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
Finding God in the Present
“Our Identification of God with the past has done the present and the future no favor. Old mistakes are still mistakes, and we do not need to keep repeating them. For much of the world, this preoccupation with the past comes across as a divine approval of everybody else’ death (non-Christians, heretics, Native peoples, “sinners,” women, the poor, slaves, and on and on), and never our own. Many people have lost all interest in our grand spiritual talk and our Scriptures because they too often have been used by people who are themselves still small (who are stuck in their False Self). It does not help to deny that we are stuck, and yet it does not help to stand arrogantly above it all either – as if we do not all share in the one great human crucifixion of reality, the one “world sorrow.” -Richard Rohr
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to leaders of schools (headmasters, principles, etc). Many of whom are dealing with “the identification of God with the past,” whose own culture and ethos is controlled by a few who are afraid to see what God can do not just tomorrow but today. Self-congratulations, stuckness passed as righteousness, and keeping things familiar and comfortable may feel nice but it will get us nowhere. Instead, we need a shift in mindset and attitude. What is God doing now? What is God doing around us? How can we wake up and rejoin that work each day with a beginner’s mind? How can we stand still long enough to hear, see, feel the imperceptible among us. To survive, to love, to remain curious, to laugh, to truly listen are all divine acts of today that will help you see God around you.
I love the image of the nurse log. A nurse log is a tree that has fallen in the woods and provides nourishment and protection for new life to grow. Where is God at in this micro-ecosystem of life? God is in the decaying tree providing source material for emergent life. God is in the budding flora. God is in and with the plants, animals, and insects that are yet to come and find life and nourishment in this micro-ecosystem. I hope to be curious enough to see the many ways in which my false self prevents me from seeing God unfolding right in front of me.”
Query: What is God doing now? What is God doing around us? How can we wake up and rejoin that work each day with a beginner’s mind? What helps and what gets in the way of my own curiosity for where God is working now?
This Mindful Moment provided by Wess Daniels
Upcoming Events
| Day | Date | Time | Event | Location | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 10.21.2021 | 7:24 PM | Weekly Fellowship & Bible Study | Moon Room | Guilford Christian Ministry |
| Friday | 10.22.2021 | 1:30 – 2:00 PM | Quaker Meeting Worship | Moon Room | Friends Center |
| Friday | 10.22.2021 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM | Quaker Meeting Worship (QLSP focus but open to all) | Moon Room | Friends Center |
| Saturday | 10.23.2021 | 10:00 AM – Noon | Free Farmer’s Market | New Garden Park | GCM/Church of the Redeemer |
| Sunday | 10.24.2021 | 11:00 AM | Informal Episcopal Worship: liturgy, communion, prayers, & hymns. All are welcome. | St. Mary’s House | St. Mary’s House (Episcopal Campus Ministry) |
| Tuesday | 10.26.2021 | 7:00 PM | Community Dinner | St. Mary’s House | St. Mary’s House (Episcopal Campus Ministry) |
| Tuesday | 10.26.2021 | 7:00 PM | UKIRK Tuesday | Holderness House | UKIRK Greensboro (PCUSA/ Presbyterian) |
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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.
