally, he finds joy and value in listening deeply to other people (and baking bread!).

Jen Higgins-Newman is a Quaker, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, with a focus on religion, gender, and sexuality studies. Jen understands the transformative power of deep and active listening in helping heal our divides, connect others on a spiritual level, and even create change —and she hopes to share that with others.

MIDWEEK Feb. 3: Ryan & Jen Higgins-Newman | Listening for the Light in each other​

Drop-in classes on Sunday evenings in February and early March, 2021

In these turbulent times, we all need resources and practices that help us process and center. In a nurturing and supportive environment, explore the wisdom of your own inner landscape and the power of art to help you process life.

Each class will begin with an introduction to a simple art lesson you can choose to incorporate into your art journaling time. Then relax into a guided meditation and the meditative flow of creation. From a space of listening, open to Spirit’s guidance as a way of creating what you most need to express or remember in this moment. We will close with an opportunity for those who are inspired to share from your heart. If no one is moved to share, we’ll simply enjoy the gifts of a meditative space.

No matter your level of artistic skill, no matter your previous relation to spirituality, you may be surprised at what emerges when you allow yourself to relax into creative flow. You can attend as many of these workshops as you'd like to!

You can either register for one workshop at a time, or register for the entire series at a discounted rate. If you have questions about registration, please email Jen Higgins-Newman, at program@bhfh.org.

Workshop dates: February 7, 14, 21, 28, & March 7, 14

Cost: $25/workshop or $125/for the full series.

This series is not sequential. Drop in to as many as you like.

Please bring a journal (or paper) and any art materials that you’d like to work with (this can simply be a pen or pencil).

Also, please ensure you have a quiet space to create.

is a Quaker, educator, interfaith chaplain, social justice activist, and artist. As such, LJ nourishes curiosity and creativity in order for us to process, heal, and come alive! They offer Spiritual Direction, anti-racist education, and social justice coaching to groups and individuals. For more information visit: www.spiritheals.me or email: lj@spiritheals.me

Art Journaling as a Spiritual Practice

MIDWEEK Feb. 10: Briana Halliwell | Learning to Follow Your True Heart's Call​

Collaging is good for the soul, satisfying to the eyes -- and accessible to everyone. It can help us express something words have been hard to find for; it can illuminate a quote or idea we've been mulling over; and it just brings joy to the heart. Grab some magazine, wrapping paper, junk mail, or old greeting cards whatever you have around that you can cut or rip up and glue back down. A quote, poem, song lyrics, or poignant word can be powerful to build a collage around, so bring one (or two!) if it strikes your fancy.

With a passion for creating community in every form she can think of, Rachel was active in community development in Woodstock, VT, most recently ran a coworking space in Portland, OR, and is currently taking time off to do creative exploration and incubation of whatever beautiful thing is next. She lives in Milwaukee, WI.

Learn more about Rachel at: www.rachelshieldsebersole.com

MIDWEEK Feb. 17: Rachel Shields Ebersole | Collage Journaling

For years I longed to step into authentic connection with God, others, and myself but instead, my harsh inner critic and judgment separated me from grace and vulnerability. I realized this was perfectionism showing up in my life and it was holding me back from listening to that still small voice of Spirit. Through discussion and activities, we will explore if perfectionism is blocking you from stepping into the love and grace of God. We will also recognize how perfectionism is rooted in white supremacy and when unexamined continues to cause harm and oppression. So come with an open heart and a willingness to breathe into discomfort as we explore how we can feel God’s love under the weight of perfectionism.

Abby is a Quaker who lives in Burlington Vermont with her partner and his 5-year-old son. She attended a programmed Quaker church when she was young and the Young Friends program had a strong impact on her. It was a Spirit lead group, centered in love. It was one of the first experiences where the armor of her perfectionism started to chip away and true authentic love was felt. It paved a path towards her vocation as a Social Worker; working with adolescents, parents, and families empowering them to find healing with each other.

MIDWEEK Feb. 24: Abby Matchette | How to feel God's love under the weight of perfectionism

Are you new to reading the Bible? Are you unsure or even resistant to it? Did you know that there are some specific ways that Quakers have read the Bible throughout the ages that open up the Biblical text in ways that are liberatory and transformative for both the inward self and the outward community. Join us as we practice reading the Bible with empathy.

