July 2016

After worship this morning, I was sitting on an outdoor bench with a Friend. In the course of our conversation, she commented that she believes Quakers often unnecessarily struggle to describe our religion. For her, it’s as simple as: everyone has direct and equal access to the Divine, and everything else flows from that.

I appreciate her succinct and untroubled clarity; not everyone has it. At Pendle Hill, you will often see people in classrooms, dining rooms, or on the grass under trees, talking about the role of religion in their lives and how the role stretches and grows. It is less easy for some to define what it is to be Quaker.

For people who are wrestling with the question of what it is to be Quaker (or what it is for them to be a Quaker), being at Pendle Hill can help expand their understanding because they will live here in the presence of people who try to model their beliefs outwardly. Being around people who are intentionally practicing this lets us “see” lived belief. It also lets us see, and talk about, when our deeds and beliefs don’t match. We talk with each other to gain insights and integrity.

One of the great gifts of Pendle Hill is the gift of exchanging ideas and experiences with others in a spirit of learning. As one example, this month we hosted 47 Young Adult Friends for a conference called Continuing Revolution: Integrity as a Radical Act. Their exploration of what it means to “be whole” as Friends was profound. They examined the question from personal standpoints and in the context of being Quakers in the world today.

Perhaps more here than in any other learning environment I know is an atmosphere of openness to others’ views and not dodging conversations that are difficult, provocative, or conflict producing. I observed these 47 young adults, and thousands of other people this year, experimenting with what it takes to stay grounded in Love in the midst of challenging ideas, realities, and problems to solve. I can only imagine how the world might be if everyone had the opportunity to be shaped by experiences with the “other” in a practiced and supportive learning environment such as this one.

I hope that if you haven’t been to Pendle Hill in a while that you might come add your voice to the conversation this summer. May we all find our moments of clarity on benches and in our lived community.

—Jen Karsten, Executive Director