Adult Religious Education Guidelines

RantWoman is, among other things discerning about whether to cling to her decidedly nonvoluntary (posts still pending;stay tuned) "floating free on Grace" state or to take up the cause of Adult Religious Education committee, lately faltering due to sudden resignations of its two newly appointed co-clerks.

RantWoman is dipping her toe in realizing two sessions that were already half prepared. RantWoman is starting with basics like the guidelines currently in use.

RantWoman received the guidelines below this week from Conflict is a Gift of God Friend. RantWoman especially wants to appreciate and deeply esteem Conflict is a Gift of God Friend for his gifts creating space for God and community to flower with each other in our Meeting's Adult Religious Education sessions.

RantWoman has been dutifully studying the writings of weighty Quakers about applause and expressions of gratitude for the labors of specific Friends. RantWoman finds herself thinking of a famous old quote "Thee was favored and thee was faithful." Conflict...Friend IS gifted about fostering dialogue, those who attend are favored with the gifts of ongoing ever opening interaction, and all are faithful for the realization of these gifts in discussion at Adult Ed.

RantWoman for once thought to ask for permission to post in her blog. Conflict...Friend said the document has already been widely distributed, though he also expressed a wish that RantWoman would edit or excerpt and perhaps include essay reflections on study and learning. RantWoman is clear that the internet needs the document as is, as a specimen of guidelines for such sessions. RantWoman has also lately been being true to her Light / plainly Getting in People's faces about the issue of accessible to RantWoman independently and wants to cover her bases about info channels. There are HOURS of painful conversations involved in this being true to one's Light / evoking learning in one's Meeting activity but that is another post entirely. Editing or excerpting is also presently beyond RantWoman's Light.

Upon a fast reread, RantWoman is led to reflect also on how this document might be received by, say, a state legislator invited to discuss tax policy. RantWoman finds in this thought yet another reason for now to preserve the document as is for first pass in her blog.

BY way of a small additional increment of reflection on study and learning, RantWoman does not have cable and needs cheap ways to engage with the quest for Truth. RantWoman also is a choir director's kid, so about 5 hours / week, not counting bus travel, engaged specifically in religious community activities does not seem too much to RantWoman, even ON TOP of personal study and reflection. Apparently many in RantWoman's Meeting balance their time differently to the point of wanting to spend only an hour or two on religious community activities outside Meeting for Worship. RantWoman is posting this mainly as a point for reflection!


Guidelines for presenters for Adult Education sessions
at University Friends Meeting

We appreciate your willingness to lead a session of our program. Whatever your subject, we ask that you stay within the following guidelines for spiritual education:

A. Worship discussion:
All sessions are a Quaker process called “Worship-discussion”; it is a conversation that arises out of silent worship, under the Spirit, and is based on deep listening. We ask that you limit the total of any presentation you offer to about 30 minutes (whether all in one stream or in bits interspersed throughout the hour); we allow for question¬ing and various opinions/experiences, but it is not debate. Your answers are separate from the presen¬ta¬tion. The session ends with silent reflexion, at least 3 minutes or more. If you prefer, a member of Ad. Rel. Ed. Committee will introduce you and monitor time.

i. the religious/spiritual approach: We are Seekers of Truth, Children of the Light, not interested in dogma; we hold things in the Light together, look at them, discern and learn

ii. “authority”: The Great Mystery, the Creator, Eternal Spirit of Life and Love, the Holy One, The Light –whatever name you use-- is the only final authority; we humans understand through our filters, so many approaches are right if they lead us toward God. We expect you to respect the great diversity of theolo¬gi¬cal expression in our Meeting as well as differing spiritual needs. We will try to respect your way of expressing your experience.

iii. dialog: always allow time for questions and accept others’ opinions and insights – it’s best to leave a short silence between speakers. You may ask someone to moderate for you.

B. Adult education principles
Education for adults is not “study” in the traditional sense: it eschews lecture and pro¬blem/ correct answer approaches. It may include practice of skills but prefers Socratic reasoning processes, narrative and shar¬ing of personal experience (feelings, thoughts as well as events), but is not traditional “teaching”.

i. applicability, “reality”: Learner must see some relation to one’s own life, have some response that uses the learning

ii. student-centered: program exists for the learner, not for the speaker’s ego or pet hypothe¬ses; follows group’s interests rather than presenter’s.

iii. practical vs. theoretical: no “angels on the head of pins” or “pie-in-the-sky by-and-by”; not what might have happened (or even what should have happened) but what did happen, what is going on, what can we do differently?

C. Quaker guidelines
i. Any subject may be held in the Light: we seek those aspects that unite all human expe¬ri¬ence and celebrate each one’s sacred value and uniqueness; we “meet in that which is Eternal.”

ii. There is more concern with the why/what-for than the who or which

iii. We value that which leads to harmony & love, peace, equality, integrity, simplicity, community; and challenge that which leads away from these values. The beginning point of all Quaker theology is that “there is that of God in every person.”
For 2010-11 we are trying to tie every program to Integrity: how can we walk our talk?