C. Wess Daniels is a father, author, minister, and Quaker educator at Guilford College. His work primarily relates to renewing faith communities in the face of the Empire. His most recent book is "Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation as Resistance." Find him on twitter: @cwdaniels, or check out his newsletter at http://newsletter.remixingfaith.com.

MIDWEEK March 3: Wess Daniels | Reading the Bible with Empathy

As we continue to live amid a pandemic a year later, many of us are feeling restless, tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and are suffering amid grief, loss, and so much more. All the while, many are also searching for practices to ground their life in meaning and connect with themselves and others. The practice and teaching found in Zen Buddhism can provide a gateway to cultivating self-awareness and spiritual growth, while learning how to acknowledge and move through suffering. Zen is life-affirming, earth-affirming, suffering-affirming, and relates to everything with compassion and wisdom. Everything, without exception. In this hour of MIDWEEK, Busshō will offer us an overview and introduction to how meditation (zazen) and chanting are practiced in the Zen Buddhist tradition, with short experientials of both.

Busshō is a Zen priest, teacher, speaker, retreat leader, spiritual director, and an Interfaith Fellow at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. He serves the Flying Cloud Zen Contemplative Spiritual Practice Community, as well as the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, Aslan Institute, and the Episcopal House of Prayer. His teaching focuses on contemplative spirituality, 12-Step work, interfaith dialogue, mystical Christianity, and marrying spirituality with both Western and Buddhist psychology. Learn more about Busshō's work at https://flyingcloudzen.org/.

MIDWEEK March 10: Busshō Lahn | Two Zen Practices to Ground You

MIDWEEK March 17: Mason Mennenga | Blackout Bible

Celebrating the coming of Spring is also celebrating rebirth, and new beginnings. As we come out from the cold Winter season, we look forward to the return of warmth, life, and growth.

Join us at Beacon Hill Friends House for an evening of guided meditation and reflection on growth, our roots, and our connection to Mother Earth.

Rooted in the importance of contemplative practice, this practice is open to people of all or no religious traditions.

Participants are encouraged to bring a notepad and pen or pencil if they would like to jot down notes during the reflection portion of this event.

Closed captioning provided! Please let us know in the registration if there is anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you.

 is a Quaker, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, with a focus on religion, gender, and sexuality studies. She feels a deep sense of purpose in bringing people together around contemplative practice.

 is an independent Quaker nonprofit organization that provides accessible opportunities for spiritual deepening, personal growth, and collective action.

From Root to Blossom: Two Guided Meditations for the Spring Equinox

For World Water Day, UN-Water has asked people around the world to consider the question “What does water mean to you?” 

As Quakers, another question to hold should be “What does water mean to us?” In this event, we will offer a space for Quakers* (in New England and beyond) to enter into deep listening to the stirring of our hearts around these questions, and space to name openings that bring this stirring into our daily lives (moving into action). This will include time for faithful listening and response to the current New England Yearly Meeting invitations to Monthly Meetings to discern how we are called to respond to the multiple interconnected crises of “systemic problems of racism, social injustice, violence, greed, and failure to act on the climate crisis.” 

Format: This will be a participatory event, with time for worship-sharing with queries, discussion, and facilitated breakout groups. 

 Closed Captioning provided. Please let us know on your registration form if there are other ways we can make this event accessible for you. 

is inspired by ancestors and the Earth; spirituality, women and healing; sustainability and the arts-for-all. She deeply values community, creativity, and interactive process. Mey continues adapting to openings for service of community amid these changing times. At the pandemic’s onset in March 2020, she finished training among the Traveling Ministry Corps of Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas. She finds joy in nurturing Quaker community across geographies and practices. Toward such nurturing, she envisions “living” bridges that connect us between generations, cultural groups, and the transformative work of our age. 

, is a Young Adult Friend who grew up in Quakerism and seeks to defy the boundaries of our faith by connecting people to the root of the Spirit and helping them to reMember their place in the natural order of life. She has worn many hats in the past (zookeeper, editor, freelance writer) and is now stepping fully into the role of “traveling minister,” whatever that may entail.

 ordained Interfaith Eco Chaplain and Water Priestess, provides environmentally based spiritual care to support citizens, activists and social movements working to preserve the environment. Circe conducts water ceremonies, weddings, and memorial services, holds seasonal celebrations, and teaches earth-wise strategies for living lightly on the planet. She has taught at Grinnell College, Dickinson College, and The University of Southern Maine. Circe lives in Portland, Maine with her husband, daughter, and two parakeets.

