Presence and Place
When I tell people I was on Mount St. Helens on May 17, 1980, the day before the massive eruption that left fifty-seven dead, the first question they ask is, “Why?”
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When I tell people I was on Mount St. Helens on May 17, 1980, the day before the massive eruption that left fifty-seven dead, the first question they ask is, “Why?”
During clearness committees with people applying for membership to our meeting, we typically come to a point in the conversation when we ask the applicant, “What questions do you have for us about Quakers and the meeting?” At one such moment recently, the applicant hesitated, seemingly lost for words. Then she exclaimed, “I have one! What do you like least about being a Quaker?”
Marshall McLuhan, the late Canadian media philosopher, famously proclaimed, “The medium is the message.” For Quakers, the silent presence found in worship has no medium for its message. The message IS the message.
Poem and photographs set at John Woolman School / Sierra Friends Center by Rick Seifert of Multnomah Monthly Meeting (NPYM).
Dear Editor: I'm responding Talley Kenyon’s letter in the November/December 2013 issue of Western Friend. I'm sorry that Palo Alto Meeting has had trouble filling the positions of clerk and recording clerk. Believe me, Friends, they are not alone!
