Tidings from Friends
The Weekly Newsletter of Guilford College Friends Center
Welcome to Tidings from Friends, the weekly newsletter published by Guilford College’s Friends Center. In this time where we are more disconnected than usual and trying to find ways to connect and support the campus, we offer this as a means of lifting up our campus community with a brief thought and other reflective pieces for you.
Each week this newsletter will contain a list of upcoming events, a selection of local and/or student artwork or poetry, some resources for navigating religious life on campus, and a “mindful moment.” This mindful moment might be a passage of scripture, a written meditation, a link to a video, or something else. If you are interested in submitting artwork, poetry, or a mindful moment, please contact perkinsja1@guilford.edu.
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Artwork
Mindful Moment
“Disappointment” by David Whyte (Consolations)
What we call disappointment may be just the first stage in our emancipation into the next greater pattern of existence. To be disappointed is to reappraise not only reality itself but our foundational relationship to the pattern of events places and people that surround us, and which, until we were properly disappointed, we had misinterpreted and misunderstood; disappointment is the first, fruitful foundation of genuine heartbreak from which we risk ourselves in a marriage, in a work, in a friendship, or with life itself.
The measure of our courage is the measure of our wiliness to embrace disappointment, to turn towards it rather than away, the understanding that every real conversation of life involves having our hearts broken somewhere along the way and that there is no sincere path we can follow where we will not be fully and immeasurably let down and brought to earth, and where what initially looks like a betrayal, eventually puts real ground under our feet.
Query:
Can I identify disappointment in my life? What would result from my embracing that disappointment? And what might happen if I push it away? What is the courageous act me in this moment?
This Mindful Moment provided by: Wess Daniels.
Upcoming Events
| Day | Date | Time | Event | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 11.17.2020 | 8:30 AM | Meeting for Centering Silence | Friends Center |
| Wednesday | 11.17.2020 | 6:30 PM | Fellowship: Living the Biblical Story | Guilford Christian Ministry |
| Monday | 11.22.2020 | 1:00 PM | Meeting for Centering Silence | Friends Center |
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Opportunity that may interest some students:
New Garden Friends Meeting is searching for a Young Friends leader for the 2020-2021 academic year. This position is for a leader who will work with both Middle School and High School students. The leader will collaborate with another Young Friends leader as well as the New Garden Friends Meeting Religious Education Coordinator. At present, all programming is virtual due to the pandemic but will transition to in-person activities when conditions allow. Applicants should have a background in Quakerism and experience working with pre-teens and teenagers.
To apply, please send a letter of interest and a resume to Sharon Burton at (office@ngfm.org).
Resources
To find information about the Interfaith Leadership Council, faith leaders who work with students on campus, or to see a full calendar of all campus faith-related events, visit our Multifaith page.
The Friends Center Prayer Room is available to students of all faiths and spiritual journeys. Ideal for prayer, meditation, or reflection, we encourage folks to make use of this space. See our flyer for more information.
To contact Friends Center Director, email danielscw@guilford.edu.
For a variety of self-care resources, visit our Self-Care page.
To provide feedback or suggestions, submissions for artwork or Mindful Moments, or questions about this newsletter, contact perkinsja1@guilford.edu.
About Friends Center:
Friends Center is a collaborative project between the Religious Society of Friends and Guilford College. Friends Center is responsible for nurturing Quaker life and renewal on campus, building and sustaining interfaith cooperation on campus, and building relationships with the global Quaker community. To read more about Friends Center, visit the homepage of our website.