*Non-Quakers are absolutely welcome to attend this event. However, much of the language in this event will reflect Quaker faith and practice. If you have questions about this, please reach out to Jen Higgins-Newman, BHFH Program Manager, at program@bhfh.org. 

What does water mean to us? Quakers Engaging with World Water Day

Sitting still in silence to wait on the Divine to whisper messages we can then give voice and meaning to is one of many spiritual practices. Sometimes, getting quiet enough to hear inspired revelation doesn’t necessarily look like the cessation of sound and movement. In this embodied approach to prayer, we’ll be combining praise postures such as Barak, Yadah, and Towdah with music, deep reflection, and writing as a way to connect with the Divine as our dance partner, leading guide, and constant companion in life.

Lynette Davis (she/her) is a writer and a mental health advocate. She is a member of Ujima Friends and in spiritual formation with an ecumenical monastic community. Lynette has a BA from Rutgers University and is currently a student at Earlham School of Religion. See her writing at: https://lynettedavis.substack.com/

MIDWEEK March 24: Lynette Davis | First we dance, then we write

In this practice, Anthony Christopher-Smith will offer us a guided meditation to hold our questions and develop insight.

Anthony is a social worker currently providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy to diverse populations. He is also an active Friend, currently a member of New Brunswick (NJ) Monthly Meeting/NYYM, and on the General Committee of the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

MIDWEEK March 31: Anthony Christopher-Smith | A Faith Full of Questions

We all inherit and are formed by a variety of spiritual, cultural, and relational values, and we all must reconfigure these ingredients of morals and traditions for our current life and times. In this introduction to the practice of moral bricolage, I will offer an invitation to reflect on how we may fashion creative and ethical beauty out of the bits of our own unique stories so as to create a mosaic of spiritual grounding for our future journeys.

Emily Ling (she/her) lives and works in the intersection of spirituality, social justice, ecology, and creativity. She holds masters degrees in Public Affairs and Divinity, and worked for years in the field of criminal justice policy reform before embarking on her current job as a full-time farmer who engages regenerative agriculture to empower marginalized communities.

MIDWEEK April 7: Emily Ling | Moral Bricolage 

A programmed Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in life abundant. We will draw on Beacon Hill Friends House traditions as well as experiment with being together on Zoom to share a meal.

If you'd like to make a donation to support the event, you can do so by selecting the red "support the host" link in the upper right-hand corner.**

Closed captioning provided in the main room. Participants will be able to call in if needed. Please let us know if you would like closed captions in your breakout room.

One of the things the Beacon Hill Friends House community has deeply missed during the pandemic has been having people over for dinner. You might be missing this type of gathering, too. Sharing in a meal, joining a lively discussion, feeling a part of a group of other people, the noise of other conversations surrounding you... these all help us feel in community with others.

In an effort to both recreate the experience of a house dinner, as well as experiment with possible ways to cultivate community on a deeper level, we bring to you GATHER: An intentional Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in life abundant.

BEFORE THE DINNER: Folks who register will receive a virtual "care package" via email before the event with a recipe from our Resident Chef, Vickie, and some other pre-dinner materials.

BEGINNING: We will start on the 9th in a large group, encouraging folks to bring their dinners with them. In the large group, we will set the space together, have introductions, and kick off our mealtime.

MIDDLE: We will eat our meals in small "table" breakout groups of about 3 - 5 people. Those will be pre-assigned based on interests indicated during the registration process. Each group will have a first question to introduce themselves, and two more questions that delve a little deeper.

END: We will bring folks back for the last 15 minutes of our gathering to share reflections with the big group.

This event is free and open to the public! Closed captioning provided for portions of the event. If you need closed captioning in your table room, please indicate this on your registration form, or email program@bhfh.org.

Thank you to the People's Supper, for inspiring us to think differently about how we might gather for dinner in this time. Learn about the People's Supper at: https://thepeoplessupper.org/﻿

This is our second time running a GATHER event, and we've made a few tweaks since our first experiment. We welcome your feedback!

 is an independent Quaker not-for-profit organization that operates a 20-person community residence, overnight guest accommodations, meeting and event space, and public educational programming in a large historic house in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The Friends House exists to provide opportunities for personal growth, spiritual deepening, and leadership development, drawing inspiration and guidance from the values, principles, and practices of the Religious Society of Friends.

