Music Store:
new large format RUS!
"Meet Me by the Moonlight"
including live recordings of his Solstice celebrations heard on NPR
NY Times article on "Shared Song - Communal Memory".
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In the past most Quakers believed that sex outside of a traditional heterosexual marriage was wrong. Many Quakers still believe this. Many Friends Meetings no longer take this position but have had a great deal of difficulty agreeing on new guidelines for sexual ethics.
A number of resources to help Friends and others wrestle with these important issues can be found at www.quaker.org/sexuality. This includes articles, bibliographies, and information about the positions different Quaker bodies have taken on this subject.
In December 2005 I wrote an essay on this subject. This was an initial attempt to prayerfully reflect on the ways that Quaker beliefs about God and social testimonies could be used as guides for sexual practice. It evoked a bit of feelings from some Friends who felt that in writing this I believed I had a special bead on what God thought about these questions. Some Friends also objected strongly to the basic idea that God has intentions as to how people should live out their sexuality.
My idea in writing this was to simply put down my own reflections on these questions as a way of encouraging Friends to work harder at discovering common vision in this. I wrote it as propositions because I believe God does have ideas about how we should live in every area including this very important one - but I absolutely do not believe I have any more access to what God's intentions are in this than anyone else. In fact, my own personal journey with sexuality has been difficult and confusing. If you do have a look at it, I would very much appreciate hearing any feedback you might have on the ideas I put together on this.
I have recently reworked the 14 "propositions" that form the heart of the above essay into a series of queries that that I hope may be of some use to faith communities and/or individuals to help them explore and wrestle with these questions.
A second similar set of queries focusing especially on issues of faithfulness in sexual relationships and awareness of the wounds that can result from exploitative sexual activity was recently written up by Deborah Haines as a result of sharing among a broad intergenerational group of Friends from many yearly meetings.
When Friends gather to discuss sexual issues in a meeting or at a gathering, it is often suggested that the discussions be confidential. This is designed to provide a greater sense of safety for those present, but there can be many problems as a result. These queries explore the need to balance the need for confidentiality with other needs within the faith community.
I would love to hear from others doing writing in this area. You can contact me about any of the ideas in the essay at Peter's email.
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20th Anniversary (yes - Rise Up Singing is 20 years old!) Singalong Concerts & Workshops
June 22-28, Barnesville OH Quakercamp at Stillwater.
June 28-July 5 FGC Gathering, Johnstown PA. Annie will lead a singing workshop for women, noon sings & a closing sing on Friday.
Aug. 10, Berkeley CA Evening concert at the Berkeley Friends Meeting at 1600 Sacramento St.. For more iinformation, contact Bryan Uhlenbrock.
Aug. 15, Ben Lomond CA Afternoon workshop on songleading at Quaker Center.
Aug. 15-17, Ben Lomond CA Group singing weekend workshop at Quaker Center.
Sun., Aug. 17th, Santa Cruz CA Sing-along concert at Santa Cruz Friends Meetinghouse at 225 Rooney St. For details contact Gretta & Jacob Stone, (831) 336-8333 or go to the Meeting website for directions.
Swing performances Annie is doing with the
We urge you to check out the new website
promoting efforts to secure a Nobel Peace Prize for legendary folk singer & environmental & peace activist, Pete Seeger. A new edition of Seeger's autobiography (which Peter edited) is coming out this spring.
There are some great quotes from Pete on the power of group singing in the recent New York Times article on community sings around the country, many of which use Rise Up Singing.
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