Postings Before Retreat 1

This item has been seasoning in RantWoman's Drafts folder for awhile but it got autosaved before RantWoman could note its most recent previous update RantWoman is clear to post as-is even though some editing might be in order.

RantWoman had a conversation recently with a member of the committee on campus discernment. RantWoman is finding it depressingly easy to have her brain short circuit in a number of "When Quakers Screw Up" Moments. RantWoman is trying to sit with"Begin again now.  AND RantWoman is clear in her Light: the charter of the project was MUCH improved after a weighty Friend noted that RantWoman had made important contributions to the draft and then added a couple elements of her own. RantWoman is absolutely clear that the Discernment Committee work process needs further RantWoman contribution.

There are still points exercising RantWoman and exercising her to the point that she is quaking, not settled. RantWoman offers these concerns in humble trust that they will find their way where needed.

RantWoman came away from the conversation at least feeling listened to but has no sense of any agreement. In fact, after letting the conversation rattle around in her head on the bus on the way home, RantWoman feels need of further consideration. RantWoman wants the same thoughts available unfiltered to all members of the committee and to the community who, RantWoman THINKS are also  supposed to be included in the discernment process. 

Here please bear with  a RantWoman mental hiccup. RantWoman is trying to be interested in a retreat mentioned in conversation. First RantWoman is wondering why a whole retreat and not perhaps shorter highly participatory moments say after light lunch on fourth Sundays. 

Honestly, the mere mention of a retreat sends RantWoman's mind careening back to a retreat long ago where MANY suggestions about things that would make the retreat accessible to RantWoman and to others were ignored and then RantWoman was blamed for all the problems. Blame RantWoman ... is getting to be a REALLY repetitive theme. Begin again Now.

Here RantWoman gets to be grateful for a brilliant illustration of one of RantWoman's concerns: is it possible easily to find electronic resources about topics of concern such as making events accessible or what now is more modernly called inclusive events. RantWoman thinks but has not tested that if one puts "accessible" or "Accessibility" into the search bar on this blog, some resources should pop up and RantWoman can tell readers which blog in blog roll is also likely to have resources. However, RantWoman's tagging IS eccentric. RantWoman will TRY to get in people's faces constructively but RantWoman would be EXTREMELY grateful if someone who reads this blog could connect with RantWoman and ask for more detail.

RantWoman brings up this storing, and consistently finding concern up for many reasons.

--RantWoman does not read print! RantWoman feels very clear: it probably makes sense to have some documents on paper in the library, BUT RantWoman is also called to ask people to learn terms like alternate formats and accessible documents.

--This discernment process needs to be a community-buildingactivity, weaving history  the challenges of the present and future. ONE of those challenges is storing, organizing and accessing information in people's different preferred media.

--This discernment process is going to involve weaving together vocabulary about a number of different topics. Linguist brain craves acknowledgment of this reality and effort to work with it as the whole discernment process evolves.
--There are going to be points in this discernment process where newcomers enter the process and it will be valuable to have relevant documents collected and easy to review.

--Some of the time research is going to involve documents that are already public but that would be easier to find if direct links are stored with other related information.

At this point, there is no agreement even about how to use electronic resources to support discernment. RantWoman thinks little dribs and drabs of heavily digested blog posts by committee members are NOT going to cut it as part of a community-wide discernment process. So for now, such Light as comes to RantWoman is getting posted to RantWoman's blog.

The recent conversation directed RantWoman to this item from the Meeting Newsletter incorporated into the Rant Below..

But First, RantWoman needed to digress from ranting about discernment to rant about an accessibility issue: Even though the newsletter is usually 4-6 pages long, it would be ever so helpful for RantWoman's reading ease to use Headings.  RantWoman realizes that this is an ask. RantWoman realizes that things in Word for Windows are not always preserved when things move back forth to Macs. RantWoman also notes that SOME OF THE TIME previously, there have been headings in the newsletter and some of the time not. RantWoman put up with a problem others probably did not even notice, butthis time RantWoman emailed the newsletter editor and suggested she ask for help from two people RantWoman THINKS it is reasonable to ask and to expect help from.

From the Committee on Campus Discernment
The committee on UFM campus discernment has held our first few meetings. One of our assignments to ourselves is brushing up our skills on Quaker discernment process. We are noticing the importance of keeping open minds and hearts as we approach this work.
"If, however, Friends come to group spiritual discernment wedded to a predetermined
position, then the exercise in faithfulness is undermined."
From, Friends Practice of Group Spiritual Discernment, by Lee Junker.

1. YES. In the Business Meeting that created the committee on Discernment, SEVERAL voices, not just RantWoman expressed the concern that the committee is not big enough to do all that will need to be done. But the committee came wedded to the predetermined outcome that they did not want any additional members. So RantWoman emphatically dissents in her blog: THIS COMMITTEE NEEDS MORE MEMBERS

2. Might the rest of Meeting ALSO need some sense of what Discernment is about. Does the rest of Meeting actually get to read the book and consider points we might want to include. Are the materials available in alternate formats such as ebook, or audiobook so that people such as RantWoman can interact independently at times when she is awake and other committee members might be asleep?

Back to the Newsletter Item, for one sentence.
We are also identifying research questions that will guide our work and the discernment process.
[Has it maybe occurred to you to share the list of questions and ASK whether Friends think it adequately covers the topic? This is brainstorming. A discernment process does not have to decide to look at every question that comes up, but sometimes there is valuable insight in the questions.]

From time to time we will be reaching out to the UFM community for help with some of this research. Right now we are looking for the names of congregations or
meetings, in Seattle or beyond, that have undertaken a decision making
process about potentially significant changes to their property. If you know
of any such congregations please share
their names with us.

RantWoman HAS in fact shared a number of comments relevant to this request. RantWoman has received NO acknowledgment of these offerings.

Love,
the committee who thinks they are large enough