GATHER: An intentional Zoom dinner to cultivate community and share in life abundant 

Lilia will invite us along for an exploration of the practice of gratitude and how that practice has evolved along the way for Lilia.

Lilia Fick (she/they/ey) lives on the unceded territory of the Algonquin People in a place commonly known as Ottawa, ON, Canada. She/ey have been a lifelong Quaker and try to “let her/eir life speak.” She/ey are a member of Ottawa MM, Canadian YM and Canadian Young Friends YM. Since the pandemic hit, she/ey have felt incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to travel to many Yearly Meetings; Quaker conferences, gatherings and workshops; and to attend Pendle Hill’s daily Meeting for Worship, all from the comfort of her own home.

MIDWEEK April 14: Lilia Fick | Gratitude as Prayer

By their very nature, texts that are meaningful or sacred to us will never fully answer the questions we might have for them or completely portray all the perspectives and possibilities of their characters. Using the Bible and some of her own poems, Megan will lead us in how we might write poetry as a way of exploring what's left unsaid or given little attention in a text; she will also direct us towards the opportunity to read poetry that explores those silences as well! 

 Megan McDermott is a poet and Episcopal priest living in Western Massachusetts. Her first poetry chapbook (a small collection of poems), Prayer Book for Contemporary Dating, will be published by Ethel micro-press later this year, and her work has been in a variety of journals, including The Christian Century, Relief: A Journal of Art + Faith, The Cresset, and Rock & Sling - a journal of witness. She is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, an interdisciplinary program dedicated to religion and the arts.  

MIDWEEK April 21: Rev. Megan McDermott | Filling the Gaps: Poetry as Exploration of Scriptural Silence 

Last year, worship and other experiences of community and connection went online. For some, online connection and spirituality has been difficult — feeling distanced or distracted. The good news is that there are ways that you can use technology differently to help deepen your experience. This session of MIDWEEK is an experiment in trying different practices that might change the way you feel interacting with others online. 

 David is a dad, a retired software engineer, a singer, a runner, a sexuality educator in training, a member of a Quaker-inspired cooperative household in Arlington, Mass., an amateur cheesemaker, and the CTO of a cannabis startup, among other things. David is experimenting with “tech ministry” as a way to learn compassion and empathy in a context that is especially vital in this particular moment. You can learn more about David's ministry at: 

MIDWEEK April 28: David Coletta | Deepening your experience of worship online 

Participants can expect a semi-programmed session of songs and stories intended to provoke minds and center hearts. Our session will culminate in a reflective songwriting activity. 

 A middle school history teacher by day, Daniel Ayers moonlights as an award-winning songwriter, bringing his arresting voice and razor-sharp wit to audiences across North Carolina and beyond. You can learn more about Daniel's music at https://danielayers.net/listen. 

MIDWEEK May 5: Daniel Ayers | Sad Songs to Make You Smile

When you start to think about it, the “four seasons” we all learned in preschool probably don’t really match the cycle of the natural world where you live. And having them as a default framework can keep us from observing what’s actually happening around us. 

We'll spend some time contemplating our current season, reflecting on the natural and personal events that characterize this time in your life where you live. We'll share our observations with each other (one of my favorite parts), and we'll go home with fresh ideas on how to celebrate and fully live into this season.  

You may wish to register in advance in order to download and print the worksheet we'll be using. If this isn't possible, don't worry! But please do bring a blank sheet of paper or two. All participants will benefit from having a pencil and eraser, along with their favorite writing utensils, and some scrap paper to jot down notes and ideas.  

With a passion for creating community in every form she can think of, Rachel was active in community development in Woodstock, VT, most recently ran a coworking space in Portland, OR, and is currently taking time off to do creative exploration and incubation of whatever beautiful thing is next. She lives in Milwaukee, WI. This session is based on Rachel's workbook, The Magic of Seasons, available for purchase 

MIDWEEK May 12: Rachel Shields Ebersole | The Magic of Seasons

“And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.'"

