Groups & Classes

Study Groups 2009-2010

QUAKERISM 101
Facilitator/Teacher: Donne Hayden (dhayden@cincinnatifriends.org)
Day/Time: Thursday evenings, 7-9 p.m. for eight weeks, Jan. 14, 2010 – March 11, 2010
Following the Quakerism 101 curriculum designed by Philadelphia Friend, Shirley Dodson, we will explore together what it means to be a Quaker. This course involves a
good deal of reading: Friends for 350 Years by Howard Brinton is the main text, and there are readings from various other sources (on handouts). Topics include:

Seekers and Finders: The Experience of Early Friends
The Light Within
Quaker Universalism
Worship and Ministry
Living in the Light: Quaker Witness
Getting Down to Business (i.e., Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business)

Philip Gulley's If the Church Were Christian Book Study Group
Facilitator/Teacher: Donne Hayden (dhayden@cincinnatifriends.org)
Day/Time: Thursday evenings, 7-9 p.m. for eight weeks, April 8 - May 13, 2010
Philip Gulley is a Quaker pastor, writer and speaker from Indiana. He is currently the pastor at Fairfield Friends Meeting near Indianapolis. In If the Church Were Christian, Gulley explores a Christianity that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus and a church that encourages Jesus' example as a model for living. Gulley explores those values that he believes the church should embrace in topics that will include grace, reconciliation, peace, personal spiritual exploration, and uplifting of the human spirit.

Spiritual Nurture Groups 2009-2010

NOTE: If you would like to sign up for a 2009/2010 Spiritual Nurture Group, call the office at 513-791-9788. Unless otherwise noted, Spiritual Nurture Groups meet at Cincinnati Friends Meetinghouse in the Library.

CIRCLE OF TRUST GROUP
Facilitator: Jeff Arnold
Meeting Day & Time: 2nd Thursdays, 7-9 pm
This group will begin by reading and discussing Parker Palmer's A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life. Welcoming the Soul and Weaving
Community in a Wounded World. Parker Palmer is a Quaker educator and writer who has become well-known for his teachings on spirituality and religion. In this book, he describes a specific vehicle for moving us toward an undivided inner life in community with others:  the "circle of trust."
In doing so, he provides what amounts to an operator's manual for what we at CFM have called Spiritual Nurture Groups. In reading this book together, we will discover and bring
to conscious awareness the underlying principles that make these groups work- and also discover some of the seemingly mysterious reasons why sometimes they do not work.
At the same time as we are discovering Palmer's understanding of these circles, we will also be attending to the practice of being a circle of trust for each other: centering down, checking in, listening, "creating a space where the soul can make itself known." I anticipate that the process of reading and discussing this book while simultaneously being a circle of trust will take anywhere from 2-3 months to all year. There is no hurry.  If we find that we have finished the book, we can continue the process
of being a newly-educated circle of trust for each other, attending to whatever the Spirit leads us to attend to.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY GROUP
Facilitator: Jenifer Hatch
Meeting Day & Time: 1st & 3rd Mondays, 7-9 pm
For more information visit The Prayer Shawl website (http://www.shawlministry.com/) “Whether they are called Prayer Shawls, Comfort Shawls, Peace Shawls, or Mantles, etc., the shawl maker begins with prayers and blessings for the recipient. The intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawl. Upon completion, a final
blessing is offered before the shawl is sent on its way.”

PRACTICE OF POETRY: Writing as a Spiritual and Creative Practice
Facilitator: Pauletta Hansel
Meeting Day & Time: 1st Tuesdays, 7-9 pm
This spiritual nurture group is based on the Practice of Poetry program which Pauletta leads at Grailville Retreat and Program Center. The Practice of Poetry helps us
find new meaning in our experiences, and make room for both inspiration and careful discernment in our spiritual and creative lives. This program will provide opportunities for
using creative writing as a tool for deep listening to your own heart’s wisdom and to that of others. No experience in poetry is required and all forms of writing will be encouraged.

CENTERING PRAYER GROUP
Facilitator: Sharon Kowatch
Meeting Day & Time: 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 7 - 9 pm, beginning January 13
The group will be using Cynthia Bourgeault's book, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening as a guide. There will be a 20-minute centering prayer practice followed by an opportunity for support of this prayer practice and sharing of the spiritual journey. See sign-up sheet on the table outside the Library. Questions? Contact Sharon Kowatch.

Cincinnati Friends Meeting | 8075 Keller Rd | Cincinnati, OH 45243 | (513) 791-0788