Sheffield Friend Chrisse Hinde attended this once-in-a-generation gathering of Quakers from around the world in Kenya last month. These are some of her reflections on the experience:
The Conference was far
more spiritually uplifting and Quaker affirming than I thought or
hoped it would be. The venue at Kabarak University was very lush and
spacious, filled with beautiful trees and flowers, giving the whole
conference a very relaxed ambience. We were about 850 Friends in
total but it didn’t feel crowded. The Kenyan Quakers (approx 400
at the conference) were very welcoming and had done some fundraising
in order for us to have a subsidised excursion day mid way through. A
Kenyan Friend remarked: ‘In Kenya we welcome visitors as
blessings’.
Each morning a
different FWCC section led the Semi-programmed worship session. The
programmed ministry from inspirational speakers around the globe was
first class and continues to uplift and challenge me as I reflect on
it. Our European and Middle Eastern section talk was by Jocelyn
Burnell who spoke of our ‘brokenness’ being a place from which
can learn a great deal and advised us not to rush to heal our pain.
She quoted Thornton Wilder: ‘In love’s service only the wounded
can serve’. Thomas Owen (Asia and West Pacific section) spoke of
how man created religion in order to know God, not vice versa, so all
religion is limited and flawed but for him Quakers offered the best
system for relationship with the Spirit and Community. Most of the
talks are available on the web site. www.saltandlight2012.org
Our home group of 15
did feel like a Quaker family. We were mixed with half Kenyan
Quakers, 3 British, an Australian and 3 North Americans. When we
started one of the Kenyan Friends pointed out that most of the white
folks were sat on one side and black folks on the other! From that
point on we made a point of mixing up each session. We talked about
our Meetings back home and our different styles of worship.
As the week progressed
we shared our experiences of other styles of worship. African Friends
from programmed Meetings had come to our early morning unprogrammed
worship, and spoke of how they encountered a deeper connection with
God in the silence. I and others shared how much the regular singing
opened us up to the spirit in a way that talking didn’t, and
through dance we could embody our praise, and prayers helped us to
focus more immediately. We were given a song book and singing formed
a regular part of our worship.
We also shared our
different views on whether it was OK to be Gay. One Kenyan Quaker
said he’d been to Pendle Hill, where he’d met Lesbian and Gay
Quakers who were more spiritual than him and they have become his
friends. He no longer had a problem with Gay Friends. One of our
ground rules in the home group was to use ‘I’ statements, as we’d
anticipated some conflict, but people were very respectful, and the
group did feel safe, grounded and a place where we could share
difference.
It’s fair to say that
as a World Gathering we didn’t achieve unity on whether it is OK to
be LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). This remains a
yawning divide, but I remain convinced that it’s often the small
conversations, spoken from the heart, that make a difference. I did
find it painful when people gave anti-gay ministry quoting the Bible,
and I felt for my fellow LGBT comrades, but I appreciated people’s
honesty and willingness to stay engaged. There was a huge amount of
good will and desire for unity that was palpable, and for me made our
divisions bearable.
The visit to our
Gathering by Ex President and Kabarak Chancellor Daniel Arap Moi,
seemed to derail us, and for me felt discordant and disturbing. It
caused further division amongst us as we couldn’t find unity on how
he should be greeted, or indeed whether we should be meeting on his
land and enjoying his hospitality! I think many Kenyan’s felt hurt
by the strong objections raised. Many of them felt it necessary and
right to observe the custom of addressing him as ‘Your Excellency’
and to stand when he entered and left the auditorium. My impulse was
to do the right thing by our Kenyan hosts, but there was a strong
sense by many others that we’d really compromised our core values
as Quakers, in the way we did greet him. It was a big rupture that
left me and many others very heavy hearted.
I attended a thread
group on Broken Sexuality, which was very skillfully facilitated
(thankfully!) It gave us a chance to bring our differences on LGBT
issues to a supported setting. African Friends invited their friends
to the 2nd and 3rd session saying ‘we never
get a chance to talk about sex’. The African women in particular
wanted to talk about rape, domestic violence, polygamy and gender
inequality. It was precious to have a place we could talk openly
about these painful and difficult issues.
I also attended a
thread group on Quakers & American Civil Rights. I chose this
partly because it was co facilitated by Vanessa Julye (who wrote ‘Fit
for Freedom not for Friendship’.) It was also facilitated by Hal
Weaver (who wrote ‘Black Fire’). We covered dubious aspects of
Quaker history in which some Friends were slave owners and Klu Klux
Clan members. Also how African Americans were not permitted in many
Quaker Meetings in 1950s. I learnt about the BlackQuaker Project,
which celebrates, researches and documents achievements of Black
Quakers of African decent.
I discovered that some
North American Meetings have stopped using the term Overseer because
of its use to describe those overseeing the Slave Plantations, and
thought this a very good move. A Jamaican Friend now living in UK
spoke of how she continued to be wounded by insensitive racist
remarks from well meaning Friends and had often considered leaving,
but chose to stay. This continues to prod me into thinking we need to
do more to welcome our wonderfully diverse community in Sheffield
into our Meeting.
The party on the last
night of the Gathering was a truly amazing occasion. Kenyan musicians
blasted out funky dance tunes causing a huge body of Quakers to get
to their feet and, strut, sway and gyrate themselves around the
auditorium in crocodile formation. Young and old, gay and straight,
black and white Friends united in joyful celebration. It’s an
image and a memory I will treasure for the rest of my days. A perfect
finale to this wonderful event. I feel hugely blessed to be part of a
world family of Quakers and to have met Friends from the far reaches
of our planet. Asante sana FWCC!
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