Mindful Moment

Walt Whitman

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars,
And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren,
And the tree-toad is a chef-d’oeuvre for the highest,
And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven,
And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery,
And the cow crunching with depress’d head surpasses any statue,
And a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.

This Mindful Moment provided by Jacob Perkins

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Upcoming Events

Day	Date	Time	Event	Organization
Wednesday	4.28.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.28.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry
Friday	4.30.2021	1:00 PM	Meeting for Centering Silence	Friends Center
Wednesday	5.5.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	5.5.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry

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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.

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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.

Mindful Moment

John Woolman, 1763: A Plea for the Poor

“Our gracious Creator cares and provides for all his creatures. His tender mercies are over all his works; and so far as his love influences our minds, so far we become interested in his workmanship and feel a desire to take hold of every opportunity to lessen the distresses of the afflicted and increase the happiness of the creation. Here we have a prospect of one common interest from which our own is inseparable, that to turn all the treasures we possess into [the channel of universal love] becomes the business of our lives…

Oppression in the extreme appears terrible: but oppression in more refined appearances remains to be oppression; and where the smallest degree of it is cherished it grows stronger and more extensive. To labour for a perfect redemption from this spirit of oppression is the great business of the whole family of Christ Jesus in this world.”

This Mindful Moment provided by Wess Daniels

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Upcoming Events

Day	Date	Time	Event	Organization
Wednesday	4.21.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.21.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry
Friday	4.23.2021	1:00 PM	Meeting for Centering Silence	Friends Center
Monday	4.26.2021	1:00 PM	Meeting for Centering Silence (student focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.28.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.28.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry

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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.

Mindful Moment

Sacred Text: 1 Peter 5:7 AMP: Cast all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on God, for God cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

Nowadays my mind seems to receive little repose. I am continuously thinking about the path towards healing. There is so much space needed for healing in our nation, on our campus, and in our lives. Many of our treasured Guilford College staff and faculty are no longer at the college. Some students have transferred, many remain. We all feel their loss. As we do the hard/heart work of rebuilding and saving the college, we must also hold space for repair, trust- building, healing, and reconciliation. Pain must be acknowledged.

On a national and local scale, this past year has pivoted the nation and our campus into an unprecedented year of social justice, social change and a call to action. While our campus is responding to its own trauma, the world is responding to a global pandemic, racial tensions and violence. How can we cultivate a community of care and concern? How can we mirror the image of God by receiving the cares of our loved ones and community? In an attempt to foster self-care and community care, I have been studying different healing practices. A few of those practices follow. Click the links to learn more. 

Quaker Silence, Meditation and Prayer: Originally offered through the Friends Center, I have attended Quaker minister Sara Beth Terrell‘s Experiment in Silence for over a year. For me, even as a non-Quaker, it has been life changing and consciousness altering. Sara Beth shared, “Out of silence, we can come to new places, we can allow new thinking. We must reimagine how we do education and the church, and many other longstanding institutions. New thinking often comes about when we are in conflict. When we are in silence together, bonds form that we may not even be aware are forming. Silence can bring a sense of care, bonding and healing.” 

Talking Circles/Peacemaking Circles: I recently invited Dr. Kenneth Wallace to speak to my Multicultural Leadership Scholars class, an African American Choctaw residing in Montreal, Canada. He shared about the indigenous practice of Talking Circles, also called “peacemaking circles.” These circles privilege both talking and listening as mechanisms for deeper understanding and respect. According to practitioner Alaina Winters, “Processes are based upon equality between participants and the principle of sharing power with each other instead of having power over one another.”

The Black Church: Theologian Shar Walker wrote, “The black church was birthed from a place of marginalization and hardship. From its foundations it has known dark times, but it has also been given the privilege of experiencing God as strength and shield (Ps. 28:7).” The Black church is an imperfect institution in many ways, but for me it has served as a space of empowerment, inspiration, revolution, resistance, and resiliency. In particular, I love the freedom of the Spirit that has power and relevance for real life. I love the practice of music and worship. I am encouraged by the tradition of the testimony service, where we use our lives and experiences to encourage one another through stories of overcoming. 

Query: I now invite you to consider your own rituals and sacred spaces. What spiritual practices do you honor that bring healing to your spirit? How can our individual practices impact our communities?

This Mindful Moment provided by Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither, Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Director of the Intercultural Engagement Center at Guilford College

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Upcoming Events

Day	Date	Time	Event	Organization
Wednesday	4.14.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.14.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry
Friday	4.16.2021	1:00 PM	Meeting for Centering Silence	Friends Center
Monday	4.19.2021	1:00 PM	Meeting for Centering Silence (student focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.21.2021	8:30 AM	Meeting for Centering Silence (staff/faculty focus)	Friends Center
Wednesday	4.21.2021	7:00 PM	GCM Weekly Fellowship on Founders Hall Lawn	Guilford Christian Ministry

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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.