Using Technology to Engage

“Throughout the week [of the first virtual Friends General Conference* in June 2020], Friends used technology to engage with each other. They attended Pre-Gathering Retreats and affinity groups where they found safe, joyful spaces and community. They participated in workshops and afternoon presentations, listened to stories, made art together, laughed together, and worshiped together. We missed singing and dancing together. But we learned, ‘that it is indeed possible to share a spiritual experience sitting in front of a computer with people thousands of miles away,’ as Michelle Bellows stated. Donna Rodriguez told us, ‘I looked forward to each day and wasn’t disappointed.’ Friends like Larry Taylor found comfort in the Virtual Gathering, ‘knowing that for six evenings, I was joining hundreds of other Friends in a shared experience.’ Many friends were surprised at the sense of community. Deborah Warot noted, ‘(I got) to form a genuine bond and online friendship with the Friends in my workshop. It is a joy and blessing to interact with other Friends, learning how we are all different and being reassured that we are still all the same.'”

— Lori Piñeiro Sinitzky, 2020
“A Gathering Like No Other”

*Friends General Conference is an association of local and regional Quaker organizations,  primarily in the US and Canada. They host an annual gathering for worship, workshops, and community-building. 

Today’s Invitation

Consider how your relationship with technology has changed since the pandemic. Today, call someone you would normally text, or video chat with someone you would normally call.

Query of the Week

Who belongs in Quaker community?

How does the intentional lack of a creed make belonging easier? Harder?