The Wider Quaker Fellowship

1506 Race Street · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 · 215.241.7293
wqf@fwccamericas.org · www.widerquakerfellowship.org

November, 2008

Dear Friends and Fellows,

“The vision is for its appointed time”  — Habakkuk 2:3

Don’t you think this is a thought-provoking theme for the Wider Quaker Fellowship (WQF) this year? So many of us are seeking a new vision, new answers, new directions for our times.

The latest two pamphlets now on our website are both about prophetic witness.  They illustrate the relationship of Quakerism to the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition and particularly the Hebrew prophets. They capture the essential role of Friends as contemporary prophets, people listening to God and speaking truth to their community. 

In 1937, Rufus Jones had a vision of a way to connect people all over the world who also wanted to be associated to Friends. WQF has grown out of that prophetic vision and has met many needs over the years.  As one correspondent wrote,

“WQF has meant a lot to me over the years.  The mail-outs and literature have uplifted and guided me…especially in the dark and difficult times in my life.”  

Please, we encourage you to let us know how the WQF has touched your life.

Today we are still looking for the best ways to fulfill Rufus Jones’ vision.  In the next year WQF will introduce some new ideas for people to connect with the latest in Quaker thinking and writing and with each other through the web.  You are already part of the online WQF community. 

This vision needs your help. Your financial support will maintain and grow the Wider Quaker Fellowship in the coming year. Please give generously and be part of our work. Every dollar will help bring the Quaker message to a world that needs it every day.  Thank you for your support, and especially for your prayers.

Yours in the Light,

Judith Inskeep, Clerk
Wider Quaker Fellowship Committee

 

Here are some queries that could be used for discussion in an adult study group or other forum, or informally with a few friends.

An Orientation to Prophecy,
by Marion McNaughton

Do you know someone who you consider speaks prophetically, at least some of the time?  Do people listen?  Why or why not?

How can you help yourself and others to “love the age we live in”?

In what ways do you see yourself and/or your meeting or church as a part of the tradition of being a people of God?

Shalom: Much More than Just Peace,
by Anthony Prete

• Are there ways that you “do shalom” in your life, in the form of trusting, creating justice, or experiencing sufficiency?
• Do you agree that God needs to be told that something is wrong in order to act?  Can you be sure that God will act?
• Have you experienced God’s goodness?  Have you helped others to experience it?

 

A B O U T  T H E  W IDE R   Q U A K E R   F E L L O W S H I P
The Wider Quaker Fellowship is a program of Friends World Committee for
Consultation Section of the Americas. Through our mailings we seek to lift up voices
of Friends of different countries, languages, cultures and Quaker traditions, and
invite all to enter into spiritual community with Friends. The Fellowship was founded
in 1936 by Rufus M. Jones, a North American Quaker teacher, activist and mystic, as
a way for like-minded people who were interested in Quaker beliefs and practices
to stay in contact with the Religious Society of Friends, while maintaining their own
religious affiliation, if any. Today, WQF Fellows live in over 90 countries, and include
non-Friends, inquirers, Quakers living in isolated circumstances and active members
and attenders of Friends meetings and churches. Wider Quaker Fellowship depends
on the financial support of its readers to provide this service.

 

The Wider Quaker Fellowship is a program of Friends World Committee for Consultation
Section of the Americas
Friends Center, 1506 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 USA
tel: 215. 241. 7250, email: wqf@fwccamericas.org