Encounter with the Spirit of Christ lay at the heart of the rise of Quakerism. our culture, and our Society of Friends, have traveled far since the England of the 1650s. What is it we encounter now in the silence of our meetings? Whose spirit guides us? For some, Christ is still the answer to that question, but for many Quakers this is not true. Some Friends who are seeking to learn to follow Christ's guidance, and who rejoice in their discoveries, find little companionship or comprehension in their meetings and are not sure how to give voice to their life and nourish it. Some in our liberal meetings are uncomfortable with Christian language and wonder how unity can be preserved with those who make a Christian testimony in a pluralistic age. This weekend retreat/workshop especially invites Friends who are concerned about the role of Christ in their liberal meetings.

During this weekend, we will explore our experiences in speaking about Christ - positive and negative. More than that, we will consider how we can help each other to a liberating engagement with the cultural, emotional, and spiritual issues that arise within and among us because of the diversity of attitudes toward and interpretations of Christ in our meetings. How can this engagement feed our prayer lives, our peacemaking, our ministry to each other, our testimony to the world, and better understanding across the divisions among Friends?

Brian Drayton, of Weare (NH) Monthly Meeting is a plant ecologist working in science education research. He has traveled extensively in the ministry, carrying a concern to encourage those who contribute to their meeting's ministry. He has given workshops, retreats, and addresses on topics in Quaker history and belief for many Friends meetings and at Pendle Hill. In 1994, he published Selections from the Writings of James Naylor. In 2003 Brian was one of the originators of the Quaker Peacebuilders Camp, a program for teaching nonviolent action based on Quaker spirituality. His most recent book, On Living With a Concern for Gospel Ministry, has been among the best selling Quaker books since 2006.