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.
Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Artwork
Mindful Moment
Excerpts from Mary: Revolutionary for Our Time by C. Wess Daniels
Mary, a young Jewish woman living on occupied land, yet without child, a refugee and therefore even more vulnerable, was in a very real sense powerless — at least in terms of how “the world” measures such things. This is the person who offers “space for the uncontained space for God” that Denise Levertov speaks of. This womb of God born outside of class, racial, or educational privilege, born without rights, and hunted down by the government, would eventually be imprisoned, brutalized by Rome’s police and executed by the state. His birth is a concrete witness of God’s preferential option for the poor and disenfranchised in this world. His birth, life and death show which side of history God is on.
Advent begins a deep counter-narrative to Wall Street and the White House be damned: this baby comes on the edges of empire, in public housing and hidden from government authorities.
Mary is a model revolutionary of our time. She is a religious woman, persecuted and imprisoned by the Roman empire, and she is a political visionary. She does not separate the two, for her prayer is not abdication, it is movement, it is real and radical change, and she knows that only with God’s help can things be turned around now.
This year I am grateful for Advent because it reminds me that Mary’s work is not yet done; Mary’s work is still our work. While the moral arc bends towards justice, it requires hands and feet and moral imaginations to do the refracting. It also reminds me that we are not alone in these struggles, that we have a sister who, long ago and far away, took a step in courage and in faithfulness, and it turned out to be something far more revolutionary than she could have ever dreamed. It turned out to be a love that lifts up the lowly and tears down the mighty.
Read the full post here: https://gatheringinlight.com/2016/12/09/marys-revolution/
Queries:
- What does Mary’s way into this struggle for a world of love and justice teach us?
- In what ways do I continue to read the birth narratives more inline with Wall Street than I do with Flint, Ferguson, and Charleston?
- How have I missed the revolutionary narrative of the Christmas narrative in the past?
This Mindful Moment provided by Jacob Perkins ’22 and C. Wess Daniels
Courses in Religious Studies
The Department of Religious Studies is excited to announce its Spring 2022 course offerings! Access this document to see courses and a brief description of each. Please contact peterfesojm@guilford.edu for more information.
Upcoming Events
| Day | Date | Time | Event | Location | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 12.1.2021 | 5:45-7:00 PM | Connecting Conversations with Dr. Zhihong Chen | Moon Room | Friends Center |
| Thursday | 12.2.2021 | 6:00 PM | Student Game Night | St. Mary’s House | St. Mary’s House (Episcopal Campus Ministry) |
| Sunday | 11.28.2021 | 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 | 11.30.2021 | 6:30 PM | Community Meal: home cooked meal and with friends, new and old! Optional Bible study at 7:15. | St. Mary’s House | St. Mary’s House (Episcopal Campus Ministry) |
| Tuesday | 11.30.2021 | 7:00 PM | UKIRK Tuesday | Holderness House | UKIRK Greensboro (PCUSA/ Presbyterian) |
If you are reading in email, formatting may be better if you read in browser.
Job Opportunities:
Associate Superintendent for Western Yearly Meeting. See files below for more info:
Friends World Committee for Consultation Advancement Manager. See file below for more info:
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.