In this practice, Jen will offer some meditations and embodied practices to ground and challenge us, based on mystic Julian of Norwich's life and thought. Participants should bring a piece of paper, and a hazelnut (if possible).  

Jen Higgins-Newman is a Quaker, mystic, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She is a member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, and she holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Jen writes for the Barclay Press Illuminate series, serves on the NEYM host committee for gatherings of spiritual life and ministry, and is looking forward to sharing a spiritual practice dear to her heart.  

MIDWEEK May 19: Jennifer Higgins-Newman | Meditations on hazelnuts and a Mobius strip

"There is something in every one of you that waits, listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself."

Ready to let the sound of the genuine flow through you? Ready to cultivate practices that tune you to your authentic self? During this practice, participants will draw on the commencement address of Howard Thurman and explore practices that will help your discern our authentic spiritual voices.

Hazel enjoys seeing the world through travel, eating spicy food and laughing heartily. She received her BA from Willamette University and her M.Div from Boston University. She is a proud aunt, skilled in the art of word searches, loves to sing and is a huge fan of orca whales. Learn more about Hazel at: www.hazelmonae.com

MIDWEEK May 26: Hazel Monae | Sound of the Genuine: Howard Thurman as a Spiritual Teacher

As the world changes quickly around us, it is unclear what the future of programming will look like, 

 What we do know is that we have learned a lot about the value of both in-person gatherings (as we reflect on what we've missed) and online opportunities (for accessibility and connecting across geographic areas). 

As we move into the future of creating connections and being together, how can we learn from this year, and think creatively about engaging the future? In this 

, we'll explore some possibilities around hybrid programming, and invite audience members to think expansively and hold expectations lightly as we explore hybridity together. 

As a teenager in the late 1970s, David came to Quakers through the NEYM Young Friends program, and volunteered as staff for another decade. Completing a first career in technology and yearning to focus on people rather than machines, he discovered that the pandemic created the ideal conditions for him to find that work. David’s leading is to serve Quaker meetings and organizations by exploring faithful use of technology that supports worship and community. David is also a dad, the CTO of a cannabis startup, a podcaster, and one of the hosts of 

Jen Higgins-Newman is a Quaker, mystic, theologian, writer, activist and currently the Program Manager at Beacon Hill Friends House. She is a member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, and she holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. 

MIDWEEK June 2: David Coletta and Jen Higgins-Newman | Exploring Hybridity

Our country is divided. We don't talk to each other. How can we learn to love one another and bring peace? Karen Tibbals has mined the latest in psychology research to find a commonality that we all have and can use to help us see the other in a new way.  Endorsed by Richard Rohr, Karen's book is a "helpful guide to understanding people in new way, so you can talk to them more productively." 

Karen Tibbals is a passionate researcher and author who came to writing books after studying why people act the way they do for decades as part of her successful corporate career in marketing researcher. She took a detour from her career for a degree in Religion and Quaker Studies from Earlham School of Religion. She was so excited about what she learned that it totally changed how she thought about life! To capture these thoughts, she written two books about how these theories apply to life and to marketing and marketing research. Learn more about Karen's work at: https://persuadedontpreach.com/

MIDWEEK June 9: Karen Tibbals | How can we see that of God in those we dislike?

“In a world that requires knowledge and wisdom to address developing crises around us, 

 shows how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can come together to create meaningful and lasting relationships.”

In this book talk, BHFH Program Manager Jen Higgins-Newman will moderate a conversation between The Gatherings co-authors gkisedtanamoogk (Mashpee Wampanoag), Alma Brooks (Maliseet, St. Mary's Reserve, New Brunswick), Marilyn Roper (Quaker, Houlton, ME), and Shirley Hager (Quaker, Chesterville, ME).

Your can purchase your own copy of the book at 

https://utorontopress.com/us/the-gatherings-3

In a world that requires knowledge and wisdom to address developing crises around us, 

 shows how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can come together to create meaningful and lasting relationships.

Thirty years ago, in Wabanaki territory – a region encompassing the state of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes – a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals came together to explore some of the most pressing questions at the heart of Truth and Healing efforts in the United States and Canada. Meeting over several years in long-weekend gatherings, in a Wabanaki-led traditional Council format, assumptions were challenged, perspectives upended, and stereotypes shattered. Alliances and friendships were formed that endure to this day.